Influences on parents' adoption of portable technology for helping children learn to read in the hom

This study sought to demystify human behavior (Ajzen, 1991) by exploring influences on parents' portable technology adoption to help elementary-aged children learn to read in the home. Based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT, Venkatesh, Morris, Davis, & Davis, 2003), adoption influences include performance expectancy, effort expectancy, facilitating conditions, and social influence. Since attitude is known to influence behavior, the attitude construct from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM, Davis, Bagozzi, & Warshaw, 1989) was added to the conceptual model.;Adapted from the UTAUT survey (Venkatesh, et al., 2003, p. 460), data were obtained with an electronic survey instrument. Instrument development comprised six cognitive interviews and five expert reviewers. Clarifying interviews (n =13) followed surveys. Analysis included descriptive statistics, multiple linear regression, independent samples t-tests, and thematic analysis.;The overall model explained 64% of the variance in parents' behavioral intention to adopt portable technology, influenced by social influence and attitude. Interviews confirmed survey responses. Parents of K-5 girls had higher facilitating conditions, and parents of K-2 children were more socially influenced and had higher behavioral intentions.;Identified themes were: a) parents are influenced to help their child learn to read how they learned, b) parents' performance expectancy improves when children use portable technology to support reading, c) children possess a positive attitude toward reading with portable technology, d) portable technology use requires an increase in parent supervision, and e) parents conform to social pressures to adopt portable technology to support their child's academic development.;Implications for parents: provide a literacy-rich environment that considers the source of the request to adopt portable technology; prosocial media education; purposefully plan portable technology use for learning and entertainment.;Implications for teachers/school leaders: forethought to technology adoption effects on the home; systematically inquire and dialogue with parents about portable technology adoption and use with caution of potential dissonance between home and school; consider impact of child's gender age on perceptions of portable technology.;Implications for educational researchers: investigate social influence impact on technology adoption in schools; examine portable technology use to help children learn to read in multiple contexts.