CONTEXTUALIZING FACTORS INFLUENCING TUTORS’ ADOPTION OF ONLINE TUTORING BASED ON TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTANCE MODEL

Online education has experienced substantial growth, driven by technological advancements and expanded internet accessibility. Many private academic institutions have transitioned to online platforms, offering diverse educational services tailored to meet varying student needs. Despite this shift, research on online education has largely concentrated on higher education, leaving a gap in understanding its impact within school-level settings. This study addresses this gap by focusing on online private tutoring (OPT) by examining the factors influencing the tutors’ intention in adopting it. Specifically, this study investigates how tutors’ technological skills and communication self-efficacy impact their perceived usefulness and ease of use of online education platforms, drawing upon the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The study hypothesizes that tutors’ technological skills and communication self-efficacy are associated with their perceived usefulness and ease of use of OPT, respectively, and further influencing their intention to adopt OPT for teaching and learning. Data were collected from a survey of 150 tutors engaged in OPT, with analyses conducted using SPSS version 25 and SmartPLS 4.0. Results indicated that, while all factors were moderate in influence, technological skills did not significantly impact perceived usefulness. Communication self-efficacy showed a moderate effect on perceived usefulness, while perceived ease of use had a strong impact, suggesting that ease of use leads tutors to view OPT as beneficial for instruction. Both technological skills and communication self-efficacy moderately influenced perceived ease of use. The model demonstrated moderate predictive power in assessing the adoption of OPT among tutors. These findings contribute to contextualizing TAM within online education, offering empirical insights into the factors that influence tutors’ adoption of digital teaching and learning strategy. This study provides valuable implications for policymakers and educational leaders aiming to enhance online learning experiences, supporting the continued adaptation of TAM for educational contexts.