Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the Master of Technology Degree in Information Technology, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2014. / This study aimed to explore user factors that may influence attitude and behaviour where technology acceptance is concerned. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) Framework was used as a tool to map this degree of acceptance in relation to the design of the current Encyclopaedia of South African Arts, Culture and Heritage (ESAACH). ESAACH is an encyclopaedia intended to address the dearth of reference material in South African arts, culture and heritage studies (ESAACH.org.za). The encyclopaedia is divided into broader areas of research such as: verbal arts, performing arts, visual arts, and heritage. It was originally established as a tool to provide support for education in arts, culture and heritage. There has been an increase in interest in the ESAACH online resource platform. This has resulted in the need to capture user perceptions and attitudes on the site in order to provide guidelines on the improvement of the site and to make usage of the encyclopaedia easier and less frustrating. The researcher investigates English Language Proficiency, Perceived Ease of Use and Perceived Usefulness and Computer Self-Efficacy as factors that influence an online user’s attitude towards intention to use and acceptance of an online encyclopaedia. There have been concerns expressed by website designers that because users may not be fully acquainted or familiar with using the Internet in general when accessing information, they anticipate some resistance or reluctance to make full use of available online content. The study included the administration of an online survey to a sample of 149 students from the Arts and Design and Library Information Studies departments whereby their demographics, antecedents and precedent constructs of the TAM were tested for co-relationships of user’s intention regarding usage and acceptance of the website. The TAM model was used as a tool to determine: whether a positive confidence in the students’ English language proficiency would affect intention to use the encyclopaedia and to predict whether positive Computer Self-Efficacy is an indicator for a positive effect regarding Ease of Use and/or Perceived Usefulness. Results confirmed that users perceived Computer Self-Efficacy as a positive contributor to the usefulness of the ESAACH online encyclopaedia. Although no significant relationship between English Language Proficiency and Perceived Ease of Use was demonstrated, the need for a design which caters for sensitivity to the language of users was identified.

Computerised Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CCBT) has been recommended for patients in the National Health Service (NHS) Primary Care across the United Kingdom for management of mild to moderate anxiety and depression. This approach also promises financial savings, and may fill the gap between demand and supply of face-to-face therapy. Studies have shown that CCBT is feasible and effective. However, dropout rates can be as high as 86%, but the reasons remain unclear and the information available is limited. This thesis explores factors that may impact on the usability and user experience of this computer-mediated therapy. Espousing the “real world” research philosophy and widely used methods in the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) field for usability evaluations, four studies using a mixed-methods design were conducted. Study I was an online usability survey, which investigated if usability evaluations had been conducted for CCBT applications. Two versions of questionnaires were sent to four CCBT software developers and ten authors of randomised controlled trials. The categories and responses of the questionnaires gathered from five respondents were reviewed and summarised. The findings suggested that usability evaluations for CCBT were still in their infancy when compared to other healthcare interventions to which HCI approaches have been widely applied. Study II was a usability Heuristic Evaluation (HE) conducted with four expert evaluators to assess two different CCBT applications’ interfaces (MoodGYM and Living Life to the Full) against the self-designed usability heuristics for their compliance. The findings revealed numerous usability issues. Major problems related to navigation and inconsistency of the interfaces were identified. These could be rectified to enhance the user experience. Study III focused on other factors besides usability that might have an influence on the effective use of CCBT. Perceptions of service providers who were involved in both decision-making about CCBT availability and supporting its use were gathered. Nine service providers at different NHS organisations were interviewed. The interviews were analysed using techniques from Grounded Theory (GT). The findings suggested that the practitioners’ attitudes towards CCBT might have affected its service delivery. Four categories from the data analysis were identified: (1) shaping behaviour, (2) implementing and delivering, (3) making an appropriate referral, and (4) technology/CCBT packages - advancing with time. A conceptual model was also generated, “building support around CCBT”: a road-map that could address some of these issues. Study IV examined patients’ perceptions and acceptance of a CCBT application (Beating the Blues), its usability and the user experience, and also whether the user characteristics (e.g. computer experience (CE) and computer self-efficacy (CSE)) had any influence on patients’ use of this technology. A mixed-methods approach was utilised with a sample of 33 participants. Face-to-face and email interviews were conducted. Feedback was also gathered from a usability questionnaire and think-aloud protocol with seven participants selected from the sample. The data were analysed using Thematic and Saliency Analysis to uncover themes. Descriptive statistics were used to describe data from questionnaires. Two overarching themes from the interviews were identified: (1) access to CCBT services, and (2) perceptions and attitudes towards CCBT. Both themes revealed issues which might have significantly impacted on patients’ engagement with CCBT. Numerous flaws were also discovered in the application’s design and functionality (e.g. navigation, aesthetics, relevance of content, and inflexibility). However, the results from CE and CSE questionnaires suggested that participants were confident in using this technology. The four studies provided an in-depth understanding of factors that affect the usability and user experience of CCBT and possible reasons for the high attrition rates. The implications of this research point to the need for health policymakers to focus on the current implementation issues and on how best to deploy this treatment therapy to patients. Further development of CCBT is pivotal to its success, in particular, expanding contexts of use and increasing usability evaluations. Keeping users interested and engaged will improve treatment efficiency, completion rates and will achieve better clinical outcomes.

