Determinants of learning management system usage among academicians in public and private universities in the Kurdistan region of Iraq

A Learning Management System (LMS) is an application that provides an extensive set of tools for academicians to manage the teaching and learning process. Despite the remarkable features offered by LMS in assisting universities in driving course models inside and outside the classroom, the usage of LMS, particularly Moodle, is still low among academicians in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. This study aimed to develop an integrated and holistic model in explaining the factors influencing LMS usage among academic staff in the Kurdistan Region. Specifically, the research objectives were to explore the relationship between LMS usage and pedagogical beliefs (traditional and constructivist), technological (system, service, and information quality), organisational (technical support), and environmental factors (government policies). This thesis also investigated the mediating effects of perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of LMS in the aforementioned relationships. A conceptual framework was synthesised by combining the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) components, pedagogical beliefs, IS success models, and the Technology Organisation and Environmental framework. The research instrument was developed, pretested on 30 subjects, and validated. Academic staff from 8 universities (4 public and 4 private) were recruited using simple random sampling technique. The questionnaires were distributed to 600 academic staff, 393 useful data were collected and attained a response rate of 65.5%. All the collected data were analysed using descriptive statistics and structural equation modelling partial least squares. Data analyses entailed descriptive statistics, measurement and structural model tests, and direct path coefficient and mediation analyses. A total of 31 hypotheses were tested in the models. Of the 31 hypotheses, 17 of them were supported, comprising 10 and 7 from the direct and mediation analyses, respectively. Resultantly, academic staff with constructivist pedagogical beliefs were more likely to engage in LMS usage, and the relationship was also mediated by perceived ease of use (PEOU) and perceived usefulness (PU). Service quality recorded a significant positive relationship with LMS usage and mediated by PEOU. Likewise, the relationship between information quality and LMS usage was mediated by PEOU and PU. Technical support was significantly associated with PEOU on LMS, and the relationship between technical support and LMS usage was mediated by PEOU. Lastly, government policy displayed a significant positive relationship with PEOU of LMS usage. The mediating role of PEOU in the relationship between government policy and utilisation of LMS was also significant. These findings uncover crucial insights into the factors influencing low LMS usage among university lecturers in Iraq and other Arab Gulf Countries. Understanding these key factors is fundamental to addressing the challenges associated with LMS utilisation in higher education.

Text 125346 - Full Text.pdf Download (3MB) Text SPE 2023 31 - Declaration Form.pdf Restricted to Repository staff only Download (635kB) Text SPE 2023 31 - Full Text.pdf Restricted to Repository staff only Download (3MB) Official URL or Download Paper: http://ethesis.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/18853

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