Title:	EXPLORATION OF THE EFFECT OF TRAINING ON THE TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTANCE MODEL (TAM)
Author(s):	Nicholas Gouliotis , Deborah Bunker
ISBN:	972-98947-5-2
Editors:	Pedro Isaías, Piet Kommers and Maggie McPherson
Year:	2004
Edition:	1
Keywords:	Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), eTraining, eLearning.
Type:	Full Paper
First Page:	409
Last Page:	416
Language:	English
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Paper Abstract:	Information Technology and Systems (IT & S) have been increasingly used in organisations over the past 20 years. In 2002, The Australian Bureau Of Statistics found that 84% of all businesses in Australia use a computer. As the complexity and power of IT & S increases, so does the cost involved with acquiring and maintaining them. However, organisations continue to question the validity of expending substantial resources into IT & S in light of the increasingly low returns experienced from investment in them (Agarwal and Karahanna 2000). Insufficient and ineffective training has been highlighted to be one of the major issues contributing to the low returns experienced by organisations in IT & S investment (Venkatesh 1999). Similarly, there has been little research conducted examining the effect that training has on a users’ intention to use a system. Research into the usage intentions of an individual is important because it has consistently been shown that the usage intention of an individual is a strong and accurate predictor of actual usage (Morris and Dillon 1997). Models such as Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) are two models that have been extensively used to measure usage intentions. This research has attempted to address the gap in research by examining the effect that training has had on usage intentions and the role that the training experience has had on the degree of impact of training on usage intentions. Specifically, this research used the TAM as a basis to examine the effect that training has had on usage intentions through the TAM’s key constructs – perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. The research was conducted using a qualitative field study. As part of the study, a web-based content delivery system used by academics in an Australian University was selected for examination. Academics were interviewed and their perceptions of the system as well as their experience during in-house training were probed. The results of the research affirmed the strength of the TAM in measuring usage intentions and predicting actual usage. Perceived usefulness was found to be a strong determinant of usage intentions, while perceived ease of use was determined to be a secondary but significant determinant of usage intentions. The results also showed that training had an effect on the usage intentions of academics and actual usage of the system through its influence on perceived ease of use, although the effect diminished over time as users increased their experience with the system. However, some users were able to use the system in an effective manner without training, suggesting that training may have not been required for these academics. There were multiple factors that were found to influence the impact that training had on usage intentions and actual usage. These factors included the attitude of the individual towards training, prior experimentation with the system, the formality of training, immediate implementation of knowledge gained in training, and whether the life-cycle approach to training had been adopted.
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