Determinants of Student Acceptance of Social Networks at the Virtual University of Senegal

This study addresses the factors that determine student acceptance of digital social networks for learning. Would the learning outcome expectations of students who use social networks be related to an expected added value in learning, or would they only be the result of a social ripple effect? This research is based on the UTAUT (Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology) model. The data comes from an online survey, to which 520 students from the Virtual University of Senegal (UVS) responded. A structural partial least squares model establishes that students' behavioral intention and social network use behavior are impacted by effort expectancy and social influence. No significant effect of performance expectancy on behavioral intention was found overall, although a significant difference related to gender and education level was noted.