The use of computers has become part of every day life. The high prevalence of computer use may lead employers to assume university graduates will have good computing skills. Such assumptions may be the reason that employers use broad terms to advertise the computing tasks required for graduate-level positions. This thesis investigates how well the expectations of employers match the perceptions of near-graduates about their computer skills. Four graduate-level positions were identified from advertisements placed in order to recruit graduates. The employers who placed these advertisements were surveyed by interview and questionnaire. Twenty-one students about to graduate from a university commerce programme were also interviewed and surveyed. It was found that the wording of the advertisements did not satisfactorily portray the requirements and intentions of the employers. It was also found that skills the near-graduates perceived they possessed frequently did not meet the expectations of employers. Results also show that the near-graduates did not fully understand which computing skills would be expected in the workplace. This study highlights implications for three groups: employers, graduates and educators.

Instructors' use of e-learning systems in higher education institutions is a central concern of researchers, academicians, and practitioners. Higher education institutions are investing substantial resources to incorporate and maintain the infrastructure of e-learning systems; however, instructors' use of e-learning systems in two-year colleges is relatively limited. In this context, the goal of this study was to investigate the factors that may affect instructors' intention to use e-learning systems in two-year colleges. Based on literature review on technology acceptance, this study proposed a theoretical model predicting instructors' intention to use e-learning systems in two-year colleges based on their resistance to change, perceived value of e-learning systems, computer self-efficacy (CSE), and attitude toward e-learning systems. Consequently, this study investigated the effect of four independent variables on the dependent variable, intention to use e-learning systems. A Web-based survey was designed to empirically assess the effect of aforementioned constructs on instructors' intention to use e-learning systems in two-year colleges. The Web-based survey was developed as a multi-item measure using Likert-type scales. Existing validated scales were used to develop the Web-based survey. The target population of this study was instructors of public and private two-year colleges. The sample for this study was 119 (over 41% response rate) full-time, part-time, and adjunct instructors in different academic departments at a two-year college. Two statistical methods were used to formulate and test predictive models: Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) and Ordinal Logistic Regression (OLR). Both MLR and OLR results showed that the theoretical model was able to predict instructors' intention to use e-learning systems. All four independent variables have significant effects on the dependent variable. Results of both analyses were consistent on resistance to change as having the greatest weight on predicting instructors' intention to use e-learning systems, while CSE in both analyses was found to have the least weight. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by providing empirical results for the key constructs that affect two-year college instructors' intention to use e-learning systems. Results of this research may also help IT practitioners to concentrate their efforts on ways to address resistance to change as it was found to be the most significant factor affecting e-learning accepted by two-year college instructors.

It’s well known that the contemporary rapid development of technology has created a digital divide between those who adopt and use the emerging digital services, and those who don’t. The ones who fail to adapt to the new digital society, is at great risk of being completely excluded from it, which strips away both social, health related and economical opportunities. These people are often seniors, and multiple factors weigh in on their non-participation. One of the more common factors are technology relates stress, and in extension, computer anxiety. While there exists literature on how to reduce computer anxiety, it’s often linked to physical training courses that the user can sign up for. The purpose of this study is to explore a completely digital solution, based upon the loose principles identified by Dos Santos and Santana (2018). This is done through the creation and evaluation of a senior-oriented website, that offers the user daily exercises in basic computer management, knowledge, and safety, with the goal of reducing computer anxiety. The results show both that the principles indeed can be used as design guidelines, and that my design has potential, although some adjustments have to be made.

