Investigating Student Perceptions of Augmented Reality Utilizing Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)

Abstract

As technology is getting more prevalent in the classroom environment recently, it is evitable to explore the extent to which end-users, i.e. the students accept the implementation of technology, in order to verify its effectiveness in achieving educational goals. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate social science students' perceptions of a specific type of technology, namely, Augmented Reality (AR) technology and whether variables such as gender, specialization or their program level may influence their attitude toward (AR). To this end, a Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was adopted to elicit the students' degree of acceptance through a questionnaire addressing three domains: perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and behavioral intention. The findings of the current study show that the students have a significantly positive attitude toward the integration of (AR), and that gender, specialization and program level have almost no impact on the students' perceptions. The implications of these findings are important for policies and practices related to instructional technology in higher education.