Employee's ubiquitous learning engagement: Impact of innovativeness-oriented learning system design factors and the mediating role of imagery

This study investigates the essential factors involved in employees' ubiquitous-learning engagement (U-LE). In this study, a research model was proposed based on learning engagement (LE) and narrative transportation theory, focusing on the impact of domain-specific innovativeness (DSI) and interface design (ID) factors on employee U-LE from a learning system design perspective. A questionnaire-type survey was conducted and the responses of 385 employees were analyzed using structural equation modeling with a partial least squares approach. The results imply the following: 1) information-possessing innovativeness (IPI) as the DSI factor influences employees' U-LE; 2) interface convenience (IC) and interface design aesthetics (IDA), as system implementation factors, significantly affect U-LE; 3) imagery significantly influences U-LE; and 4) imagery is also proven to exert mediating effects on the relationships between U-LE and its antecedents by the bootstrapping method. Finally, both research and practice implications are discussed.