Computer based assessment acceptance model for secondary school students in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Computer-based assessment (CBA) has significantly remodelled educational evaluation processes and allowed teachers to better manage growing number of students especially in secondary schools in Saudi Arabia. However, secondary school students are showing resistance to accept CBA systems, and the factors causing this resistance to CBA systems have remained matters of speculation. Using a modified empirically validated model, the present study systematically established major determinants of this resistance by drawing on the well-known Computer-Based Assessment Acceptance Model (CBAAM). The CBAAM model is an efficient model but fails to consider some other factors that will maj orly affect the acceptance and use of CBA systems. The researcher carried out a systematic literature review for the period of 2007-2018, followed by a field assessment from 10 secondary schools in Saudi Arabia, where three major factors (computer attitude, computer anxiety and computer literacy) affecting CBA system acceptance were extracted from the researcher’s interaction with the students. Drawing from the field assessment, the existing CBAAM model is extended resulting in a comprehensive model with 22 hypotheses. Thereafter, a questionnaire was developed and the content is validated using 15 experts comprising of 9 academics and 6 practitioners. The model was evaluated with 565 responses which comprises of 274 males and 289 females. The Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) technique was used in the evaluation. The result showed that 17 out of the 22 hypotheses were found to be significant and explained 74% of the variance. The most important factors from the significant relationships are ‘perceived usefulness’, ‘perceived playfulness’, ‘content’ and ‘ computer attitude’ which were identified using the Importance-Performance Map Analysis (IPMA). Furthermore, results confirmed that secondary school student’s ‘behavioural intention’ towards CBA acceptance is directly influenced by ‘computer anxiety’, ‘content’, ‘perceived playfulness’ and ‘perceived usefulness’. While, ‘facilitating conditions’, ‘goal expectancy’, ‘computer attitude’ and ‘perceived ease of use’ showed indirect influence. This study’s results can effectively guide educationists and decision makers to better manage CBA resistance and improve its acceptance by secondary school students in Saudi Arabia.