scholarly journals IPad Acceptance by English Learners in Saudi Arabia

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 34
Author(s):  
Barry A. M. Lawrence

<p>This study used the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT; Venkatesh, Morris, Davis, &amp; Davis, 2003) model to investigate factors predicting the acceptance of iPad tablets by learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) at a technical vocational college in Saudi Arabia. An online survey was conducted on 199 male learners, and a simultaneous multiple regression analysis was conducted on the data. The results indicated that a belief in the device’s educational potential, a sense that it was straightforward to use, and the perception that the infrastructure would support usage were all significant predictors of the behavioral intention to use iPads. Social factors did not indicate an acceptance of the device. The findings highlighted areas of importance for educators intending to adopt mobile devices in second language instruction and partially supported the application of the UTAUT.</p>

1979 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 91-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Sharwood Smith

It has become increasingly evident in recent years that what is by convention termed ‘applied linguistics’, in that it has to do with foreign language learning and instruction, should be as much applied PSYCHOLOGY as applied linguistics to say nothing of other possible types of application. Still, it is by no means unfortunate that linguistics has established itself as the primary discipline since it is, after all, LANGUAGE that is being taught and learned. It is admittedly symptomatic of this, dare one say, historical bias in applied linguistics that a good theory of language applied with a minimal knowledge of psychological theory (plus, one hopes a large amount of common sense) is probably more generally regarded as acceptable than a way of working based on a sound knowledge of psychology and only a brief acquaintance with linguistics. However it would be extremely unwise to presume that by applying just linguistics to problems of second language instruction or learning one had all that one needed as far as sources (content and techniques) are concerned. This would be to ignore all past and present theorising and experimentation within the field of instructional and learning psychology. The bias needs to be corrected.


2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 23-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nuno Fortes ◽  
António Carrizo Moreira ◽  
João Saraiva

Online gambling has skyrocketed in recent years. As such, knowing the determinants of consumer usage behavior is crucial in understanding online gambling services. This study has as main objective the construction of an explanatory model of the online gambling services usage behavior, based on the incorporation of perceived risk in the conceptual framework of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2). The empirical validation of the model was performed by conducting an online survey to a convenience sample of 212 Portuguese online players. Data were processed using the PLS-SEM methodology. The results evidence that performance expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, hedonic motivations, price value, habits, as well as perceived risk influence the intention to use online gambling services.


2020 ◽  
pp. 203-218
Author(s):  
Sulaeman Sulaeman ◽  
Sri Yayu Ninglasari

ABSTRACT This study aims to examine the behavioral intention of the Muslim crowd funders to use the Zakat-based crowdfunding platform model by adopting the concept of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) Model. The platform model, as an intermediary between Muslim crowd funders and MSMEs, provides financing services for MSMEs to fight any kind of situation/pandemic like COVID-19 nowadays. This study used the primary data that is collected by using the online survey questionnaires, and then the analysis is conducted using partial least squares (PLS) regression. The empirical study shows that all the variables except for facilitating conditions have a significant positive effect on the intention of Muslim crowd funders to use the Zakat-based crowdfunding platform model. The present study will help the government and policymakers to plan appropriate intervention strategies to minimize the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on MSMEs in Indonesia. Furthermore, the study will contribute to the existing literature especially on the factors influencing the adoption of the Zakat-based crowdfunding platform model.


2020 ◽  
Vol 84 (11) ◽  
pp. 1262-1269
Author(s):  
Jafar H. Alabdullah ◽  
Bonnie L. Van Lunen ◽  
Denise M. Claiborne ◽  
Susan J. Daniel ◽  
Cherng‐Jyh Yen ◽  
...  

