Behavioural Intention and Adoption of Digital Learning: The Case of a mHealth Community Health Training Programme in Kenya

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between learners' behavioural intention and the adoption of mobile learning (mLearning) in an mHealth training program in Kenya.  The study is premised on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT).  The original data used in this study was drawn from an unpublished PhD thesis on mLearning adoption by the author. The sample size of 354 was determined using Yamane’s (1967) formula, and the study achieved 294 completed responses, representing a response rate of 83.05%. A data collection instrument was designed, validated for low-resource settings and items were tailor-made for mobile learning. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and regression analysis. The descriptive findings showed that overall behavioural intention to adopt mobile learning recorded a high mean score (M = 4.43, SD = 0.85, N = 294). In addition, behavioural intention was positively and significantly associated with mLearning adoption (r = .502, p < .01). The regression analysis confirmed that behavioural intention significantly predicted mobile learning adoption and explained 25.2% of the variance in adoption. The study concludes that learners' intentions and perceptions are important determinants of mobile learning adoption in low-resource settings. Successful implementation of mLearning should therefore emphasise ease of use, perceived usefulness, institutional and social support, learner knowledge, and adequate facilitating conditions.