Paper presented at National Conference Inovasi Dalam Menghadapi Perubahan Lingkungan Bisnis Universitas Trisakti Jakarta (2007)

Students Adoption of the Internet in Learning: Applying the Theory of Acceptance Model
Sabrina Oktoria Sihombing Pelita Harapan University

In this year of technological innovation, internet is one of educational technology tool to support students in their learning objectives. This research applies the Technology Acceptance Model to predict students adoption of the internet in learning. Respondents were 172 students which collected from a private university in West Java. Respondents were collected by using purposive sampling technique. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the data. Results indicate that perceived usefulness, attitude, and intention are predictors of actual use of the internet. This study founds that perceived ease of use is not a significant predictor of attitude toward using the internet. Key words: technology acceptance model, internet, attitude, intention, actual use

The focus of this research is on students adoption of the internet. Specifically, this research applied the technology acceptance model to understand the effect student perceptions on perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and attitude toward using the internet toward intention to adopt internet in student learning. This paper is structured as follows. The next section provides justifications to the research. Subsequent sections present the literature review of the technology acceptance model. Then, the research method is discussed. A discussion of the findings and their implications is also offered. Finally, the research limitation and conclusion are provided.

Justifications to the research

This research can be justified on these two grounds as follows: (1) the advantages to use technology for students and university, and (2) the need to test the theory of acceptance model in different cultures. The advantages to use technology for students and university. The internet has impact on education with todays term as educational technology (Isman, 2004). In the educational technology, one of the most advantages of the internet use is the degree of interaction and asynchronous information exchange (Irani, 2000). For the university, the internet provides faster learning at reduced costs and increased access to learning for all participants in the learning process (Potgieter and Herselman, 2005; Wellington, Hutchinson, and Faria, 2005; Gunasekaran, McNeil, and Saul, 2002). For students, the internet offers flexibility in learning. Students can learn everywhere not only in the traditional class-room. The internet has created opportunities to expand learning experience beyond the traditional classroom. Therefore, researching and understanding the influences of internet on students would assist institutions of higher education learning to better train and prepare students to use technologies for their studies. Moreover, understanding students

Introduction
Information and communication technology shapes todays world as networked world (Hawkins, 2005). In other words, people are now live in information society or information-driven world. In regarding with education, the internet in education leads to the changing in learning and teaching process (Hasan, 2005; Gunasekaran, McNeil, and Saul, 2002). There are several benefits of the internet to higher education. Those benefits are the improvement of the quality of learning, the improvement of the access to education and training, and reduce education cost (Potgieter and Herselman, 2005; Gunasekaran, McNeil, and Saul, 2002). Moreover, the internet offers freedom to explore a different way of learning (Langan, 1997).

Paper presented at National Conference Inovasi Dalam Menghadapi Perubahan Lingkungan Bisnis Universitas Trisakti Jakarta (2007)

adoption of the internet will be important in the development of e-learning or cyber universities. The need to test the theory of acceptance model in different cultures. Many consumer behavior models were developed in the United State (Craig and Douglas, 2000; Lee and Green, 1991). Therefore, consumer behavior in developed countries may be different compare to consumer behavior in developing countries. This research tested one of consumer behavior model, that is, the theory of acceptance model which was developed by Davis (1986). According to Durvasula, Andrews, Lysonski, and Netemeyer (1993), the testing of the applicability of consumer behavior models to other culture is paramount. The importance of theory testing is also pointed by Petty and Cacioppo (1996, p.6) as follows: Our advice is not to give up theory testing but to pursue theory testing thoughtfully with an eye toward understanding the many things that can be learned by failure of the theory and to be as critical of successes as of failures. The replication of the model in different populations and different countries can achieve external validation of that theory (Cheron and Propeck, 1997). Replication is also always desirable and necessary. This is because replication is a way to test theory empirically and interpreting theory broadly in similar and dissimilar situations (Kerlinger and Lee, 2000). Furthermore, the principle of replicability plays a fundamental role in the research process (Hunter, 2001; Kerlinger and Lee, 2000; Hubbard, Vetter, and Little, 1998; Wells, 1993). The principle of replicability is hailed as the hallmark of science (Blaug, 1992 cited by Hubbard et al., 1998).

