Using the Technology Acceptance Model to Determine Student Perception of Elearning Readiness in Kazakhstan

Researchers widely accept the technology acceptance model (TAM) to determine behavioral intention that leads to actual technology use. However, researchers are advised to exercise caution when applying TAM to different cultural contexts. This study used TAM to assess the readiness of students to engage in elearning in Kazakhstan, which is classified as a developing nation. This project then compared the results of the TAM analysis of student perceptions of a learning management system (LMS) to elearning studies in developed countries to ascertain if the determinants are the same. This study determined that TAM was unpredictable, and that perceived ease of use’s significant impact on perceived usefulness was the only similarity to studies in developed countries when using the TAM factors of perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU), attitude toward using (ATT), and behavioral intention to use (BI). Contrastingly, TAM functioned with consistency when removing the ATT construct, even though the results were different from developed countries because PEOU did not significantly influence BI. The scientific merit of this research determined that TAM is unreliable in Kazakhstan and produced different results from developed countries. The global impact of this study provides researchers in other developing countries with data on how the combined cultural dimensions of high power distance, high masculinity, and high collectivism affected TAM