Predicting Behavioral Intention or Actual Usage of Technology? A Systematic Literature Review of the Technology Acceptance Model

Abstract

Although the model which has been used the most to predict adopting and using recent systems and techs is Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), it has been found that there is a gap in research as regards understanding and distinguishing between behavioral intentions to use technology and actual technology use as two components targeted for prediction by the TAM model variables. This confusion has long led researchers to have the two converged in a single measuring scale. This paper, therefore, aims to shed some light on the evolution of the two themes to eliminate any potential misunderstanding for future subsequent measurements and investigate which one of the two has been the most predicted in TAM previous studies. We conducted a systematic literature review using a sample of 150 studies conducted up to the present study to examine the extent to which TAM and its variables predict actual usage. It is found that although predictions of behavioral intentions and actual usage are two distinct measures, they have been regularly conflated in technology accepted research. Also, TAM variables were found to generally predict Behavioral Intention (BI) better than predicting Actual Usage (AU) of technology.