Abstract:

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) provide new methodological and didactic opportunities to encourage universities, companies and institutions in the training sector to develop alternative pedagogical methods to the traditional classroom. Skype-based e-learning is considered as a promising tool in education that can be used to engage students to enhance students’ motivation and communication skills. Nevertheless, little is known about individual beliefs that can lead students to use and recommend Skype-based applications as an effective instructional tool. This research aims to fill this gap in the academic literature by focusing on the utilitarian antecedents of Skype-based applications loyalty. To achieve this goal, we analyze the potential effect of perceived performance and disconfirmation on students’ satisfaction and loyalty to the Skype-based e-learning tool. The role of perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness as antecedents of perceived performance and disconfirmation is also analyzed. We test our proposed model using the path analysis of data collected from an experiment where undergraduate students from USA and Spain worked in pairs using Skype to improve their language and intercultural communication skills. Results show that utilitarian features of Skype-based e-learning tools play important roles in enhancing students’ performance and loyalty. Practical applications and managerial implications of using Skype-based e-learning to enhance learning interest and perceived performance are discussed.

Keywords:

e-learning, perceived performance, perceived usefulness, disconfirmation, satisfaction, loyalty.