Rethinking technology acceptance in arts education: Intrinsic motivation, ease of use, and the limits of perceived usefulness in graphic design learning

Abstract

This study addresses the acceptance of the features of graphic design applications by students in Arts and Culture learning, while scrutinizing the creative context relevance of the utilitarian technology acceptance constructs. This study employed an explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach and combined quantitative PLS-SEM analysis and qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with students. The quantitative study involved 552 high school students, and sought to measure the relationship of intrinsic motivation, perceived ease of use and usefulness, self-efficacy, and acceptance of features of applications. This study was also employed to understand and contextualize the phenomena represented by the quantitative data. The results of the study indicate intrinsic motivation and ease of use by a considerable margin, the strongest predictors of students’ acceptance of features of graphic design applications, with self-efficacy being supportive and peripheral, while perceived usefulness, in contrast, had no apparent effect. Participants primarily viewed graphic design applications as environments for creative and playful visual exploration, and not as applications that support or enhance performance. These experiential orientations also explain the low perceived usefulness that was observed in the quantitative model. The study illustrates the context-specific boundaries of utilitarian technology acceptance models within the field of arts-based learning environments. In terms of methodology, it illustrates the benefits of mixed-methods inquiry for examining acceptance constructs beyond shallow validation. From a practical perspective, the findings indicate that the digital tools designed for Arts and Culture education should emphasize supportive intuitive interaction, creative flexibility, and experiential value in order to cultivate meaningful student engagement.