Theory of Planned Behavior

1 Academic Technology Services A Division of Information Technology Services Memorial Library, Room 3010 Mankato, MN 56001 Phone 507-389-6654 (V) 800-627-3529 711 (MRS/TTY) Fax 507-389-6115 An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity University. Theory of Planned Behavior What is Theory of Planned Behavior ? Key Concepts and Dimensions Measurements References What is Theory of Planned Behavior ? The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) predicts an individual's intention to engage in a Behavior at a specific time and place. It posits that individual Behavior is driven by Behavior intentions, where Behavior intentions are a function of three determinants: an individual s attitude toward Behavior , subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control (Ajzen, 1991).

2 Key Concepts and Dimensions Behavioral Intention This is a proxy measure for Behavior . It represents a person's motivation in the sense of her or his conscious plan or decision to perform certain Behavior (Conner & Armitage, 1998). Generally, the strong the intention is, the more likely the Behavior will be performed. Attitude toward Behavior This refers to the degree to which a person has positive or negative feelings of the Behavior of interest. It entails a consideration of the outcomes of performing the Behavior . Subjective Norm This refers to the belief about whether significant others think he or she will perform the Academic Technology Services A Division of Information Technology Services Memorial Library, Room 3010 Mankato, MN 56001 Phone 507-389-6654 (V) 800-627-3529 711 (MRS/TTY) Fax 507-389-6115 An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity University.

3 Behavior . It relates to a person s perception of the social environment surrounding the Behavior . Perceived Behavioral Control This refers to the individual s perception of the extent to which performance of the Behavior is easy or difficult (Ajzen, 1991). It increases when individuals perceive they have more resources and confidence (Ajzen, 1985; Hartwick & Barki, 1994; Lee & Kozar, 2005) Adapted from (Ajzen, 1991) Measurements Developing a measure utilizing the Theory of Planned Behavior is highly dependent upon the topic being considered. Measures should assess all main components of the Theory : attitude toward Behavior , subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and intention. Typical Academic Technology Services A Division of Information Technology Services Memorial Library, Room 3010 Mankato, MN 56001 Phone 507-389-6654 (V) 800-627-3529 711 (MRS/TTY) Fax 507-389-6115 An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity University.

4 Measures follow a Likert-style format and can range in length from a few succinct questions to much longer and more comprehensive surveys. The article below describes how to construct a TPB questionnaire: Ajzen, I. Constructing a Theory of Planned Behavior questionnaire. Retrieved from: ~aizen/ Two specific examples of the TPB questionnaire are presented below: In their study, Davis et. al. (2002) developed a questionnaire to predict high-school completion among African Americans. This instrument assessed major constructs of TPB, as well as several sections dealing with such issues as general and racial self-esteem, academic self-efficacy, neighborhood living conditions, and after-school activities. The second paper described a conceptual model, based on the TPB, which explained how college students beliefs influence their intention to adopt mobile devices in their coursework.

5 The questionnaire used in this research contained 30 items and measured the participants' perceptions with a 7-point Likert scales. The questionnaire can be found in Appendix A of the paper (Cheon et. al., 2012). References 1. Ajzen, I. (1985). From intentions to action: a Theory of Planned Behavior . In J. Huhl, & J. Beckman (Eds.), Will; performance; control (psychology); motivation (psychology) (pp. 11 39). Berlin and New York: Springer-Verlag. 2. Ajzen, I. (1991). The Theory of Planned Behavior . Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179-211. 3. Cheon, J., Lee, S., Crooks, S. M., & Song, J. (2012). An investigation of mobile learning readiness in higher education based on the Theory of Planned Behavior . Computers & Education, 59(3), 1054-1064.

6 Doi: 4. Conner, M., & Armitage, C. J. (1998). Extending the Theory of Planned Behavior : A review and avenues for future research. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 28(15), 1429-1464. 5. Davis, L., Ajzen, I., Saunders, J. & Williams, T. (2002). The Decision of African American Students to Complete High School: An Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior . Academic Technology Services A Division of Information Technology Services Memorial Library, Room 3010 Mankato, MN 56001 Phone 507-389-6654 (V) 800-627-3529 711 (MRS/TTY) Fax 507-389-6115 An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity University. Journal of Educational Psychology, Vol 94(4), 810-819. 6. Hartwick, J., & Barki, H. (1994). Explaining the role of use participation in information system use.

7 Management Science, 40(4), 440 465. 7. Lee, Y., & Kozar, K. (2005). Investigating factors affecting the anti-spyware system adoption. Communications of the ACM, 48(8), 72 77.