Modelling Thai EFL Students' Acceptance of an LMS for Prosody Instruction: A UTAUT2-Based Mixed-Methods Study
(in progress)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62819/jel.2026.2169Keywords:
prosody instruction, UTAUT2, Thai EFL, blended learning, pronunciation pedagogyAbstract
English prosody, i.e., the stress, rhythm, and intonation of spoken English, remains underemphasised in Thai EFL curricula, despite its established role in communicative competence. This study investigates this gap in language instruction by examining Thai university EFL students' engagement with a prosody-focused blended learning module specifically designed to incorporate a learning management system (LMS). Rather than treating technology adoption as an end in itself, the study employs the UTAUT2 framework as an analytic lens to examine factors influencing students' behavioural intention within this linguistically targeted instructional context.
Quantitative survey data from 157 participants were analysed using PLS-SEM, while semi-structured interviews with 20 purposefully selected students were examined through thematic analysis. Through triangulation of these findings, the study examined how performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, hedonic motivation, and behavioural intention shaped students' LMS engagement.
Performance Expectancy (β = .28, p < .001) and Hedonic Motivation (β = .25, p < .001) emerged as the strongest predictors of Behavioral Intention, combining to account for 58% of observed variance. Effort Expectancy and Social Influence showed smaller but significant effects. Both Behavioral Intention (β = .45, p < .001) and Facilitating Conditions (β = .31, p < .001) predicted actual Use Behaviour. Interview data from 20 students (selected based on high, medium, and low LMS engagement) contextualised these findings: participants reported heightened prosodic awareness and reduced speaking anxiety through private, asynchronous practice, with technical frustrations proving non-disruptive to overall engagement.
These findings help address a gap in Thai EFL pronunciation teaching by showing how LMS platforms can support prosody instruction when they are carefully designed for language learning objectives.
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