2022-12-02 –, Stage 3 (Lovelace), WiFo
One of important the dimensions that digitalization has affected is learning and education. In this study, the effect of internet self-efficacy, learner self-regulation, perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness on students' willingness to continue online education was investigated. Data analysis showed that the proposed model is very strong (R2=.85) in terms of predicting students' willingness to online learning.
Purpose: With the expanding use of the Internet, online education has gained great popularity around the world. Online education can be called a tool that can make the teaching-learning process more innovative and flexible. In fact, students will have the opportunity to connect with a larger base of learners and have the time to absorb information. Despite the potential of online education as a tool to increase educational performance, if students are unwilling to use it as a learning tool, its value will not be realized and online education activities will cease.
Methodology: Research data were collected using a questionnaire which distributed through social media and online surveys. Sample study included students of Iranian agricultural universities who used online learning in the second semester of the academic year 2019-2020 (n=480). Internal consistency of the questionnaire was confirmed using Cronbach's alpha (0.87-0.9). Composite Reliability in all constructs is more than 0.7 and average variance extracted for the all constructs was greater than 0.5.
Findings: Based on the indicators resulting from structural equation modeling, the research model has a good fit (GFI= 0.902, CFI= 0.958, IFI= 0.958, RMSEA= 0.057). Findings show that Students Self-regulation directly affected perceived usefulness (β = 0.19) and Perceived ease of use (β = 0.55). In addition internet Self-efficacy directly affected Perceived ease of use (β = 0.29). As well as, Perceived ease of use directly affected perceived usefulness (β = 0.74) and willingness (β = 0.22), and perceived usefulness had a positive and significant effect on willingness (β = 0.74).
Implications: In order to, continue online education, the ability, and competence of all students should be taken into account in the design of training courses and evaluations. Because a person's view of himself and his learning creates self-efficacy. In addition, Students find their necessary motivation to continue education when they consider themselves capable of this way and able to have Self-regulated learning.
Masoud Yazdanpanah is an Associate Professor of Agricultural Extension and Education at Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University of Khuzestan, Iran.
He has over 60 peer-reviewed papers in the research area of agriculture extension and rural development, diffusion and effects of innovations, marketing and customer satisfaction, organic agriculture, education agriculture, climate change adaptation, water management and adoption of renewable energy.