The Relationship between Computer Anxiety and Computer Self-Efficacy with Students' Virtual Learning Acceptance: A Mediating Role of Perceived Ease

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between computer anxiety and computer self-efficacy with the rate of virtual learning acceptance by considering the mediating role of students' perceived ease. The design of this study was descriptive and of typ correlational. The statistical population of the study consisted of all incoming 2019 student-teachers in the academic year 2020-2021 in Khuzestan province, from which 220 people were selected by cluster sampling. Data were collected by Computer Anxiety Inventory (CAS; Bandalusso & Benson, 1990), Computer Self-Efficacy (CSM; Howard, 2014), Perceived Ease (PEUS; Davis, 1989), and Virtual Learning Acceptance (ElAM; Theo, 2010) and was analyzed by path analysis with SPSS and AMOS software. The results of structural equation modeling showed that computer anxiety has a direct and negative effect on students' virtual learning acceptance(P<0.05). Also, computer anxiety has an indirect negative effect on virtual learning acceptance through perceived ease(P<0.05). The results also showed that computer self-efficacy has a significant positive effect on virtual learning acceptance(P<0.05). The results showed that computer self-efficacy has a positive effect on the acceptance of virtual learning directly and also through perceived ease(P<0.05). Finally, the results showed that perceived ease also has a direct positive effect on virtual learning acceptance (P<0.05). The fit index also showed that the default model has a good fit. Therefore, it can be concluded that perceived ease plays a mediating role in the relationship between computer anxiety and computer self-efficacy with virtual learning acceptance.