Examining the antecedents of social networking sites use among CEGEP students

Investigations in technology acceptance in education has largely overlooked certain unique populations like students from the Collège d’enseignement général et professionnel (CEGEP) system. In studies examining CEGEP students’ use of technology, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) perspective has not been taken into account, nor have modalities of beliefs underlying the TAM framework. Modalities of belief refer to the different way of knowing something, such as certainty, necessity, conditionality/probability, etc. This study explores CEGEP students’ use of social networking sites (SNSs) employing the TAM framework proposed by Davis (MIS Quarterly, 13(3), 319–340, 1989). The increased role of SNSs like Facebook in the digital experience and lives of college students offers novel venues and presents new opportunities for technology acceptance research. This study examines the determinants of intention and use of SNSs among CEGEP students and includes a new antecedent factor ‘need for self-expression’, as a modality of belief. Using structural equation modeling, specifically partial least squares (PLS), we test and present the results finding good fit with the data for our extended TAM model for Facebook use. We close by discussing the implications, limitations, and avenues for future research.