Measuring Japanese EFL Student Perceptions of Internet-Based Tests with the Technology Acceptance Model

The Internet has made it possible for teachers to administer online assessments with affordability and ease. However, little is known about Japanese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students’ attitudes of internet-based tests (IBTs). Therefore, this study aimed to measure the perceptions of IBTs among Japanese English language learners with the technology acceptance model (TAM), the most influential and widely employed model to predict a user’s adoption of new technologies (Lee, Kozar, Larsen, 2003). However, TAM has yet to be utilized in the context of English education in Japan. Thus, the study also sought to determine the correlational relationships between three TAM variables – perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU), and the behavioral intention (BI) to use IBTs. An adapted TAM questionnaire was administered to 80 Japanese university students. The results showed that the relationships between PU, PEOU, and BI were positively and highly correlated. More importantly, students’ attitudes towards the PU, PEOU, and BI to use IBTs were found to be moderately favorable, with PU and BI more favorably perceived than PEOU. The findings verified that the four proposed hypotheses were supported, providing evidence that IBTs are viewed positively by Japanese EFL students.