How Performance and Self-Efficacy Influence the Ease of Use of Object-Orientation: The Moderating Effect of Prior Training

In this study, we empirically explore how task performance and domain-specific self-efficacy influence the perceived ease of use (PEU) of object-oriented techniques. We hypothesize that both self-efficacy and performance positively influences PEU according to existing literature. However, we speculate that the effect of self-efficacy on PEU, even though still positive, becomes weaker when subjects are given prior training in structured analysis. In contrast, the relationship between performance and PEU becomes stronger when subjects are given the same training. We conducted two tests and collected data from a group of 79 subjects. We found a strong support for most of the research hypotheses.