developed by using the theory of reasoned action (TRA, Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975) as a theoretical basis for specifying the linkages between perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, and users, attitude toward using the technology, intention and actual usage of technology. TAM is considerably less general than TRA (Davis et al., 1989). Specifically, the model was designed to apply only to computer usage behavior. However, the model can also be applied to predict phenomena which related to information technology, for example: the internet adoption (Irani, 2000), cellular telephone adoption (Kwon and Chidambaram, 2000), on-line shopping (Klopping and McKinney, 2005), and information system (Jackson, Chow, and Leitch, 1997). As stated above, TAM includes four key predictors of actual use of technology: perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude toward using technology, and intention to use. Specifically, the TAM attempts to explain user acceptance of technology based on two specific behavioral beliefs: perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEU). Those behavioral beliefs influence an individual's attitude (ATT) toward using technology. Furthermore, perceived usefulness also influences an individuals intention to use a technology. Finally, TAM postulates that technology usage is determined by individuals intention to use a technology.
Figure1. The Technology Acceptance Model
Perceived Usefulness (PU)

H4 H1
Attitude (ATT) Intention (INT) Actual Use (ACT)

H3
Perceived Ease of Use (PEU)

H5 H2

H6

Literature Review The Technology Acceptance Model

The technology acceptance model was developed by Davis (1986, cited by Davis, Bagozzi, and Warshaw, 1989) to explain computer usage behavior. The TAM was

Source: Davis, Bagozzi and Warshaw (1989)

Hypotheses

Paper presented at National Conference Inovasi Dalam Menghadapi Perubahan Lingkungan Bisnis Universitas Trisakti Jakarta (2007)

Based on brief explanation above, the following hypotheses are proposed based on model as shown in figure 1: H1: Perceived usefulness is positively related to attitude toward using the internet. H2: Perceived ease of use is positively related to attitude toward using internet. H3: Perceived ease of use is positively related to perceived usefulness. H4: Perceived usefulness is positively related to the intention to use of internet. H5: Attitude toward using the internet is positively related to the intention to use internet. H6: Intention to use the internet is positively relate with actual use of the internet.

Methodology
Samples. Subjects were drawn from nonprobabilistic purposive sampling method of students which in faculty of economics in one private university in West Java. The major criteria guided the selection of the respondents is the respondent should at least in their fifth semester. This is because at that semester students may have more works that relate to computer and internet. Instrument Development. This research applied the procedure that recommended by Ajzen and Fishbein (1980) to identify salient beliefs of the research object, that is, the internet. An exploratory study was conducted to identify salient beliefs of the internet. In that study, respondents were asked to list the advantages, disadvantages, and other things that related to use the usefulness of internet and the ease of use of internet. Then, beliefs that most frequently mentioned outcome were chosen. These beliefs were called as modal salient beliefs. Based on the exploratory studys result, the research questionnaire was then developed. The questionnaire of this research was divided into four sections. Those sections in the questionnaire consisted of Likert-scale statements, with five

choices of response from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree". The first section was the students' perception of ease of use of the internet. Perceived ease of use is the extent to which it is believed that a technology will be easy to use (Davis, Bagozzi, and Warshaw, 1989). Sample statements for this section were "For me, internet is easy to operate " and "For me, internet is easy to learn. There were a total of three statements in this section. The second section of the questionnaire measured the students' perceptions of usefulness of the internet. Perceived usefulness is the extent to which it is believed that using a technology will be beneficial in some way (Davis, Bagozzi, and Warshaw, 1989). Sample statements for this section were "For me, the internet can support me to find information to finish the assignments and "For me, the internet can provides a variety of information and its resources". There were a total of five statements in this section. The third section of the questionnaire measured the students' attitudes toward using the internet. Sample statements for this section were "For me, using the internet as an alternative tool in learning was: wise-foolish, bad-good, positivenegative, and beneficial-harmful. The fourth section of the instrument measures the students intention to use the internet. There were two statements in this section. Those two statements were I plan to use the internet in my learning activities and I intend to use the internet in my learning process. Finally, the fifth section was about actual usage of the internet. There were two statements in this section regarding how often they use the internet in their learning activities. Pretesting. Malhotra (2004) pointed out that pretesting can be applied to identify and eliminate potential problems. In particular, pretesting should be conducted prior to the initial data collection. The questionnaire then was pretested on 30 students. The instrument then was refined after pretesting. Based on Azwar (1999), one indicator

