Decision Sciences Journal
Volume 29, Number 4
Fall 1998
Using Davis’s Perceived Usefulness and Ease-of-use Instruments
for Decision Making: A Confirmatory and Multigroup Invariance
Analysis
William J. Doll
Department of Management, College of Business, The University
of Toledo, 2801 West Bancroft Street, Toledo, OH 43606, e-mail:
william.doll@utoledo.edu
Anthony Hendrickson
Department of Management, College of Business, Iowa State University,
Ames, IA 50011-2063
Xiaodong Deng
Department of Information Systems and Operations Management,
College of Business, The University of Toledo, 2801 West Bancroft
Street, Toledo, OH 43606
ABSTRACT. As key components of Davis’s technology
acceptance model (TAM), the perceived usefulness and perceived
ease-of-use instruments are widely accepted among the MIS research
community as tools for evaluating information system applications
and predicting usage. Despite this wide acceptance, a series
of incremental cross-validation studies have produced conflicting
and equivocal results that do not provide guidance for researchers
or practitioners who might use the TAM for decision making. Using
a sample of 902 “initial exposure” responses, this
research conducts: (1) a confirmatory factor analysis to assess
the validity and reliability of the original instruments proposed
by Davis, and (2) a multigroup invariance analysis to assess
the equivalence of these instruments across subgroups based on
type of application, experience with computing, and gender.
In contrast to the mixed results of prior cross-validation efforts,
the results of this confirmatory study provide strong support
for the validity and reliability of Davis’s six-item perceived
usefulness and six-item ease-of-use instruments. The multigroup
invariance analysis suggests the usefulness and ease-of-use instruments
have invariant true scores across most, but not all, subgroups.
With notable exemptions for word processing applications and
users with no prior computing experience, this research provides
evidence that the item-factor loadings (true scores) are invariant
across spread sheet, database, and graphic applications. The
implications of the results for managerial decision making are
discussed.
Subject Areas: Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Factorial
Invariance, Instrument Validation, Perceived Ease of Use, Perceived
Usefulness, Research Methods, and Technology Acceptance Model. |