Exploring pre–service teachers’ behavioural intention to adopt online learning of mathematics at Kabale University during the covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

In the wake of COVID-19, higher education institutions the world over were forced to continue teaching and learning through online means. However, universities such as Kabale University had not embraced online learning not until the pandemic and during such unprecedented times, it constituted an online learning management system for the first time. According to the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), four factors can explain learners’ behavioral intention to use technology and these are performance expectancy, effort expectancy, facilitating conditions, and social influence. In the quest to explore how learners drastically adopted online learning in mathematics, a practical subject, this study sought to establish the relationship between each of UTAUT’s constructs and the actual adoption of online learning of mathematics among pre–service teachers at Kabale University. Data were collected from 140 pre–service mathematics teachers through a self–administered questionnaire. From these, 9 were interviewed face–to–face. Using Pearson’s linear correlation, results showed that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, facilitating conditions, and social influence had a relationship with the adoption of online learning with r–coefficients of 0.536, 0.663, 0.654, and 0.420 respectively, the strongest being effort expectancy. The qualitative data, which was analyzed through categorization and thematic analysis revealed that unstable internet connection, low bandwidth, high cost of data bundles, the limited number of computers at the university, lack of smartphones/ laptops/ tablets, and lack of technological knowledge hindered their effective participation in online mathematics lectures. According to them, they did not benefit much from online learning. Thus, there is an urgent need for Kabale University to train learners on how to use the available ICT resources for learning mathematics at least to prepare for pandemic reoccurrences.

Keywords: Behavioural intention, COVID-19 pandemic, Kabale University, Online learning.