1. Title: Student Internet Use in Ghana: An empirical Integration of Technology
Acceptance Model and Theory of Planned Behaviour
INTRODUCTION
It is evident today that the use of Internet technologies has significant impacts on every aspect of our lives. In
the context of education industry more and more higher education institutions have come to realize the potential
impact of using the internet in the classroom as part of the learning environment
According to world internet statistics usage (2011) report on Internet use in the world, only 1,297,000
Ghanaians are internet users. This figure represents only 5.2 percent of the country’s population of about 24
million.
The report cited Ghana as one of the African countries with the lowest record of internet patronage, coming
behind South Africa, Nigeria, Morocco, Algeria, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Senegal
Sadly, the patronage and uptake of internet use in Ghana is still at its infancy and the intension to use is yet to be
determining, more especially among the university students. There is therefore the need to understand not only
why technology has or has not been adopted but also to comprehend the impacts of its adoption by developing
countries. The Internet has major impacts upon the ability of developing countries and citizens to be more
effective participants in the emerging global business environment.
RESEARCH HYPOTHESES
H1: Perceived usefulness will have a strong positive effect on behavioural intention.
H2: Perceived usefulness has a significant positive effect on attitude.
H3: Perceived ease of use has a significant positive effect on attitude.
H4: Attitude has a significant positive effect on behavioural intention.
H5: Subjective norm positively affects the continuous use intention
H6: Prior experience and age has a direct positive effect on perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
Students’ internet activities and rates of use are of interest for several reasons. Use of computers and
the internet has been associated with improvements in people’s education, labour market prospects, and
everyday lives. Since these technologies have the potential to improve access to information, to help get tasks
done better or more quickly, and to facilitate communication (see National Research Council 1999), computer
and internet use rates are indicators of the standard of living. Since the use of computers helps students gain
computer literacy, use rates may indicate how well prepared the current generation of students will be to enter a
workforce where computer literacy is in demand (U.S. Department of Education 1999b). Internet use may also
promote cognitive development in both children and adults, specifically in the area of visual intelligence, where
certain internet activities—particularly games—may enhance the ability to monitor several visual stimuli at
once, to read diagrams, recognize icons, and visualize spatial relationships
As Internet use become increasingly widespread, larger percentages of the population will both enjoy
the potential benefits and be exposed to the associated risks. The potential effects of these technologies on users
make it important to describe the populations who are using them and to learn more about how they are being
used.