ABSTRACT

This study aims to analyze the factors influencing the intention of caregivers of individuals with developmental disabilities to participate in behavioral support planning, based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), and to provide foundational data for effective behavioral support planning in the future. To this end, the sub-factors of the TAM were measured using a 5-point Likert scale, and a survey was conducted with 211 caregivers of individuals with developmental disabilities across the country. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 31.0 and AMOS 26, and a one-sample t-test was conducted to assess the level of each factor. In addition, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post hoc tests were conducted to examine whether perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, attitude toward using, and intention to use regarding behavior support plans differed according to the sociodemographic characteristics of caregivers of individuals with developmental disabilities. Confirmatory factor analysis and path analysis were also conducted to examine the structural relationships among these variables. The results showed that perceived usefulness, attitude toward using, and intention to use were high, whereas perceived ease of use was the lowest and did not differ significantly from the scale midpoint. Differences according to sociodemographic characteristics were found only for some variables. The measurement items were found to adequately explain the latent variables. The path model analysis showed that perceived ease of use had a significant positive effect on perceived usefulness, perceived usefulness had a significant positive effect on attitude toward using, and attitude toward using had a significant positive effect on intention to use. This study is significant as it applied the Technology Acceptance Model to the context of behavioral support planning, thereby extending technology-focused research into the human-centered domain, and it provides a theoretical framework explaining caregivers’ participation by verifying the structure through which their cognition and attitudes lead to participation.

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