Information technology acceptance in the social services sector context: an exploration

Area of Science:

• Social Work Technology
• Information Systems Research
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Information technology (IT) is increasingly integrated into social work practice.
• Limited research systematically investigates user acceptance of IT within the social services sector.
• Existing IT acceptance models from business contexts may not fully capture social service user nuances.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the acceptance of IT among social service users.
• To develop and validate a research model predicting IT acceptance in social services.
• To identify factors influencing the intention and actual use of IT by social service professionals.

Main Methods:

• A research model was developed based on the decomposed theory of planned behavior.
• Data were collected from users of a Homeless Management Information System in a northeastern U.S. state.
• Statistical analysis was employed to verify the proposed research model and its antecedents.

Main Results:

• Attitudes toward using IT, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control were confirmed as significant predictors of IT usage intention.
• Users' consideration of organizational and client benefits positively influenced their attitudes toward IT adoption.
• The research model demonstrated strong predictive validity for IT acceptance in the social services context.

Conclusions:

• The findings provide empirical support for the applicability of the decomposed theory of planned behavior in social services IT adoption.
• Understanding user attitudes, perceived benefits, and control is crucial for successful IT implementation in social work.
• Interventions aimed at enhancing IT acceptance should address these identified antecedents to promote effective technology use in social services.