A Survey of Non-English Major Students' Usage Behavior on the UNIPUS Platform
Abstract
Background and Aim: As one of the popular English e-learning tools, Unipus customizes 1,700 universities, 40,000 teachers, and 8,000,000 students in China, thus, it is meaningful to invest the students’ perceived perceptions towards Unipus and has a significant impact on the blended learning environment implementation in higher education in China. This study aims to explore the factors that influence the non-English students Behavioral Intention to use Unipus and their actual Use Behavior by developing a framework based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), UTAUT2, and Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) model.
Materials and Methods: The study collected 379 non-English student questionnaires in the study. The research utilized structural equation modeling (SEM) for hypothesis testing.
Results: The result demonstrated the factors positively influencing intention to use which include Performance Expectancy(p<0.05), Social Influence(p<0.001), Learning Value(p<0.05), and Facilitating Conditions (FC) (p<0.001). Factors positively influencing Use Behavior include FC(p<0.05) and Behavioral Intention(p<0.001). The influence coefficients rank from highest to lowest as FC > SI > LV > PE, indicating that FC is the most significant factor driving student usage behavior among all factors, the attitudes of peers and teachers, along with time costs are significant influencing factors, whereas technical proficiency does not impact usage behavior or intention, a high level of behavioral intention typically encourages individuals to adopt and sustain the use of the technology, thereby leading to actual usage behavior. The findings offer insights into the factors that influence the intention and behavior of non-English students towards Unipus.
Conclusion: Generally, if students perceive that Unipus can enhance their grades and is user-friendly, their intention to use the platform will increase. The influence of teachers and peers can positively affect students' attitudes and intentions toward using the platform. Teachers can assign tasks based on students' interests, increasing their motivation to engage with the platform. For platform designers, it is crucial to develop platforms that are efficient in terms of time investment and usability. Platforms characterized by high efficiency and ease of use are more likely to appeal to students.
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