Paper presented at National Conference Inovasi Dalam Menghadapi Perubahan Lingkungan Bisnis Universitas Trisakti Jakarta (2007)

of perceived of usefulness (PU) was dropped because of the corrected item-total correlation was below 0.30. Then, item-total statistics were again computed to achieve value greater than 0.3. The result Cronbachs alpha after deleting one indicator were range from 0.77 to 0.89. Furthermore, the data was examined for factor analysis. The results showed that the loading factors are greater than 0.5 According to Hair, Black, Babin, Anderson, and Tatham (2006), loadings that greater than 0.5 indicates practical significance. Analysis Data. A structural equation modeling using AMOS 5 was conducted to test the relationship between constructs. For the overall fit of the model, this research several indices such as CMIN/DF, GFI, AGFI, and RMSEA (see Table 1).
Table 1. Evaluation of Structural Model for Goodnessof-fit Measures Goodnessof-fit indices GFI AGFI CMIN/DF RMSEA < 0.08 Cut-off value Reference

as the cut-off point for coefficient alpha and composite reliability. The coefficients alpha and composite reliability presented in the table show that the figures ranged from 0.75 to 0.85. Furthermore, reliability was also examined by applying average variance extracted. The threshold value for average variance extracted (AVE) should achieved value greater than 0.5 (Hair et al., 2006). Again, Table 1 shows that average variance extracted values are greater than 0.5.
Table 2. Reliability of the Constructs

PU

PEU ATT INT ACT

Cronbach 0.85 0.77 0.84 0.77 0.75 Composite 0.85 0.78 0.81 0.77 0.76 Reliability Average 0.99 0.98 0.99 0.98 0.95 Variance Extracted
PU : Perceived Usefulness PEU: Perceived Ease of Use ATT: Attitude INT : Intention ACT: Actual Source: analysis of field data

> 0.90 > 0.90 >5 2-5 (reasonable fit)

Kelloway (1998) Kelloway (1998) ; Hair et al. (2006) Kelloway (1998) Marsh and Hocevar (1985) cited by Arbuckle and Worthe, 1999)

< 0.05 (close fit) Hair et al. (2006) 0.05 0.08 Baumgartner and (reasonable fit) Homburg (1996) Source: summarized by researchers cited above

Construct Validity. Regarding with validity of measures, this research applied factor analysis as a powerful and indispensable method of construct validation (Kerlinger and Lee, 2000, p. 679). The results confirmed that there were indeed four constructs in TAM (Table 3).
Table 3. Exploratory Factor Analysis
Scale items Factor 1 Factor2 Factor 3 Factor 4 PU1 0.725 PU2 0.806 PU3 0.789 PU4 0.678 PU5 0.617 PEU1 0.744 PEU2 0.840 PEU3 0.718 ATT1 0.583 ATT2 0.792 ATT3 0.804 Factor 5

Results
Reliability. Reliability was measured by applying several tests: the Cronbachs alpha, composite reliability and average variance extracted (Table 2). The cut-off point 0.7 (Hair et al., 1995; Bagozzi, Davis and Warshaw, 1992) was applied

Paper presented at National Conference Inovasi Dalam Menghadapi Perubahan Lingkungan Bisnis Universitas Trisakti Jakarta (2007)
ATT4 INT1 INT2 ACT1 ACT2 0.749 0.799 0.828 0.740 0.865

