EXPLORING A TRICOMPONENT ATTITUDE MODEL FOR THE APPLICATION OF “FORCED” ONLINE LEARNING IN THE POST-COVID ERA

Ling Chai Wong; Ying Ying Tiong; Poh Kiong Tee; Benjamin Yin Fah Chan

doi:10.32890/mjli2023.20.2.2

Authors

Ling Chai Wong, School of Marketing and Management, Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Ying Ying Tiong Department of Management, Marketing, and Digital Business, Faculty of Business, Curtin University Malaysia, Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1521-766X
Poh Kiong Tee School of Marketing and Management, Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation Jalan Teknologi 5, Taman Teknologi Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, 57000 MALAYSIA. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1874-7714
Benjamin Yin Fah Chan Tun Razak Graduate School, Universiti Tun Abdul Razak, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8298-8777

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32890/mjli2023.20.2.2

Keywords:

Tricomponent attitude model, technical system quality, quality of content, attitude, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, student satisfaction

Abstract

Purpose – The present study explores a tricomponent attitude model for “forced” online learning applied in the post-Covid era following the online learning transition. The study aims to provide a reference for future practitioners in the event a similar crisis results in the mandatory transition towards this study mode again.

Methodology – Following the guideline for judgmental sampling, a total of 156 valid responses were collected from Malaysian undergraduate students via an online questionnaire from Google Forms. The respondents’ profiles were computed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0, while Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to validate the measurement model, structural model, and mediation model for hypothesis testing.

Findings – The findings demonstrate that perceived usefulness (PU) is insignificant when online learning is the only feasible
learning strategy. Technical system quality (TSQ) was found to be positively related to perceived ease of use (PEU), attitude (ATT),
and student satisfaction, while quality of content (QC) was found to be positively related to PEU and student satisfaction. The remaining hypotheses were rejected. These findings are expected to transform various student attitude, leading to the cognitive components of PEU and PU and ultimately contributing to student satisfaction. In line with the government’s desire to transform digital education in higher education, TSQ and QC constitute a framework for shaping the affective components of students’ attitude. Attitude, in turn, drives students’ PEU and PU, which are two critical factors of the Technology Acceptance Model that serve as the main determinants of student satisfaction.

Significance – The study demonstrates that instructors can use a variety of strategies to increase student satisfaction with online
education, which can be beneficial even in the post-Covid era. The findings can aid education providers in implementing necessary
changes to improve online learning for their students in the future. In addition, the study reveals that through the pandemic, students
have become more resilient and have begun to value online learning, highlighting the importance of considering the long-term effects of online learning on student satisfaction.