Factors influencing vocational teacher's use of online functionalities in Australia

Abstract

Robertson (2006b) surveyed Australian vocational teachers to propose that the criteria of newness, complexity, compatibility and locus of control are influential in shaping the frequency of online functionality use. The current paper tests and further refines this proposition by comparing the likelihood that online functionalities will be used at least monthly by vocational teachers whose delivery approaches are primarily face to face and non-face to face. Generally, it is found that the longer an online functionality has been available for use in vocational education, the greater the likelihood of regular use in face to face and non-face to face delivery approaches. However, the increase of regular use over time is not universal. A complex relationship between the functionality's newness, complexity, and compatibility is influential in shaping the likelihood of regular use. Whereas compatibility relates to a teacher's existing practices and needs, locus of control is specifically concerned with a teacher's pedagogic preferences. It is suggested that vocational teachers are more likely to regularly use functionalities that promote teacher control rather than learner control. The implications of the proposed relationship between the four criteria and the likelihood that online functionalities will be used by vocational teachers are discussed, and opportunities for further research identified.