Explorando a influência integrada do estímulo docente sobre a intenção de uso das bibliotecas virtuais por estudantes de cursos à distância e presenciais no Brasil

Abstract

This study examined the antecedents factors that may influence the intention of use of the Virtual Library by college students from presential and distance-learning courses. The study was elaborated focusing the Technology Acceptance Model - TAM (Davis, 1986) with the addition of a construct labeled as Professor Stimulus in order to expand the knowledge of the Professor's influence on the use of educational technological tools by students. Data were collected from through 406 questionnaires answered by Brazilian undergraduate students. Findings demonstrate Professor Stimulus positively influences Ease of Use, Perceived Usefulness and the Habit of undergraduate students on the intended use of the Virtual Library. Thus, the research emphasizes the importance of superior guidance and recommendation to increase the use of educational technological resources by students. Also, the study concluded that the perceived usefulness proved to be the most important factor that influences the intention to use this technology. Results show that students enrolled in distance-learning courses are more inclinable to use these educational resources compared to students enrolled in presential courses.