The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology: verifying the model from a European perspective

This study starts by questioning the quality of e-learning transfer between countries by merely translating the text into a different language. We apply and thus verify the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), which has not yet been sufficiently empirically validated. Our bicultural sample encompasses N = 732 students aged under 30 from Romania and Germany. As a first result, we offer empirical evidence for UTAUT on a wider basis. Secondly, we propose an extension of the UTAUT model by the predictor computer anxiety and the moderator geographic location, and for the case in which generic learning technologies are questioned instead of a more specific technology. Thirdly, we present evidence for different acceptance mechanisms in the Romanian vs. the German sub-sample; a cluster analysis confirms the intercultural differences in the technology acceptance variables. Finally, we conclude that the transfer of e-learning concepts and contents from old to new EU member countries requires much more than language translation; acceptance factors are the first aspect to consider.