Assessing educators' acceptance of Virtual Reality (VR) in the classroom using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT)

Teaching and learning processes can be enhanced through the adoption of Virtual Reality (VR) Technology in the classroom. However, educators in Malaysia have been slow to adopt VR approaches to classroom content delivery. Little is known about the specific factor that impact to the intention to employ VR in educational environment. The purpose of this present research paper is to investigate and provide a preliminary analysis of a framework that predicts level of technology acceptance in a post secondary institution in Perak, Malaysia. A questionnaire based on factor identified in the Unified Theory of Acceptance and the Use Of Technology (UTAUT) was administered to 41tutoring level educators to measure the effect of performance expectancy (PE), Effort Expectancy (EE), and Social Influence (SI) on Behavioral Intention (BI) towards VR. Regression analysis identified that EE and SI significantly influenced BI. The need for future study of technology acceptance in education was discussed. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.