Factors influencing future educational technologists' intentions to participate in online teaching
Authors: Hung Wei‐Chen , Jeng Ifeng 
Published: March 2012

Education through the Internet is being shaped by the next wave of Web technology where productivity, collaborative tools and the ubiquity of computers play a major role in changing methods of peer interaction and collaboration. Because future educational technologists will play vital roles in navigating through this technical complexity and exploring potential learning opportunities, it is imperative to understand their intentions to participate in online teaching. This study adopted Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior (TpB) as a theoretical framework, and used its four constructs (attitude, subjective norm, perceived control and intention) to survey 119 educational technology doctoral students' intentions to participate in online teaching. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis and content analysis were used to analyze the data collected. Results showed that the attitudinal and subjective norm constructs of TpB had significant impacts on prediction of participants' intentions to participate in online teaching. Results also indicated that age and online teaching experience played a significant mediating role in affecting participants' attitude toward online teaching. Implications of the findings were discussed.

Practitioner Notes

What is already known about this topic

Concerns and issues related to personal dimension variables for the successful adoption of online teaching in higher education settings.

Future educational technologists will play vital roles in navigating through this technical complexity and exploring potential learning opportunities.

Successful online instructors are the ones who are equipped with effective pedagogical practices and technological know‐how to improve the quality of online learning experiences.

What this paper adds

Issues related to technology readiness with other personal dimension variables for the successful adoption of online teaching.

Future educational technologists' positions and readiness toward online teaching.

Age, computer usage and online teaching experience were factors that significantly differentiated respondents' intentions to participate in online teaching.

Respondents' overall attitudes about the worth of online teaching and their concerns about the control of online teaching had an effect on their intentions to participate in online teaching. Similarly, respondents perceived that the public and colleagues' viewpoints about usefulness of online teaching also had an effect on their intentions to participate in online teaching.

Implications for practice and/or policy

Help educators, researchers, administrators and policy makers to obtain a baseline understanding of future educational technologists' intentions to participate in online teaching as well as factors that may affect the introduction of new technology into learning environments.

Respondents cited features associated with the Internet (such as remote access, any time availability and rich resources) as the major reasons for them to consider teaching online. Another major reason for adoption was related to administrative factors where student demands, university requirements and cost played an important role in influencing respondents' willingness to teach online.

The need for instructional support in online teaching in addition to the usual technical assistance provided by an institution.

The need to explore course integration further at the curriculum level in order to ensure that students who are interested in online teaching receive adequate learning and training opportunities before they begin to teach online or provide instructional support to instructors and students.

For respondents, online teaching is a skill or knowledge that would be comfortably acquired when given opportunities.