Understanding the Role of Personality Traits on Beliefs in Online Learning

In an educational setting, the use of online learning tools impacts student’s performance. Attitudes and perceived usefulness play an important role in predicting students’ decision to use these learning tools. A students’ attitude towards the use of online learning tools is impacted by his/her perception of usefulness of the tools. In this study, we investigate the mediating effects of personality traits (computer playfulness and perceived personal innovativeness) and cognitive traits (enjoyment) on the perceived usefulness – attitudes relationship. The study includes ninety five participants. A survey was conducted after using the learning tool for one semester. Assessment of the psychometric properties of the scales proved acceptable and confirmatory factor analysis supported the proposed hypotheses. Analysis of results demonstrate that cognitive traits while using the learning tool significantly mediate the impact of perceived usefulness on attitudes, while personality traits do not. Implications to designers and managers point towards game-based learning systems. Limitations and suggestions for future research are provided.