Mathematics teachers` acceptance of the use of interactive smartboards in intermediate school in Riyadh

Abstract

This study profiled the teachers’ use of interactive smartboards among mathematics teachers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It also examined the influence of facilitating conditions and mathematics teachers’ behavioural intention to use interactive smartboards as well as the influence of perceived enjoyment, self-efficacy, anxiety, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions and barriers on mathematics teachers’ behavioural intention to use interactive smartboards. In addition, it also studied the role of performance expectancy and effort expectancy as mediators in the relationship between UTAUT external factors and mathematics teachers’ behavioural intention to use interactive smartboards. Finally, the study investigated the role of gender and teachers’ experience as moderators in the relationship between performance expectancy and effort expectancy and behavioural intention to use interactive smartboards. The researcher used a survey that consists of 54 items used to capture the data rated on a 5-point Likert scale for the level of the agreement, frequency, and the level of ease category. The data for this study were collected from 896 mathematics teachers from Riyadh via a stratified random sampling process. The subscales were pilot-tested on 100 mathematics teachers to establish their validity and reliability prior to the actual data collection. The data were first analyzed descriptively to profile the teachers’ acceptance of the use of interactive smartboards. Secondly, confirmatory factor analysis was also carried out in order to examine the measurement models. Finally, structural equation modeling (SEM) was exercised in order to test the specification and assessment of fitting the structural model for the data. The descriptive exploration brought to the fore the ten main factors of this current study. The teachers showed that they have a high intention level towards the use of the interactive smartboard and also responded positively regarding its usage. They strongly agreed that they will enjoy, will have no fear of using it, and have sufficient self-efficacy to use it. They claimed that interactive smartboard will help them in their teaching and that using it will be easy for them. Furthermore, the teachers believed that it is important for others to use interactive smartboards. Moreover, the teachers were of the belief that there are some issues in terms of facilitating conditions to support the use of this tool (the interactive smartboards). Finally, the teachers revealed that there are no circumstances that will prevent them from integrating interactive smartboards in their teaching. The SEM analysis indicated a positive and practically important influence of facilitating conditions and behavioural intention to use the interactive smartboard. The SEM analysis also indicated a positive and practically important influence of perceived enjoyment on behavioural intention to use the interactive smartboard. While performance expectancy, efforts expectancy, social influence and self-efficacy all have a positive influence on behavioural intention to use this tool however they were found to be not practically important. Furthermore, there was no significant negative influence of anxiety on the behavioural intention to use the interactive smartboards. Besides, facilitating conditions and barriers have no significant positive influence on behavioural intention to use the interactive smartboards. Aside from mediation, the analysis showed that performance expectancy mediated the relationship between the three UTAUT external factors and behavioural intention. However, efforts expectancy did not mediate this relationship. Finally, the study`s invariance analysis results revealed that gender and teaching experience did not moderate the causal relationships in the hypothesized model of the study.