The Relationship between Organizational Climate and Technology Acceptance at University Level

Author(s) : Muhammad Irfan Ashraf, Nabi Bux Jumani & Azhar Mehmood

Abstract:

The advent of modern technology has augmented the need for its integration in educational processes. The organizational climate plays a significant role in the acceptance and use of technology by academia. This study was conducted to investigate technology acceptance by university teachers and to explore the relationship between organizational climate and technology acceptance. A mixed-method approach using the sequential explanatory design was employed for data collection. The population of the study was the faculty members from different departments of the universities operating on dual-mode education. A sample of 300 teachers was selected by proportionate stratified random sampling technique and 20 teachers from survey participants were selected for the interviews. The validity of the tool was ensured through feedback provided by experts and the reliability of each variable was checked through Cronbach’s alpha. The researcher himself visited the universities for the collection of quantitative as well as qualitative data. It was concluded that male teachers were significantly better in technology acceptance than their female counterparts; a significant strong positive relationship was observed between conducive organizational climate and technology acceptance; a significant weak but positive relationship was found between non-conducive organizational climate and technology acceptance; a significant correlation was found between sub-components of organizational climate and technology acceptance. It is recommended that the female teachers must be imparted training regarding effective use of educational technology for teaching; a conducive climate at HEIs must be maintained to enhance acceptance and use of technology. Annual performance appraisal of teachers must include criteria for acceptance and use of technology by the academia.

Key Words: Educational Technology, Organizational Climate, Higher Education, Blended Learning, Technology.