The Effects of Training for Computer Skills on Outcome Expectations, Ease of Use, Self-Efficacy and Perceived Behavioral Control

Previous studies on user training have largely focused on assessing models which describe the determinants of information technology usage or examined the effects of training on user satisfaction, productivity, performance, and so on. Scant research efforts have been made, however, to examine those effects of training by using theoretical models. This study presented a conceptual models to predict intention to use information technology and conducted an experiment to understand how training for computer skill acquisition affects primary variables of the model. The data were obtained from 32 student subjects of an experimental group and 31 students of a control group, and the information technology employed for this study was a university electronic mail system. The study results revealed that attitude toward usage and perceived behavioral control helped to predict user intentions ;; outcome expectations were positively related to attitude toward usage ; and self-efficacy was positively related to perceived behavioral control. The hands-on training for the experimental group led to increases in perceived ease of use, self-efficacy and perceived behavioral control. The changes in those variables suggest more causal effects of user training than other survey studies.