Studies Of Teacher-Behavior

This study aims to investigate factors that contribute to teacher’s behavioral intention to use online communities. To answer the research questions, the survey instrument--The Teacher’s Behavioral Intention to Use the Online Community Questionnaire is designed and performed on simple random samples. The collected data is analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression analysis. The results of this study show that all the research hypotheses are supported by regression analysis except for the relationship between Self-efficacy and Attitude; Collective efficacy and Behavioral Intention; Subjective Norm and Behavioral Intention, respectively. Finally, this study raises implications and provides suggestions. Keywords-online teacher communities; behavioral intention; teacher professional development I. RESEARCH BACKGROUND Online teacher communities can break through the limitations of time and space, and in particular provide opportunities for professional development of teachers in remote areas or smaller schools. As of the end of September 2012, the Sakizaya Network in Hualien County of Taiwan has seen establishment of 586 sites with a total of 7031 members [1]. Most users are elementary and junior high school teachers in Hualien County; the objective is to foster an instructional team that has energy for teaching, research, and sharing through the operations of the online teacher communities. However, teachers are already busy with teaching and their own affairs, thus it is necessary to conduct an in-depth exploration of their motives, attitudes, and influential factors in their active usage of online teacher communities. This study attempts to combine Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) [2] and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) [3] as the basic research model, by analyzing behavioral intentions of elementary and junior high school teachers in Hualien County in participating in the Sakizaya Network, to construct the model for “behavior intentions to use online teacher communities.” The study will explore whether the model relationships from literature are found in the Sakizaya Network can be established, in order to understand the thoughts and influential factors for users. Thus, it is possible to elevate the intention of participation in online teacher communities and draw more teachers to become involved, thereby promoting collaborative learning and development of professional knowledge among teachers. A. Online Teacher Communities and Teacher Professional Development Online teacher communities are not constrained by spatial and temporal limitations of physical communities, and can provide for synchronous and asynchronous sharing and discussion, further overcoming the differences between schools or between the rural and urban, so that teachers with common beliefs can interact, observe, and help each other through the online communities, in turn promoting professional development for each member teacher. The formation of online teacher communities has its own unique characteristics, and the formation and conversion of knowledge also differs from that in physical communities. The study by Liu and Chang pointed out that collective efficacy is an important factor in the development of online teacher communities [4]. Bandura believed that individuals are unable to achieve various outcomes, thus it is necessary to rely on collective cooperation. Collective efficacy refers to how group members judge the abilities of their own group, or the group’s shared beliefs about whether it can successfully complete specific goals [5]. Kao, Wu, and Tsai found that the online self-efficacy and behavioral beliefs of teachers about online learning can effectively predict the motivation for teacher professional development [6]. This shows that self-efficacy is an important factor in the development of online teacher communities, thus self-efficacy and collective efficacy will also be incorporated as variables to be explored. International Conference on Education Reform and Modern Management (ERMM 2014) © 2014. The authors Published by Atlantis Press 307 B. Theoretical Integration of Teachers' Usage Intentions toward Online Communities The Theory of Planned Behavior not only asserted that behavioral intention would be influenced by attitudes and subjective norms, but also incorporated the construct of “perceived behavioral controls” to increase the overall explanatory power [2]. Perceived behavioral controls reflect an individual’s past experiences and expected obstacles; thus, intrinsic and extrinsic factors influence personal behavioral controls. Davis proposed the Technology Acceptance Model to explore behavioral models and acceptance in individual usage of information technology. The correlations among perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitudes, behavioral intentions, and external variables are used to observe and interpret the technology usage behaviors of users. Technology Acceptance Model theory shows that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use in information technology are the two main determining factors of usage behavior intentions [3]. At the same time, perceived ease of use would also have a positive effect on perceived usefulness, in turn affecting the behavioral intentions of usage. Taylor and Todd integrated TPB and TAM theory to incorporate the two variables of subjective norms and perceived behavioral controls into the Technology Acceptance Model, which found a good fit for explaining the behavior of using new technology [7]. Yu Taiquei also believed that TPB and TAM can be applied in the prediction and analysis of behavioral intentions of users to explore the reasons for the acceptance or rejection of a certain item in information technology in order to improve the acceptance for the information technology item; he also pointed out that selfefficacy has been seen by social cognitive scholars as a type of perceived behavioral control, which is broader and more comprehensive than the control belief proposed by Ajzen [8]. Baker found that there is a significant correlation between collective efficacy and self-efficacy [9]. Chen used literature analysis to explore the relationship between the self-efficacy and collective efficacy of teachers, finding that collective efficacy can be used to predict significant positive self-efficacy in teachers [10]. Skaalvik and Skaalvik also found that the collective efficacy of Norwegian teachers can significantly predict their self-efficacy [11]. Chen and Chang discovered that expectation of collective efficacy can have significant positive effects on “the behavioral intentions of participating in collective action” [12]. Therefore, this study uses TPB and TAM as basic research models. Then, self-efficacy replaces perceived behavioral controls, and the dimension of collective efficacy is added to deduce the behavior intentions in using online teacher communities at the Sakizaya Network, proposing the following hypotheses: H1: The “self-efficacy” of teachers would affect their “attitude” toward participation in online teacher communities. H2: The “self-efficacy” of teachers would affect their “behavioral intentions” toward participation in online teacher communities. H3: The “collective efficacy” of teachers would affect their “self-efficacy” toward participation in online teacher communities. H4: The “collective efficacy” of teachers would affect their “behavioral intentions” toward participation in online teacher communities. H5: The “subjective norms” of teachers would affect their “attitude” toward participation in online teacher communities. H6: The “subjective norms” of teachers would affect their “behavioral intentions” toward participation in online teacher communities. H7: The “perceived usefulness” of teachers would affect their “attitude” toward participation in online teacher communities. H8: The “perceived ease of use” of teachers would affect their “attitude” toward participation in online teacher communities. H9: The “perceived ease of use” of teachers would affect their “perceived usefulness” toward participation in online teacher communities. H10: The “attitude” of teachers would affect their “behavioral intentions” toward participation in online teacher communities.