Unveiling the Components Driving Green Technology Development in Electronic Education: A Mixed-Methods Approach with Blockchain Integration

This study investigates the crucial components propelling the integration of green technology and blockchain technology within electronic education (e-learning). Employing a mixed-methods research design, the inquiry blends quantitative and qualitative methodologies for comprehensive analysis. The qualitative phase draws upon the expertise of 125 purposefully sampled academic experts, subject-area specialists, and e-learning professionals through semi-structured interviews. Content analysis dissects these qualitative data, while structural equation modeling and factor analysis illuminate the quantitative dimension. The findings unveil five key components orchestrating green technology development in e-learning with blockchain integration: causal conditions, central phenomena, strategies, background conditions, and intervening conditions. Further analysis within each component identifies critical sub-components, informed by expert insights. Collectively, the study's predictor variables, encompassing both green technology development components and blockchain technology utilization, demonstrate a significant predictive influence (0.36, p < 0.01) on the mediator variable, green technology development. Additionally, they exhibit a nuanced yet statistically significant predictive effect (0.16, p > 0.05) on the criterion variable, e-learning and educational software performance enhancement. These positive and direct associations suggest a robust model for integrating blockchain technology to propel green technology advancements within e-learning. The proposed five-component model sheds light on the interplay between key factors, emphasizing the substantial impact of its application in guiding effective integration strategies.