Pre-Service Science Teachers’ Innovativeness and Technology Self-Efficacy as Discriminants of their Acceptance of Learning Management System in Oyo Town

Abstract

Evidence in research pointed to the efficacy of Learning Management System (LMS) in revatilising the cognitive, affective and the psychomotor domains of science education. The COVID-19 pandemic brought the new normal world which impinge the more on the need for LMS. Research reports equally documented the positive impacts of students’ perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness on technology acceptance. Also, Research findings have affirmed the positive correlation between students’ technology self-efficacy and innovativeness. However, there is a dearth of literature on the discriminant effects of pre-service science teachers’ innovativeness and technology self-efficacy on their acceptance of LMS. Therefore, this study investigates pre-service science teachers’ innovativeness and technology self-efficacy as discriminants of their acceptance of LMS in Oyo town. 322 pre-service science teachers from the two colleges of Education in Oyo town selected using cluster random sampling technique. Three research questions and one hypothesis guided the research. Three validated instruments: Pre-service Science Teachers Innovativeness Scale (PSTIS; R=.85) Pre-service Science Teachers Technology Self-efficacy Scale (PSTTSS, R=.73) and Pre-service Science Teachers’ Learning Management System Acceptance Interview (PSTLAI; IRR=.71).. Data were analysed using frequency counts and percentages, mean standard deviation, thematic and discriminant analyses Pre-service Science Teachers have average mean scores in innovativeness and technology self-efficacy. Majority agreed to accept LMS for teaching and learning of science courses. There is a significant pre-service science teachers innovativeness (λ=812; F(1, 320)= 74.113, p<.05); and technology self-efficacy (λ=.725; F(1, 320)= 121.547, p<05) discriminant of their acceptance of LMS.. Therefore, all science lecturers should adopt LMS for science teaching and learning to boost the pre-service science teachers’ innovativeness and their technology self-efficacy.