PU4 PU PU5 PU PEU1 PEU PEU2 PEU PEU3 PEU ATT1 ATT ATT2 ATT ATT3 ATT ATT4 ATT INT1 INT INT2 INT ACT1 ACT ACT2 ACT Absolute fit:

0.747 0.747 0.791 0.623 0.781 0.779 0.664 0.738 0.703 0.858 0.729 0.839 0.720

9.394 9.394

Source: analysis of field data

The discriminant validity was assessed by two ways. First, the discriminant validity was achieved when the correlation between constructs should significantly less than 1.00 (Bagozzi, Davis, and Warshaw, 1992). Second, the value of average variance extracted that more than 0.5 indicates discriminant validity was achieved (Fornell and Larcker, 1981). Table 3 shows that discriminant validity was achieved. Moreover, Table 2 shows that the values of average variance extracted were higher than 0.50 indicating discriminant validity was achieved. In relating with nomological validity, Table 4 shows a consistent pattern between criterion and predictors which is supporting for the nomological validity (Cronbach and Meehl, 1955, cited by Netemeyer et al., 1991).
Table 4. The Correlation between Constructs PEU PU ATT INT ACT PEU 1 PU 0.547** 1 ATT 0.314** 0.487** 1 INT 0.374** 0.533** 0.631** 1 ACT 0.364** 0.397** 0.325** 0.472** 1 ** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed) Source: analysis of field data

7.463 8.885

8.305 9.248 8.810

9.9413

6.712

GFI : 0.901 AGFI : 0.857 CMIN/DF : 1.596 RMR : 0.030 RMSEA : 0.059 Source: analysis of field data

Structural equation modeling using AMOS 5 was used to confirm the relationships between perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude toward using the internet, and actual usage of the internet. The results are shown in Figure 2 and Table 6.
Figure2. The structural model
Perceived Usefulness (PU)

The measurement model included all of the indicator items for perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude, intention, and actual use. The results for the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the measurement model are listed in Table 5. The measurement model fit the data.
Table 5. Confirmatory Factor Analysis Path Standardized CR Regression Weight PU1 PU 0.745 PU2 PU 0.663 8.304 PU3 PU 0.769 9.672

0.322 0.575
Attitude (ATT) Intention (INT) Actual Use (ACT)

0.664
Perceived Ease of Use (PEU)

0.586

0.598

0.012*

* Not significant Source: analysis of field data Table 6. Structural Model Results

Paper presented at National Conference Inovasi Dalam Menghadapi Perubahan Lingkungan Bisnis Universitas Trisakti Jakarta (2007)

Hypotheses Path

Standardized CR Regression Weight 0.575 0.012 0.664 0.322 0.586 0.598

Absolute Fit

H1 H2 H3 H4 H5 H6

ATT PU ATT PEU PU PEU INT PU INT ATT ACT INT

4.354 GFI= 0.897 0.094* AGFI= 0.857 6.591 CMIN/DF= 1.615 3.477 RMSEA= 0.060 5.784 RMR= 0.035 6.560

Source: analysis of field data

The first hypothesis predicted a positive relationship between perceived usefulness and attitude toward using the internet. The results substantiated the hypothesis (CR = 4.354). The second hypothesis predicted a positive relationship between perceived ease of use and attitude toward using the internet. Contrary to expectations, the result did not substantiated hypothesis two (CR = 0.094). This research proposed that there was a positive relationship between perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness (hypothesis three). The findings indicated that perceived ease of use affected perceived usefulness (CR = 6.591). Then, the fourth hypothesis proposed a positive relationship between perceived usefulness and intention to use the internet. The results in Table 5 indicated that hypothesis four was substantiated (CR = 3.477). The fifth hypothesis stated a positive relationship between attitude and intention to use the internet. The results supported the hypothesis (CR = 5.784). Finally, hypothesis six proposed the relationship between intention and actual use of the internet. Table 5 showed that this hypothesis was substantiated (CR = 6.560).

results showed that hypothesis two which predicted a positive relationship between perceived ease of use and attitude toward using the internet was not substantiated. According to Gardner and Amoroso (2004), ease of use may less important because difficulty in using the internet can be overcome if the user thinks that the internet will be useful for them. A similar result was reported by Saade and Galloway (2005). However, the nonsignificant relationship between perceive ease of use and attitude toward using the internet remains to be examined in future research.

