Students' Acceptance of Arduino Technology Integration in Student-Led Science Inquiry: Insights from the Technology Acceptance Model

TL;DR

This study qualitatively explores high school students' acceptance of Arduino in science inquiry, emphasizing the influence of sociocultural factors, perceived usefulness, and accessible design on their acceptance.

Contribution

It provides an in-depth, qualitative analysis of Arduino acceptance among students, highlighting contextual and design factors beyond traditional quantitative TAM studies.

Findings

Acceptance driven by usefulness and sociocultural context

Visual block-coding tools made Arduino accessible

Implications for curriculum and teacher training

Abstract

This study examines high school students' acceptance of Arduino technology in a student-led, inquiry-based science class, using the extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM2) as a guiding framework. Through qualitative analysis of interviews and classroom observations, we explored how students perceived Arduino's usefulness and ease of use. Going beyond traditional quantitative TAM studies, this qualitative TAM research provides a nuanced, in-depth understanding of the contextual factors shaping technology acceptance. Key findings reveal that acceptance was driven not only by instrumental factors like job relevance and output quality but also by the unique sociocultural context of the Korean education system, where technology use was perceived as valuable for university admissions (subjective norm and image). Critically, unlike earlier research that emphasized programming challenges, participants in this study found Arduino accessible and intuitive, thanks to integrated visual block-coding tools. These findings highlight the importance of both technological design and pedagogical support in shaping students' experiences. Implications for science curriculum design, teacher preparation, and equitable technology integration in secondary education are discussed.