| The Digital Divide Theory states there is a division between technology and education due to demographics such as socioeconomics, race, and age, which would hinder an individual from doing his/her job and interacting with technology. However, as information technologies increase, there is no indication the demand will slow. Law enforcement, journalism, and government institutions such as the US Department of Defense (DoD) have become increasingly aware of the value these technologies provide to the individual users and have become more dependent on the information they provide. In order to conduct a thorough analysis of technology acceptance a model combining digital divide theory, self-efficacy theory, and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was developed and tested. Using a self-assessment survey, 180 of 220 surveys were returned for analysis. The assessment was divided into three areas to address a 12 hypotheses model. The hypotheses related to the digital divide variables were not supported. The hypotheses related to the access to technology yielded mixed results. Only the significance in the two hypotheses related to the impact of self-efficacy yielded a strong significant p value of less than .001. Future research based on the findings can focus on how organization differences can play a factor in the role of acceptance and on how instructor led versus gaming instruction affected technology acceptance. |
