Aceitação do ensino a distância: um estudo com alunos do PNAP/UAB da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria

Abstract

The current growing of distance learning in Brazil makes two topics to be usually associated with this growing and discussed: the increase in the access from the people to university and peoples professional qualification improvements. The effectiveness of distance learning implementation in different institutions is directly related to the student s acceptance for this new learning model. In this sense, the comprehension of this acceptance and the understanding on how this phenomenon occurs individually brings important information to identify potential issues and/or resistance. Thus, this work had as main goal to detect the factors that have influence over students in order to make them to accept distance learning. In order to achieve this, the acceptance was checked using the Lee scale (2010). The Kirton scale (1976) was also applied to verify the cognitive style of each student. A survey was applied to 236 students from Programa Nacional de Formação de Administração Pública at the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria. The Structural Equation Model was used as main technique to analyze data resulting from the survey. The Lee model (2010) proved to be appropriate to understand the acceptance of distance learning. This was due the Confirmatory Factorial Analysis presented good indication of adjusts. In order to answer the first hypotheses of the study, which are relations among several constructs, the Structural Equation Modeling was made, using an overall sampling. From the thirteen proposed hypotheses, eight were confirmed: utility has relation with confirmation; easiness has relation with utility; confirmation has relation with satisfaction; utility has relation with use attitude; easiness has relation with use attitude; entertainment has relation with use attitude; satisfaction has influence in use attitude; and the relation between focus and use attitude is negative.