Factors Affecting Information and Communication Technology Use for University Students With and Without Learning Disabilities

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to develop an appropriate model to represent the relationships among all the significant factors about information and communication technology use for university students, both with and without learning disabilities. This study was conducted in Taiwan with a sample consisting of an international array of research participants. A 40-item researcher-developed questionnaire was used to collect data from 400 students with learning disabilities and 747 students without disabilities. The structural equation modeling approach was a good model fit for both the measurement and structural models. The results indicated that the model proposed can explain the use of information and communication technology by students both with and without learning disabilities in universities. The model can explain 92% of information and communication technology use for students without learning disabilities, and 73% of that for students with learning disabilities. The present study illustrated that a model developed through structural equation modeling could demonstrate structural relations of the essential factors and information and communication technology usage for universities students, both with and without learning disabilities, in a holistic and comprehensive framework.