Volume 50, January–February 2024, Pages 66-72Author links open overlay panelAbstractBackground

To date, research has not examined the mediating mechanism of ease of use and emotional reaction on the short-term focus of resistance to change and behavior intention to participate in technology-based course activities.

Objectives

The study compares resistance to tech-based learning changes in younger and older nursing students and examines how ease of use and emotional reaction mediate between a short-term focus of resistance to change and intentional behavior to participate in technology-based course activities.

Methods

The researcher recruited 218 nursing students from the School of Health Sciences for a cross-sectional survey. Participants voluntarily completed the online survey, consisting of four sections: perceived ease of use, behavioral intention to use technology, resistance to change scale, and background characteristics. The survey was analyzed using Model 6 via Process software, and ethical considerations such as informed consent and confidentiality were maintained.

Results

The study found that younger nursing students had a more robust emotional response to changes in technology-enhanced learning, and older students were more cognitively rigid. The study also found statistically significant serial multiple mediations of emotional response and perceived ease of use in the relationship between short-term focus and intended behavior.

Conclusions

The study highlights the importance of considering learner diversity, including age, in designing technology-based learning programs and the role of ease of use and emotional reaction as mediating factors in determining students’' behavioral intention to participate. The findings contribute to the literature on inclusive education and the relationship between resistance to change, ease of use, and intention behaviors in technology-based learning.

Section snippetsBackground

The pandemic caused by COVID-19 has taken many lives and incurred various costs worldwide, with education being among the sectors most severely affected (Ciotti et al., 2020; Pokhrel & Chhetri, 2021). The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted learning, teaching methods, and real-world applications in academic institutions. The shift from traditional to online learning presents new difficulties, such as balancing flexibility with self-directed learning and promoting student engagement in

Literature review

The RTC concept discussed in this paper relies on the comprehensive RTC model based on a person's personality. The model consists of four key elements of resistance: Routine-seeking, Emotional reaction, Cognitive rigidity, and Short-term focus (Oreg et al., 2008). Students' routine-seeking behavior, i.e., their inclination to stick to routines, was evaluated (the behavioral aspect). Emotional reaction refers to change capturing the students' discomfort in facing changes, and the short-term

Study design

The study used a cross-sectional design with a convenience sample.

Participants and procedure

The researcher recruited 218 students from the Nursing Department at the School of Health Sciences, Ariel University, Israel, as participants, representing a response rate of 62 %. The inclusion criteria for subjects comprised of nursing students enrolled in a recognized B.Sc. nursing program that used technology-based learning in their programs. Exclusion criteria included students not enrolled in a nursing program and

Results

The average age of the study participants was 27 years, with a standard deviation of 6.35. On average, they reported using 0.71 technologies for learning, with a standard deviation of 1.17, and identified 1.14 benefits of technology use in education, with a standard deviation of 1.49. For frequencies and percentages of participants' background characteristics, see Table 1.

Table 1 illustrates that most participants were female, single, Jewish (all), and in their first year of study, with a

Discussion

The study strives to compare resistance to tech-based learning changes in younger and older nursing students. It examines how ease of use and emotional reaction mediate between a short-term focus of resistance to change and intentional behavior to participate in technology-based course activities.

First, it was found that younger nursing students presented a more robust emotional response to changes in technology-enhanced learning than their older counterparts; they tend to feel stressed and

Conclusion

In conclusion, the study provides insight into the differences in resistance to technology-based learning changes among younger and older nursing students. The study's findings can also be used to inform policies and practices in nursing education, such as providing more support and resources for older nursing students who may have more difficulty adapting to technology-based learning.

The study also demonstrates the critical role of ease of use and emotional reaction as mediating factors in

Limitations and recommendations for future research

The study was conducted with a limited sample of 218 nursing students from a specific of health sciences. Future research could benefit from more extensive and more diverse samples regarding background characteristics, to enhance the generalizability of the findings. Using a cross-sectional survey might limit the ability to establish causal relationships between variables. Longitudinal studies (examining the study model multiple times) could provide more insights into the dynamic nature of the

Implications for nursing education

Nursing educators and institutions could consider the following implications. To optimize nursing education, it is crucial to implement targeted support systems for younger and older students, including tailored resources, workshops, and mentorship programs to alleviate stress related to technology-enhanced learning. The findings underscore the importance of considering emotional reactions and perceived ease of use in understanding the dynamics of resistance to technological changes in

Author contributions

Gizell Green conducted all research stages.

Funding

This research received no external funding.

Institutional Review Board statement

This study was conducted according to ethical guidelines and approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Ariel University.

Informed consent statement

Informed consent was obtained from all research participants involved in the study.

Guarantor

Gizell Green.

Declaration of competing interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Acknowledgments

This research is the result of research conducted at the university.

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