Applying UTAUT to understand medical students’ Wi-Fi adoption for learning in Sri Lankan hostel settings

Purpose: As digital learning expands, higher education institutions increasingly rely on Wi-Fi networks to facilitate student learning. This study investigated factors influencing medical students’ intention and actual use of a hostel Wi-Fi system for academic learning at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) as the theoretical framework. 

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 310 medical students. Data were collected on key UTAUT constructs and analysed using covariance-based structural equation modelling. Results: The model demonstrated acceptable validity and reliability. Among the factors studied, performance expectancy (PE) (β = 0.284, P ≤ 0.001), social influence (SI) (β = 0.222, P ≤ 0.001), and facilitating conditions (FC) (β = 0.615, P ≤ 0.001) were significantly associated with students’ intention to use the Wi-Fi system for learning, while effort expectancy (EE) (β = -0.184, P ≤ 0.130) did not. Moreover, behavioral intention (BI) (β = 0.533, P ≤ 0.001) and FC (β = 0.320, P ≤ 0.001) had significant associations with the students’ actual use of the Wi-Fi system for learning. 

Conclusions: This study enhances our understanding of the factors influencing medical students’ acceptance and use of Wi-Fi for learning. Notably, FC emerged as the strongest associated factor of intention to use the Wi-Fi system. These findings underscore the critical role of FC in technology adoption and provide valuable insights for university administrators to effectively implement and integrate technologies into educational settings.