The particularization of computer-efficacy and its influence on the technology acceptance model: A field study

Some people resist using information technology (IT) despite potentially tremendous benefits. As investments in IT reach unprecedented amounts, and as IT becomes more of a competitive necessity, practitioners are increasingly interested in understanding the circumstances surrounding this resistance.; Researchers cite the technology acceptance model (TAM) as one of the most influential computer usage models. Although the TAM has empirically demonstrated its validity, the model accounts for only a fraction of system usage variance. Some researchers suggest that the TAM constructs are too general. By simultaneously considering diverse attributes, people become confused regarding what is being measured and how much weight should be given to a particular attribute. Other researchers suggest that by not explicitly considering the influences of external variables, the results of the TAM may be spurious or misleading.; Research suggests that additional IT-specific variables should be incorporated into the TAM. Self-efficacy and the characteristics of the task are among those variables that may provide additional insights into human computing behaviors.; Although prior studies have defined computer-efficacy measures, they do not specifically consider the task or the particular situational circumstances. Based on self-efficacy theory, these general measures of efficacy are fundamentally inaccurate and vague. Empirical studies investigating computer-efficacy have been able to explain very little of the computer-efficacy variance.; This study develops a new particularized computer-efficacy measure and incorporates it and those IT-specific antecedents believed to influence it into the TAM. The findings of this study provide strong support for the particularization of IT behavioral research. Additionally, the results support social cognitive theory, in that the contextual variables directly effect system usage.