Incorporating Students´ Self-Efficacy and Subject Value in the Evaluation of Audience Response Systems

An audience response system (ARS) enables students to answer questions presented in class and thereby, it promotes active learning. For this reason, ARSs gained instructors´ attention and a considerable amount of literature has been published on the benefits of ARSs. However, prior studies lack a suitable methodology. The current paper seeks to remedy this problem and develops a conceptual framework which proposes that besides the user-friendliness of an ARS, students self-efficacy, and subject value are key underlying forces that explain the perceived effects and benefits of ARS in enhancing students´ learning performance and attitude towards using the system. The empirical test of the proposed framework attests to the importance of self-efficacy and subject value in the context of ARS and confirms the impact on learning, engagement, and enjoyment which in turn, promotes ARS usage and/or learning enhancement.