1989 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Päivi Juvonen

The present paper deals with the study of repair patterns. Repair, seen as some type of intrinsic trouble manifested by some party during interaction, has here been studied in an institutional setting, the second-language class-room. The repair sequences have been studied relative to the activity type in which the participants are involved. The results show the following: first, that the activity type has an impact on the repair pattern; and secondly, both quantitative and qualitative differences in repair patterns are found when compared with non-educational and foreign-language-teaching settings.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Bregni

In recent years, scholars have increasingly indicated content-based language teaching (CBLT) as a potential successful response to the increasing challenges faced by language departments in higher education. This article is a case study on the advantages of using a hybrid format in a content-based intensive foreign language video game-based (VGBL) course. For decades now, video games have been a pervasive part of our culture. My experiments in introducing video games as a learning device in the F/L2 language classroom have led me to explore the option of teaching a gaming-based language course. I further developed language acquisition strategies using video games and related media. In spring 2017, I used the SLU state-of-the-art learning studio to teach Intensive Italian for Gamers, which combines “traditional” intensive language instruction with gaming-based interaction. Within the pedagogical premise that language acquisition is a process that involves, and benefits from, daily interactions in the language in and outside the classroom, the course targeted the specific segment of the student population that self-identifies as gamers. A specific content-oriented intensive foreign language course of this kind would not have been possible without a hybrid course design format. Flipping the classroom allowed learners to spend more time in contact with the target-language and focus their attention on exploring the spoken language through the digital gaming realia and communicating with one another in the target language on the specific course topic: video games. Flipping the classroom also encouraged students to explore more of the language independently. In an online survey conducted approximately six months after completing the course (response rate was 83.3%), all of the respondents reported that they autonomously continued to play games in the target language in their own spare time, and most of them did so often”. Pilot data show that students attained the desired level, continued learning on their own, and less stress was involved than in a traditional course. My course could serve as a model for a mixed/blended learning format that could be applied to other languages and even other fields. After all, video games lend themselves to some interesting potential multidisciplinary developments in, among other subjects, History, Art and Architecture.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanxiang Yang ◽  
Joerg Koenigstorfer

BACKGROUND Smartphone fitness apps are considered promising tools for promoting physical activity and health. However, it is unclear which user-perceived factors and app features encourage users to download apps with the intention of being physically active. OBJECTIVE Building on the second version of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, this study aims to examine the association of the seven determinants of the second version of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology with the app usage intentions of the individuals and their behavioral intentions of being physically active as well as the moderating effects of different smartphone fitness app features (ie, education, motivation, and gamification related) and individual differences (ie, age, gender, and experience) on these intentions. METHODS Data from 839 US residents who reported having used at least one smartphone fitness app were collected via a web-based survey. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed, and path modeling was used to test the hypotheses and explore the influence of moderators on structural relationships. RESULTS The determinants explain 76% of the variance in the behavioral intention to use fitness apps. Habit (<i>β</i>=.42; <i>P</i>&lt;.001), performance expectancy (<i>β</i>=.36; <i>P</i>&lt;.001), facilitating conditions (<i>β</i>=.15; <i>P</i>&lt;.001), price value (<i>β</i>=.13; <i>P</i>&lt;.001), and effort expectancy (<i>β</i>=.09; <i>P</i>=.04) were positively related to behavioral intention to use fitness apps, whereas social influence and hedonic motivation were nonsignificant predictors. Behavioral intentions to use fitness apps were positively related to intentions of being physically active (<i>β</i>=.12; <i>P</i>&lt;.001; <i>R<sup>2</sup></i>=0.02). Education-related app features moderated the association between performance expectancy and habit and app usage intentions; motivation-related features moderated the association of performance expectancy, facilitating conditions, and habit with usage intentions; and gamification-related features moderated the association between hedonic motivation and usage intentions. Age moderated the association between effort expectancy and usage intentions, and gender moderated the association between performance expectancy and habit and usage intentions. User experience was a nonsignificant moderator. Follow-up tests were used to describe the nature of significant interaction effects. CONCLUSIONS This study identifies the drivers of the use of fitness apps. Smartphone app features should be designed to increase the likelihood of app usage, and hence physical activity, by supporting users in achieving their goals and facilitating habit formation. Target group–specific preferences for education-, motivation-, and gamification-related app features, as well as age and gender differences, should be considered. Performance expectancy had a high predictive power for intended usage for male (vs female) users who appreciated motivation-related features. Thus, apps targeting these user groups should focus on goal achievement–related features (eg, goal setting and monitoring). Future research could examine the mechanisms of these moderation effects and their long-term influence on physical activity.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document