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to demonstrate significant effect on perceived
ease of use. Subjects' familiarity with the target
technology may offer a possible explanation for
this finding. According to innovation diffusion
literature, greater visibility (the degree to which
a technology is available and visible to users) and
trialability (the degree to which an individual can
experiment with a technology) of a technology
enhance users' beliefs about that technology
(Karahanna, Straub, & Chervany, 1999; Moore
& Benbasat, 1991). Most studies that found a
significant relationship between application CSE
and perceived ease of use have used common and
popular technologies such as Windows 95, Lotus
123, and Blackboard. Thus, it is possible that those
technologies were more visible and available for
trial by subjects than the technology examined
in this study (Unix), which is not a very common
or user-friendly technology.
The study also hypothesized that general and
application CSE would have negative effects on
computer anxiety. Consistent with prior studies
(e.g., Johnson & Marakas, 2000; Thatcher &
Perrewé, 2002) and providing additional support
for the inverse relationship between CSE and
computer anxiety, both levels of CSE exhibited
significant negative effects on computer anxiety
in this study. The results also showed that general
and application CSE explained about 37% of the
variance in computer anxiety. Given that general
CSE alone explained about 25% of the variance
in computer anxiety in previous studies (e.g.,
Compeau & Higgins, 1995), application CSE
represents a valuable addition to predictors of
computer anxiety.
Although general and application CSE were
hypothesized to have positive effects on near-
transfer learning, only application CSE demon-
strated a significant effect on near-transfer learn-
ing. This is not surprising because performing a
near-transfer computing task requires a specific
set of skills that are usually captured by applica-
tion CSE. In contrast, general CSE focuses on
general computing skills and cross-domain tasks
that may not be directly linked to the specific task
in question. Hence, it is plausible that application
CSE efficacy beliefs may be more dominant in
situations that require using the new knowledge
in a standard manner to perform simple and
similar computing tasks. Moreover, the lack of
significant effect of general CSE on near-transfer
learning is consistent with Bandura's (1997) as-
sertion that performance in specific situations is
better predicted by more specific assessments of
self-efficacy because these measures focus on
evaluations of abilities and requirements that are
closely related to the task.
General and application CSE demonstrated
significant positive effect on far-transfer learn-
ing. The assimilation learning theory suggests
that meaningful (i.e., far-transfer) learning oc-
curs when the learner fully understands the new
knowledge and is able to recall this knowledge
and apply it to execute a complex task. Likewise,
self-efficacy theory suggests that competent and
successful performance requires possession of
necessary skills and strong confidence in ability
to use these skills effectively.
impliCations
Before discussing the implications of the study
results, potential limitations of the present study
should be acknowledged and recognized when in-
terpreting the results. The first limitation pertains
to the use of student subjects and the relatively
small sample size used to test the research model.
While similar studies have used student subjects
(e.g., Torkzadeh et al., 2006) or have been con-
ducted in educational settings (e.g., Tai, 2006),
it is necessary to repeat this study using larger
and more diverse samples in different settings
to enhance the validity and generalizability of
the results.
The use of a comprehension test rather than
actual computing tasks to measure learning per-
formance presents another possible limitation.
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