A survey of pre-service teachers’ acceptance of technology in Thailand

In the recent decade, Thailand has launched many initiatives to ensure that technology is integrated into the school curriculum. Despite the investment and efforts of the government, few studies have been conducted to examine users’ acceptance of technology. Given that educators are the change agents in many educational initiatives, it is important to gain insights into the factors that influence their uses of technology for teaching and learning. The aim of this study is to survey the level of technology acceptance among pre-service teachers in Thailand. In so doing, the level of technology acceptance among a national sample of 969 pre-service teachers was measured and whether their acceptance was significantly differentiated by gender, age, perceived technology competence, and computer experience was assessed. Using the Technology Acceptance Measure for Pre-service Teachers (Teo in Educ Psychol Meas 70(6):990–1006, 2010a; Multicult Educ Technol J 4(3):163–172, 2010b), the results provided preliminary evidence which suggests that pre-service teachers possess an above-average level of technology acceptance and that computer experience acted as a mediator of technology acceptance. To some degree, this study has contributed to the ensuing debates on technology acceptance in education and offered additional insights into the advancement of technology integration in Asia.