A Study of Student Use of Cloud Computing Applications

Cloud computing is a general term for delivering hosted services over the Internet. Google provides a service called Google Docs, a widely used example of cloud computing. Even though many studies have examined the overall concept of cloud computing, no previous research has analyzed students' usage and acceptance of Google Docs in a university setting. The Theory of Planned Behavior was used to guide our research in examining what factors influence students to use Google Docs. We conducted both interviews (n=15) and surveys (n=316) to gain a better understanding of this phenomenon. By using hierarchical regression analysis and a correlation matrix to analyze the data, it was discovered that all three constructs of the Theory of Planned Behavior (Attitude, Subjective Norm, and Perceived Behavioral Control) are significantly and positively correlated with intention to use Google Docs. It was also found that Affect, which measures a person's emotional responses, is also a significant predictor of Behavioral Intention. Our findings can be used by multiple stakeholder groups to better understand the factors influencing the usage of Google Docs.