Technology Acceptance Model Validation in an Educational Context: A Longitudinal Study of ERP System Use

Although Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems have been implemented and extensively studied in corporate contexts, there is a lack of research that focuses on educational settings. This study intends to fill this gap by validating the technology acceptance model (TAM) in an educational context to better understand the factors that influence students’ intention to use ERP systems. The research model was empirically tested using data collected from students enrolled in ERP courses in two public universities in different countries at two points in time. The results of this longitudinal, cross-cultural study indicate that perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness predicts behavioral intention, with perceived usefulness the strongest predictor. As students use the ERP system in class, their perceptions of ease of use, usefulness, and intention to use the system are more favorable. Along the same lines, students with previous experience in ERP systems have more favorable perceptions of ease of use and usefulness than students with no experience. Contributions of the study and recommendations for future research are proposed.