Exploring the relationship between information technology acceptance and individual innovativeness levels of pre-service teachers

Main purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between information technology acceptance and individual innovativeness of pre-service teachers. Along with this purpose, the levels of pre-service teachers' information technology acceptance, individual innovativeness and the categories of individual innovativeness of pre-service teachers' were revealed. Furthermore, information technology acceptance and individual innovativeness of pre-service teachers' were compared among variables which were gender, class level, department and individual innovativeness categories. Moreover, the relationship between levels of pre-service teachers' information technology acceptance and its sub dimensions with individual innovativeness were revealed. The participants of the study were 1819 pre-service teachers who were at educational faculty of Anadolu University during 2015-2016 academic year, spring semester. To answer research questions personal information form, Information Technology Acceptance Scale (Baydaş, 2015) and Individual Innovativeness Scale (Kılıçer & Odabaşı, 2010) was used. Data collecting tools which measure Information Technology Acceptance and Individual Innovativeness levels are analysed to determine its reliability co-efficients. In the process of data analysis total score, mean score, calculating co-efficient of internal consistance, t-test, ANOVA and Pearson's correlation co-efficent were applied. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (total score and mean), coefficient of internal consistancy, t-test, ANOVA and Pearson correlation. According to research findings, pre-service teachers' acceptance of information technology is highlevel. Furthermore, considering the positive sub dimensions of the information technology acceptance scale, pre-service teachers' "faciliating conditions", "percieved usefulness", "ease of use and efficacy", "social influence" and "intention" sub dimensions were high-level while anxiety sub dimension, which is the negative sub dimension of the scale, was low-level. On the other hand, individual innovativeness of pre-service teachers were mid-level, which corresponds to the "early majority" category of the diffusion of innovations theory. Pre-service teachers' level of information technologies acceptance and their level of individual innovativeness were compared in terms of gender, class level, department and the category of individual innovativeness. According to the findings, pre-service teachers' information technology acceptance scale scores differs regarding to class level, department and individual innovativeness category. Individual innovativeness scale scores, on the other hand, differs regarding to class level and department. However, no significant difference were found regarding to gender for either of dependant variables. Besides, moderate positive relationship were found between pre-service teachers' acceptance of information technology scores and individual innovativeness scores. Likewise, scores of all positive sub dimensions of acceptance of information technology scale have positive relationship with individual innovativeness scores while negative sub dimension has negative relationship with individual innovativeness. Keywords: Information technology, Individual innovativeness, Pre-service teachers.