Attitudes towards technology among distance education students: validation of an explanatory model

Abstract

Attitudes toward technology are preconceived notions that affect the teaching-learning process and the academic-professional performance of students, in particular those who use technology. This investigation has two objectives: to test the measuring properties (reliability, factorial structure) of an instrument that measures attitudes and to propose and validate a model that hypothesizes digital competence and frequency of use of technologies have a positive impact on attitudes. The sample included 1,251 students of the Madrid Open University in a nonexperimental, explanatory study using structural equation methodology. The results indicated adequate psychometric properties for the test and good adjustment of the proposed model (χ² = 163.91, df = 37, p < .001) allowing for further exploration of the relationship between use, skill, and attitudes in the distance education context and improving the properties of measuring instruments proposed in Spanish.