Validating the Extended Technology Acceptance Model through Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA): The Role of Educational Support in Online Homework Systems for Gateway Courses at Community Colleges
The growing use of online homework platforms such as MyLab Math, ALEKS, WebAssign, and others in gateway math courses has transformed how students practice, receive feedback, and interact with their coursework at community colleges. Many learners, however, still face challenges in adopting and using these systems effectively. The study applies an extended version of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to explore how students perceive and accept online homework tools, incorporating Educational Support (EdS) alongside the core constructs of Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perceived Ease of Use (PEU). Data from approximately 200 students were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and reliability testing. Findings revealed a stable three-factor structure with strong internal consistency across all constructs, confirming the model's validity and highlighting the importance of instructional and technical support in helping students stay engaged and successful with online math tools. The results offer insights into improving how online homework systems are used in math courses and into guiding future confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) studies using the extended TAM framework.
Accepted as Brief Paper