Adoption Intention for Mobile English Learning among College Students: A Framework Synthesizing the TAM and Motivation Theory

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the factors that predict college students’ intention for mobile English learning and establish an integrated model synthesizing the technology acceptance model and motivation theory. A survey was conducted to gather self-reported data from 241 Chinese undergraduates at Northeast Petroleum University, Qingdao Agricultural University and Zhaoqing University. Confirmatory factor analysis with the maximum likelihood estimation assessed measurement model’s validity, reliability and fit indices, and structural equation modelling (SEM) was performed to evaluate all hypotheses and the hypothesized structural model using the Amos24 software package. The results showed that social influence had significant impact on perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude and intention. Perceived ease of use was also positively and significantly related to perceived usefulness, attitude and intention. Moreover, perceived usefulness correlated with attitude and intention, and attitude played a critical role in determining students’ intention to use mobile learning to study English. The study’s integrated model was empirically confirmed and contributed to establishing a new theoretical foundation for subsequent research related to technology acceptance for second language acquisition. Additionally, the findings also offered actionable insights for university administrators and teaching faculty.