An empirical examination of the effect of self-regulation and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) factors on the online learning behavioural intention of college students

The main objective of this study was to examine the factors of individual characteristics (e.g., self-regulation in terms of metacognition and motivation) and learning environmental expectancy (e.g., performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and social influence) that influence students' behavioural intention to continue online courses. The questionnaire data collected from 312 college students were analyzed using the structural equation modelling approach to examine the relationship between self-regulation and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology model. The experimental results revealed that self-regulation in terms of metacognition and motivation directly related to performance expectancy, effort expectancy and social influence. In addition, performance expectancy, effort expectancy and motivation significantly and directly influenced students' intention to use online courses. However, this study found that metacognition and social influence did not positively directly relate to behavioural intention. The discussion of the present findings and practical implications for possible future research have also been analyzed and concluded.