Limitation and Conclusions

This research has limitations that warrant consideration for the research findings. First, the sample design applying nonprobability purposive sampling may limit the ability to generalize the research findings. Second, this research applied self-report questionnaire. The application of selfreport questionnaire may cause common method variance (Podsakoff, MacKenzie, Lee, and Podsakoff, 2003). This study contributes to the validation of TAM across countries, that is, Indonesia. The results support the link between perceived usefulness and students attitude toward adopting the internet. The results also support the link between students attitude and students intention to adopt the internet. The link between students intention and the actual usage of the internet was also supported. However, the link between perceived ease of use and students attitude toward adopting the internet was not supported.

Discussion
The objective of this study was to examine the theory of acceptance model toward the internet. The study found that constructs in TAM, except perceived ease of use, were significant predictors of actual usage of the internet. Specifically, the

References

Paper presented at National Conference Inovasi Dalam Menghadapi Perubahan Lingkungan Bisnis Universitas Trisakti Jakarta (2007)

Ajzen, I. and Fishbein, M. (1980). Understanding Attitudes and Predicting Social Behavior. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc. Azwar, S. (1995). Sikap Manusia: Teori dan Pengukurannya, Edisi ke 2, Yogyakarta: Pustaka Pelajar. Bagozzi, R.P., Davis, R.P. and Warshaw, P.R. (1992). Development and Test of a Theory of Technological Learning and Usage. Human Relations, 45, 659-664. Baumgartner, H. and Homburg, C. (1996). Applications of Structural Equation modeling in Marketing and Consumer Research: A Review. International Journal of Research in Marketing. 13, 139-161. Craig, C.S. & Douglas, S.P. (2000). International Marketing Research, 2nd ed., Chichester: Prentice Hall, Inc. Cronbach, L. J. and Meehl, P.E. (1955). Construct Validity in Psychological Tests. Psychological Bulletin, 52, 4, 281-302. Davis, F.,Bagozzi, R.P. Warshaw, P.R. (1989). User Acceptance Of Computer Technology : A Comparison of Two. Management Science, 35,8. Davis, D.D. (1986). A Technology Acceptance Model for Empirically Testing New EndUser Information Systems: Theory and Results. Doctoral dissertation, Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Durvasula, S. Andrews, J.C., Lysonski, S. and Netemeyer, R.G. (1993). Assessing the cross-national applicability of consumer behavior models: a model of attitude toward advertising in general. Journal of Consumer Research, 19, 626-636.

Fornell, C. and Larcker, D.F. (1981). Evaluating Structural Equation Models with Unobservable Variables and Measurement Error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18, 39-50. Garver, M.S. and Mentzer, J.T. (1999). Logistics Research Methods: Employing Structural Equation Modeling to test for Construct Validity. Journal of Business Logistics, 20, 1, 33-57. Gunasekaran, A., McNeil, R.R. and Saul, D. (2002). E-learning: research and applications. Industrial and Commercial Training, 34, 2, pp. 44-53. Hair, J.F., Black, W.C., Babin, B.J., Anderson, R.E., and Tatham, R.L. (2006). Multivariate Data Analysis. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. Hasan, K. M. (2005). Challenges of Globalization: Setting the Muslim Mindset in Malaysia, http://www.ips.org.pk/publications/Persp ectives/Vol2/Chapt4.pdf Hoyer, W.D. and Mclnnis, D.J. (2007). Consumer Behavior. 4th ed. NY: Houghton Mifflin Company. Hubbard, R., Vetter, D.E. and Little, E.L. (1998). Replication in Strategic Management: Scientific Testing for Validity Generalizability, and Usefulness, 19, 243254. Hunter, J.E. (2001). The Desperate Need for Replications. Journal of Consumer Research, 28, 6, 149-158. Irani, T. (2000). Prior Experience, Perceived Usefulness and the Web: Factors Influencing Adoption of Internet Communication Tools. Paper Presented in

