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Technology Acceptance Model (core items)

TAM
stemsocial sciencespsychologyFree for research use

The original Davis (1989) 12-item scale measuring two determinants of technology acceptance: Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU), six items each. The most widely-cited instrument in information-systems research. Item stems should be customised to name the specific system under study.

Items
12
Response format
7-point Likert scale
Version
1.0
Subscales
2

Ready-to-cite methods sentence

Technology acceptance was measured with the 12-item Technology Acceptance Model scale (Davis, 1989), assessing Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Ease of Use on a 7-point Likert scale. Subscale scores were the mean of six items each (PU α = .97, PEOU α = .91).

Reliability & validation

notes
PEOU alpha was .91 in Study 1 and .94 in Study 2; PU alpha was .97 in both studies.
Validation population
IBM employees (Study 1, N = 112) and MBA students (Study 2, N = 40) in Davis (1989)
Cronbach's α
0.91–0.97

Subscales

Perceived UsefulnessPerceived Ease of Use

Response anchors

Extremely unlikely · Quite unlikely · Slightly unlikely · Neither likely nor unlikely · Slightly likely · Quite likely · Extremely likely

Known limitations

Item wording must be customised — replace "[the system]" with the specific technology being evaluated. The TAM is often administered as a hypothetical acceptance instrument before use and again as actual-use evaluation after; report the administration context. Extensions such as TAM2, TAM3, and UTAUT add antecedent constructs but are not included in this core 12-item form.

Original citation

Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly, 13(3), 319-340.

https://doi.org/10.2307/249008

Questions researchers ask

What does the TAM measure?

The original Davis (1989) 12-item scale measuring two determinants of technology acceptance: Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU), six items each. The most widely-cited instrument in information-systems research. Item stems should be customised to name the specific system under study.

How many items does the TAM have?

The Technology Acceptance Model (core items) (TAM) has 12 items across 2 subscales: Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use.

Is the TAM free to use?

The TAM is free to use for non-commercial academic research. You don't need to pay a license fee, but you should always cite the original publication.

Is the TAM reliable?

Validation studies report Cronbach's α of 0.91–0.97. See the reliability section for the population studied and full statistics.

Who developed the TAM, and how do I cite it?

Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly, 13(3), 319-340. https://doi.org/10.2307/249008

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Library entry verified January 2024. Metadata is provided for reference; item wording is available inside Folio Surveyor, subject to each instrument's licensing.