The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of service quality factors of NEIS+, an expanded version of the 4th-generation National Education Information System (NEIS), on teachers’ and students’ perceptions of technology acceptance, with...
The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of service quality factors of NEIS+, an expanded version of the 4th-generation National Education Information System (NEIS), on teachers’ and students’ perceptions of technology acceptance, with the aim of promoting active utilization of NEIS+. In addition, the study sought to suggest directions for improvement to enhance its utilization. To achieve the purpose of this study, the following research questions were posed:
First, What are teachers’ and students’ perceptions of the service quality factors and technology acceptance factors of NEIS+?
Second, What is the relationship between the service quality factors and technology acceptance factors of NEIS+ as perceived by teachers and students?
Third, How do the service quality factors of NEIS+ influence the technology acceptance factors of teachers and students?
The methodology of this study is as follows.
First, a quantitative study was conducted using a questionnaire administered to teachers and students from two NEIS+ research schools nationwide. To evaluate service quality, the SSTQUAL factors of functionality, design quality, security, enjoyment, and reliability were selected. For technology acceptance, the ETAM factors of personal innovativeness, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and adoption intention were employed.
Descriptive statistical analyses were performed for the study participants, and the model fit was assessed through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). To examine differences in perceptions between the teacher and student groups, means (M) and standard deviations (SD) were calculated, and independent-samples t-tests and post-hoc tests were conducted.
Second, Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to examine the relationships between the service quality factors and technology acceptance factors as perceived by teachers and students.
Third, multiple regression analysis was performed to investigate the effects of NEIS+ service quality factors on technology acceptance factors for both teachers and students.
The results of the study are as follows.
First, regarding SSTQUAL, teachers demonstrated moderately positive perceptions, while students showed lower-than-moderate positive perceptions. The variation in responses among students was greater than that among teachers, and students’ overall positive perceptions were lower than those of teachers. In terms of SSTQUAL and ETAM factors, teachers rated perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness more positively, whereas students rated enjoyment and adoption intention more positively.
Second, correlation analysis revealed that, for the teacher group, functionality, design quality, security, enjoyment, and reliability were most strongly correlated with perceived usefulness. For the student group, functionality, design quality, enjoyment, and reliability showed the strongest correlations with adoption intention. All correlations among the variables were statistically significant, indicating meaningful associations.
The conclusions of this study are as follows.
First, to enhance teachers’ utilization of NEIS+, the service quality factors of functionality, enjoyment, and reliability should be improved in order to increase perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness. Complex or unnecessary design elements should be revised to create a program that teachers actually want to use. Teachers perceived NEIS+ as useful not simply because it was a well-developed system, but because they felt it was desirable to use and helpful. The perception that NEIS+’s design contained complex or unnecessary elements, rather than being intuitive and convenient, acted to reduce adoption intention.
Second, to enhance students’ utilization of NEIS+, the system’s features should be improved to be enjoyable, functional, useful, and reliable, and prior promotion as well as understanding of the methods and purposes of NEIS+ use should be provided in advance. In addition, ample opportunities for students to use NEIS+ should be offered. Students showed high positive perceptions in terms of enjoyment and adoption intention. This suggests that if learning can be conducted enjoyably and learning outcomes are improved, utilization may be further enhanced. However, students’ overall positive perception levels did not reach the median, and individual differences were greater than those among teachers. Granting students choice and control in program use could also contribute to increasing positive perceptions.
Third, to enhance the use of NEIS+ and establish a national digital education platform, thereby increasing the effectiveness and importance of EdTech in the era of digital transformation, the Ministry of Education and the Korea Education and Research Information Service (KERIS), as developers of NEIS+, should devise and implement improvement strategies. In improving NEIS+ service quality, differences in teachers’ and students’ perceptions of service quality and technology acceptance should be carefully considered.
The recommendations of this study are as follows.
First, future studies should include research across different school levels, including elementary, middle, and high schools. Research should be conducted on various types of schools, taking into account school characteristics.
Second, follow-up research should employ qualitative methods, such as interviews or observations, to enable in-depth problem-solving and to derive more proactive strategies for utilizing NEIS+.
Third, in implementing digital-based education, South Korea—as a digital powerhouse with a linguistically homogenous population—should operate an indigenously developed integrated digital platform rather than relying on foreign programs. This study proposes the establishment of an ideal and feasible digital integrated operating system for future education by actively analyzing and researching the National Education Information System (NEIS+).