The problem with which this research is dealing is the lack of any explanatory model which explains both the perception and the adoption of new products. One objective of this study is to advance a new conceptual framework concerning both the perception and the adoption of new products. The second objective of this study is to evaluate this new framework theoretically and empirically. Bunge's evaluative criteria are used to evaluate the new model theoretically while Hunter, Schmidt, and Jackson's meta-analysis technique is used to evaluate the model empirically. An extensive review of literature pertaining to the definition of innovation, the adoption process, and innovativeness is included in the second chapter. Chapter three covers research plan and methods. The new model and its assumptions are presented in chapter four. The results of both theoretical and empirical investigations of the new model are reported in chapter five. Finally, chapter six includes a discussion of the main findings and provides some suggestions for future research. An interpretive and postulational model is introduced in this study. The model is built on three main assumptions and contains thirty-one different theoretical constructs. Those constructs are bounded together by forty-six theoretical propositions. Those propositions are the postulates or the axioms which state the nature of the interrelationships among all constructs included in the model.

In this research, it was proposed that self-efficacy is the missing underlying psychological factor in innovation diffusion models of higher education. This is based upon research conducted in the fields of innovation-diffusion in higher education, technology adoption, self-efficacy, health and behavioral change. It was theorized that if self-efficacy is related to adoption, it could provide a quick-scoring method for adoption efficiency and effectiveness that would be easy to administer. The innovation-diffusion model used in this study was Hall and Hord\'s (1987) Concerns Based Adoption Model (CBAM) and it\'s Seven Stages of Concern (SoC) About an Innovation. The SoC measures a user\'s perception of"and concerns about"an innovation over time.  The self-efficacies under study were general, teaching, and technology.  The scales used in this research instrument were Chen\'s New General Self-Efficacy (NGSE), Prieto\'s College Teaching Self-Efficacy Scale (CTSES), and Lichty\'s Teaching with Technology Self-efficacy scale (MUTEBI), respectively.  This research hoped to uncover a relationship between self-efficacies and a Stage of Concern in the adoption of an instructional technology innovation, Google Apps for Education, at a large university institution.  Over 150 quantitative responses were collected from a pool of 1,713 instructional faculty between late Fall 2012 and early Spring 2013 semesters.  The response group was not representative of the larger population. Forty-six percent represented non-tenure track faculty compared to the expected 19 percent.  Analysis using nominal logistic regression between self-efficacy and Stages of Concern revealed that no statistically significant relationship was found.  Of note is that nearly all participants could be classified as being in the early-stages of an innovation adoption, possibly skewing the overall results. / Ph. D.

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The International Technology Education Association published Standards for Technological Literacy (STL) to assist technology educators in establishing curriculum to reflect technological literacy. Presently, the extent to which STL and the individual Standards are being used is not known. The problem of this study was to determine the extent to which Virginia secondary technology education teachers are implementing STL. A questionnaire was sent to 285 randomly selected Virginia secondary technology education teachers seeking information concerning their use of STL, their use of the individual Standards within STL, and their perceptions with regard to Rogers' five attributes of innovation. Frequencies and percentages were calculated to describe the population and the respondents' perception of implementation of the individual Standards with regard to Rogers' attributes of and innovation. A two way contingency table was used to evaluate the relationship between Rogers' attributes of innovation and the implementation of individual Standards. Twenty percent of the respondents use STL with varying percentages for each individual Standard. These identified relationships may be used to assist change agents in understanding respondents' perceptions and assisting them in further implementing STL in Virginia. / Ph. D.

This developmental research used primary components of Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations theory to develop a technology mentoring program for K-12 instructional environments. This investigation utilized K-12 teachers, administrators, technology coordinators, and higher education faculty to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed technology mentoring program. Findings showed that this program would be very effective in K-12 instructional environments. The final product resulted in a step-by-step procedural guide consisting of suggestions and activities that can be used to implement a technology mentoring program. / Ph. D.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2004. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 183-193).

NIR, network information retrieval, is the act of finding and retrieving information on interconnected computer networks. The research investigated the extent to which NIR awareness and use has diffused through a broad research population, and why and how academics become aware of and use NIR. Everett Rogers' diffusion of innovation theory was adapted to guide the investigation. A survey of 888 faculty members at the University of Arizona with Internet-accessible computer accounts resulted in a 32% return of surveys. Respondents from the various colleges at the university use between 20% and 39% of available NIR technologies, suggesting that NIR is in an early stage of diffusion in all colleges. Twenty-one one hour open-ended interviews were conducted with faculty from a variety of disciplines. Analysis of coded interview comments was used to test the usefulness of Rogers' theory in describing the diffusion of NIR. Predictions that mass media communication channels which go outside the local community will be more likely to result in awareness and use of NIR were not supported. Predictions that use of NIR would be associated with the perception that NIR (1) is compatible with needs and social norms, and (2) has relative advantage over previous practice, were supported. The predictions that use would be associated with perceptions of (1) compatibility with previous conditions, (2) low NIR complexity, and (3) trialability of NIR, were not supported. The explanatory power of the diffusion of innovation theory is improved for diffusion of NIR if NIR technologies are not studied in a vacuum. Rather, NIR technologies need to be studied in association with particular types of information resources (i.e. general interest and research-related resources) and particular types of communities (i.e. research communities). The study suggests that before NIR will diffuse in research communities, academics will need to agree that NIR dissemination of information will be rewarded in the promotion and tenure process. Such redefinition of social norms will help to create within research areas a critical mass of NIR users, and thus contribute to the diffusion of NIR.