Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences ETDs

Kwak Jang Yul

Publication Date

9-12-2014

Abstract

The present research was motivated by the recognition that the use of mobile fitness applications (MFA) is increasingly popular among sports and exercise participants in recent years. Using an extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) perspective, this study explored potential predictors of behavioral intention toward MFAs such as perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, personalization, personal innovativeness in information technology (PIIT), perceived enjoyment, mobile application self-efficacy, involvement in sports and exercise participation, and social influences (interpersonal and external influences). A theoretical model was developed and tested against the empirical data collected from 385 collegiate students enrolled in physical activity classes at a large university in the United States. The result of descriptive statistics indicated that the samples are active sports and exercise participants with their weekly exercise and sports participation of 5.41 hours. A measurement model and structural equation model were tested using AMOS 22.0 and confirmed eight out of eleven hypothesized relationships. In particular, personalization and PIIT were found to have significant effects on perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, which in turn, affected behavioral intention toward using MFAs. Interpersonal influence and involvement in sports and exercise participation were also found to have significant effects on intention whereas no significant effects of mobile application self-efficacy, perceived enjoyment, and external influence were observed. The analyses demonstrated that perceived usefulness was the most powerful determinants of behavioral intention followed by interpersonal influence in terms of the path coefficient values. The construct of PIIT and personalization accounted for 43.4% variances in perceived ease of use and 48.9% variances in perceived usefulness variance. All the constructs within the structural model except external influence, perceived enjoyment, and mobile application self-efficacy, collectively explained the 75.1 % variances in intention to use MFAs, suggesting that the examined model has a strong explanatory power regarding MFA users decision making process.'

Keywords

Fitness, Technology Acceptance Model, Sports, Sport Management, Mobile Application, Mobile Fitness Application

Document Type

Dissertation

Language

English

Degree Name

Physical Education, Sports and Exercise Science

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences

First Committee Member (Chair)

Seidler, Todd

Second Committee Member

Ke, Fengfeng

Third Committee Member

None

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