Parental Attitudes toward Videogames at School

Abstract

Despite research having highlighted the positive outcomes of the use of videogames to learn, their integration into school contexts remains rare. Literature recognizes the importance of user’s technology acceptance to predict the intention to use and the adoption of new technology in several settings. So far, investigations have primarily focused on students’ and teachers’ opinions, while only a few studies have considered the role of parents. This study aimed to investigate the role of the dimensions of the technology acceptance model on parental preference (254 Italian parents) for the adoption of videogames in primary or secondary schools. Results revealed that 71% of the variance of parental acceptance of videogames is explained by perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, learning opportunities, and parental game expertise. Initiatives aimed to increase parental understanding of videogames as educational tools are encouraged.