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25 was a secondary determinant of people’s intention to use an information system. However, although many studies have emphasised the importance of perceived usefulness over perceived ease of use, the conventional wisdom that perceived usefulness is the main predictor of adoption has been challenged in developing countries (Anandarajan, Igbaria and Anakwe 2002; Brown 2002; Averweg 2008; Averweg 2011; Suki and Suki 2011).
Through the framework of the TAM, Miller and Khera (2010) examined some of the features that inform user acceptance of a digital library system implementation at agricultural universities in two developing countries, Kenya and Peru. The survey looked at factors contributing to adoption of The Essential Electronic Agricultural Library (TEEAL). The study population consisted of students, researchers and faculty instructors. Data from both sites was analysed on overall measures of perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness, as well as on system and individual measures. According to the results of their study, the TAM appears to work well in describing factors that affect usage of digital libraries in developing countries, with perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use as significant predictors of perceived intent to use. The results revealed that the stability of computers, electricity and an environment not subject to disruptions showed a positive relationship with perceived ease of use. Actual usage of the TEEAL database was high. The authors concluded by advising that application of the TAM to IT implementation in developing countries must be guided more by the specificities of local circumstances than by the performance of the TAM in highly- developed countries. Similarly, Nov and Ye (2008:850) cautioned that those in charge of digital libraries should be alert when implementing changes to a system and recommended user training and support where intended users have high resistance to change.
Tella (2011) conducted a study to examine the predictors of users’ acceptance of an e-library at the University of Ilorin in Nigeria. The objectives of the study were to:
Determine predictors of e-library acceptance,
Develop a framework for measuring e-library acceptance from the perspective of the TAM,
Examine the predictive capability of each of the TAM variables and other variables not included in the TAM on acceptance of the e-library.
26 Tella (2011) highlighted the absence of tested and validated technology acceptance models under e-libraries prevalent in developing countries. Tella collected data through questionnaires that were distributed to 1 500 undergraduate users of the e-library. The findings revealed that the acceptance constructs, ease of use, perceived usefulness, actual use and computer self-efficacy, significantly correlated with e-library acceptance. As with competency and ease of use, similar results were obtained from a study conducted by Tayler and Hastings (2011) to determine if virtual patrons were satisfied with the resources and services being provided by the university’s online library. The findings revealed that students who rated themselves as more competent with computer-related tasks were found to be significantly more satisfied with the library’s online resources than those with limited competency. Thus level of computer competency, which is a strong element of the TAM’s ease of use concept, influenced student satisfaction with the library’s online services.
Park et al. (2009) conducted a study to evaluate user acceptance of a digital library system in developing countries using the TAM. A survey was conducted using 16 institutions in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The results confirmed that perceived ease of use has a significant impact on perceived usefulness, while perceived usefulness had a direct effect on behavioural intention. The study also found that external variables like competency in computer use, domain knowledge and English literacy had a direct effect on the perceived ease of use, which directly affects perceived usefulness and behavioural intention to use. These effects of external variables are parallel with the TAM’s proposition which emphasises the effects of individual differences on perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness. Park et al. (2009) further examined ICT infrastructure using visibility and accessibility constructs. Visibility was defined as the degree to which a system is observable or apparent in an organisation and accessibility as the degree of convenience with which users access an information system (Park et al., 2009:199). The study revealed that ICT infrastructure, education and skill were access barriers to digital library systems. Accessibility was stressed as an important determinant of perceived ease of use. The difficulty in access has been one prominent disadvantage for users in developing countries because of its less developed telecommunications network compared to the developed countries where these information systems originate.
27 Within the South African context, Brown (2002) carried out a survey with university students to investigate individual and technological factors affecting perceived ease of use of web- based learning technology, called WebCT. A secondary aim of this study was to confirm the nature of relationships between perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and actual usage of a system in the context of a developing country. The study hypothesised that web technology characteristics that present ease of finding and ease of understanding have a positive effect on perceived ease of use of web-based learning technologies, while individual perceptions can positively or negatively affect perceived ease of use of the system.
Quantitative data was gathered from 78 first-year students using questionnaires. The findings were that both individual and technological factors influenced perceived ease of use, adding that, in the context of a developing country, ease of understanding is confirmed as being significant because the language of instruction is not in the mother tongue for most students.
Consequently, the results revealed that perceived usefulness was not noteworthy in influencing usage, while perceived ease of use took on increased importance as it influenced both usage and perceived usefulness.
Chinyamurindi and Louw (2010) conducted a cross-sectional survey to explore technology acceptance along gender lines in selected South African companies, because persistent gender imbalance in the workplace had been noted to exist chiefly in the science, engineering and technology sectors, areas that have an important bearing on South Africa’s global competitiveness. The objective of the study was to investigate trainees’ acceptance of electronic coursework as an instruction and learning technique in various industries in the South African context. The study explored how gender imbalance manifests in terms of trainee acceptance of electronic coursework. The findings showed significant gender differences for computer self-efficacy (which includes competency), perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and behavioural intention. These differences indicated that women rated computer self-efficacy, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and behavioural intention to use e-learning slightly higher than men. This meant that women were more likely to favour and accept the use of technology-based training (especially e-learning) than their male counterparts.
A case study was conducted by Ako-Nai (2005) to investigate factors likely to affect user acceptance, usage and adoption of the Executive Information System (EIS) by Unilever
28 South Africa in Durban. An EIS is a computerised information system designed to provide managers in organisations access to internal and external information that is relevant to management activities and decision-making (Averweg 2008:44). The implementation of an information system in any organisation is considered a high-risk project, because huge financial resources are attached to it. To avoid failure of this system and to ensure its successful acceptance, usage and adoption by its users, this study sought to identify possible factors relating to users' attitudes towards the system that are likely to influence, positively or negatively, its users' acceptance, usage and adoption of the system. Based on the TAM, data was gathered using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews of users from the Unilever EIS user group. The study employed a triangulation methodology approach to analyse data.
The key findings of the study were that perceived ease of use factors and perceived usefulness factors, respectively, with the former having a heavier impact than the latter, impact on the users' future attitudes towards system use. The study explained that factors that contributed to the perceived ease of use included measures of user training, motivation and computer self-efficacy (comfortability and control of computer use). Factors that contributed to the perceived usefulness included measures of timeliness, accuracy, relevance of information, speed of strategic decision-making, support of analytical thought process and user satisfaction. The study recommended an improvement on user-perceived usefulness of the EIS because it is a critical tool used to appraise the business on a short-term basis and it enables a comparison between current performance against set targets and historical figures of the business.
From these and other studies reviewed within the South African context, technology acceptance in libraries is still to be established. No studies used the TAM to predict the use of electronic resources specifically in marine and aquatic science libraries. The present study therefore attempts to fill this void in the literature.