A study on English reading comprehension measured adoption, not learning gain, and found two factors that tipped the decision.
A learning tool can work exactly as designed and still fail, because students decide for themselves whether to keep using it. Measuring that decision is the purpose of the Technology Acceptance Model.
A study from Brawijaya University applied the model to a Kit-Build concept map authoring tool built to support English reading comprehension. In the Kit-Build approach, students do not draw a map from a blank page. They rebuild one from a supplied set of components, which keeps the activity focused on the relationships between ideas.
Seventy three third year undergraduates took part. Each had a minimum TOEFL score of 450 and was comfortable with web applications, so basic unfamiliarity with the tool was not a barrier. They read English texts, built concept maps, then answered a questionnaire.
The questionnaire used a seven point scale. Fifteen items covered the four core TAM variables: perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude towards using, and behavioral intention. Eleven more items covered three external variables the authors added: compatibility, habit, and enjoyment.
Most of the results lined up with the original TAM. That is useful on its own, because it suggests the model holds for this kind of tool and this group of students.
Two of the added variables stood out. Compatibility and enjoyment both showed a significant effect on whether students adopted the tool. Compatibility is about fit, meaning whether the tool matches how students already study. Enjoyment is about the experience of using it.
The practical reading is that a study tool competes with everything else a student already does. If it asks them to change their habits, or if using it feels like a chore, the acceptance numbers will show it.
The authors do not claim the tool improves reading comprehension. They measured whether students accept it, which is the earlier question. A tool that nobody adopts cannot help anyone learn.
Pinandito et al. (2021). Students' Acceptance towards Kit-Build Concept Map Authoring Tool in Supporting Learning of English Reading Comprehension. Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Sustainable Information Engineering and Technology.