Many older adults (aged 55 and older) need training to acquire computer knowledge and skills. Using computers and the Internet could provide access to vital resources for improving older adults' health and maintaining their connections with family and society. This study examined 2 psychological constructs--computer anxiety and computer self-efficacy--that have been shown to impact a person's successful use of computers and related technology. Guided by Bandura's self-efficacy theory, which emphasizes the importance of adult learners being motivated and taking charge of their learning, this study examined the impact of a computer knowledge and skills workshop on older adults' computer anxiety and computer self-efficacy. A concurrent, mixed-methods design was used to collect and analyze survey data and interview transcripts from a convenience sample of African American older adults (N = 11). Mobile technology (i.e., tablet PCs and portable hotspots) was used to access the Internet and e-mail. Data analyses included thematic coding of the interview notes and descriptive statistics to present the survey results. The themes that emerged from the interview data were learning opportunities, positive attitudes, and user-friendly tools and equipment for reducing computer anxiety and constructive attitude changes and learning environments for improving computer self-efficacy. The descriptive statistics indicated favorable changes for computer anxiety with scores averaging a decrease of -26.5% and computer self-efficacy with scores averaging an increase of 62.1%. This study illustrated the feasibility of a low-cost approach for establishing a mobile computer laboratory to help older persons become proficient in their use of computers, the Internet, and related technology.

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No description available.

本研究之目的在探討「電腦自我效能」、「電腦經驗」及 「他人支持」三者與「電腦態度」及「電腦焦慮」之關係，並探究「電腦經驗多寡」與「電腦態度」、「電腦焦慮」間的關係，是否透過「電腦自我效能」的中介效果存在；「電腦經驗品質」與「電腦態度」、「電腦焦慮」間的關係，是否透過「電腦自我效能」的中介效果存在；「他人支持」是否會調節「電腦自我效能」對於「電腦態度」與「電腦焦慮」的關係。 本研究採取問卷調查的方式進行，以304名台北縣立及台北市立國民小學合格教師為研究對象。根據階層迴歸分析結果顯示：「電腦經驗多寡」是會透過「電腦自我效能」此一中介變項（mediatorvariable），影響「電腦態度」及「電腦焦慮」，研究的假設獲得支持，但「電腦經驗品質」則無中介效果；此外，「他人支持」並非是 「電腦自我效能」與「電腦態度」、「電腦焦慮」之關係的調節變項（moderatorvariable）。 本文最後針對所有研究結果進行整合性討論 ，並根據研究所得結果，提出可能的限制、未來研究方向的建議，以及學術、實務上之應用。 關鍵字：電腦態度、電腦焦慮、電腦自我效能、電腦經驗、他人支持 / This study was designed to investigate: (1) the mediating effects of computer self-efficacy on the relationship between the quantity of computer experience and computer attitude, and the relationship between the quantity of computer experience and computer anxiety; and (2) the mediating effects of computer self-efficacy on the relationship between the quality of computer experience and computer attitude, and the relationship between the quality of computer experience and computer anxiety; and (3) the moderating effects of others'support on the relationship between computer self-efficacy and computer attitude, and the relationship between computer self-efficacy and computer anxiety. Subjects were 304 elementary school teachers from Taipei County and Taipei City. According to hierarchical regression analysis, the results provided support for the hypothesis that computer self-efficacy mediated the relationship between the quantity of computer experience and computer attitude, and the relationship between the quantity of computer experience and computer anxiety. However, computer self-efficacy neither mediated the relationship between the quality of computer experience and computer attitude, nor the relationship between the quality of computer experience and computer anxiety. Furthermore, others'support neither moderated the relationship between computer self-efficacy and computer attitude, nor the relationship between computer self-efficacy and computer anxiety. The implications, limitations, further research directions, and applications in management are discussed at the end. Keyword: computer attitude, computer anxiety, computer experience, computer self-efficacy, others'support

The aim of this research was to make recommendations on how to facilitate a healthy sense of Computer Self-Efficacy (CSE) in teachers of a primary school in South Africa. A literature study was conducted to determine a theoretical framework for the study. Thereafter a mixed method design was used to conduct an empirical investigation. This was done by means of focus group interviews, questionnaires and an observational narrative. The most important finding was that the teachers who participated in the research were professional and enlightened about the value of technology. They agreed that although daunted by the idea of technology it is essential for them to become proficient in the use of computers. The researcher came to the conclusion that the main obstacle that stands between the participants and technological proficiency was a weak sense of CSE. Recommendations were made on how one could use extrinsic motivation to introduce new technology in such a way as to enhance self-efficacy and as result computer self-efficacy. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Adult Education)