Paper presented at National Conference Inovasi Dalam Menghadapi Perubahan Lingkungan Bisnis Universitas Trisakti Jakarta (2007)

the Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists Agricultural Communications Section. January. Lexington. Isman, A. (2004). Attitudes of students toward internet. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, 5, 4, October. Jackson, C.M., Chow, S. and Leitch, R.A. (1997). Toward an Understanding of the Behavioral Intention to use an Information System. Decision Sciences, 28, 2, 357-390. Kelloway, E.K. (1998). Using LISREL for Structural Equation Modeling. London: Sage. Kerlinger, F.N. and Lee, H.B. (2000). Foundations of Behavioral Research. Fort Worth: Harcout College Publishers. Klopping, I.M. and McKinney, E. (2005). Extending the Technology Acceptance Model and the Task-Tehnology Fit Model to Consumer E-Commerce. Information Technology, Learning, and Performance Journal, 22, 1, 35-48. Kotler, P. and Keller, K.L. (2006). Marketing Management 12e. NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Kwon, H.S. and Chidambaram, L. (2000). A Test of the Technology Acceptance Model: the Case of Cellular Telephone Adoption. Proceedings of the 33rd Hawai International Conference on System Sciences. Langan, T. (1997). Online Education: A Students Perspective. Campus-Wide Information Systems, 14, 4, 128-132. Lee,C. and Green, R.T. (1991). Cross-cultural Examination of the Fishbein Behavioral Intentions Model. Journal of International Business Studies, 2nd Quarter, 289-305.

Malhotra, Y. and Galletta, D.F. (1999). Extending the Technology Acceptance Model to Account for Social Sciences: Theoretical Bases and Empirical Validation. Proceedings of the 32nd Hawai International Conference on System Sciences. Malhotra, N.K. (2002). Basic Marketing Research: Applications to Contemporary Issues. NJ: Prentice-Hall. Nazara, S., Wisana, I.D.G.K., and Friawan, D. (2004). Determining the Impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on Decent Work in Indonesia. Demographic Institute Faculty of Economics - University of Indonesia. Netemeyer, R.G., Durvasula, S. and Lichtenstein, D.R. (1991). A Cross-national Assessment of the Reliability and Validity of the CETSCALE. Journal of Marketing Research, 28, 320-327. Petty, R.E. and Cacioppo, J.T. (1996). Adressing Disturbing and Disturbed Consumer Behavior: Is It Necessary to Change the Way We Conduct Behavioral Science. Journal of Marketing Research, 1-8. Podsakoff, P.M., MacKenzie, S.B., Lee, J., and Podsakoff, N. (2003). Common Method Biases in Behavioral Research: a Critical Review of the Literature and Recommended Remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology. 88,5, 879-903. Potgieter, C. and Herselman, M. (2005). Using ICT in Tertiary Education: Do We Dare to Compare? http://www.naccq.ac.nz/conference04/proc eedings_03/pdf.389/pdf. Date accessed: 25-05-2005.

Paper presented at National Conference Inovasi Dalam Menghadapi Perubahan Lingkungan Bisnis Universitas Trisakti Jakarta (2007)

Saad, R.G. and Galloway, I. (2005). Understanding Intention to Use Multimedia Information Systems for Learning. http://2005papers.iisit.org/I23f15Saad.pdf. Wells, W.D. (1993). Discovery-oriented Consumer Research. Journal of Consumer Research, 19, 489-504. Wellington, W., Hutchinson, D. and Faria, A.J. (2005). Using the Internet to Enhance Course Presentation: a help or Hindrance to Student learning. Development in Business Simulations and Experiential Learning, 32, 1-11.