October 2012 Volume 15 Number 4 - Educational Technology ...

use is simply an expedited form of conscious use; accordingly, as with conscious use, automatic use is still a function
of intention, so past use will not weaken the evaluation-intention-usage relationship.” (p.418). The findings show that
the evaluation-intention-usage relationship is generally weaker among heavier users than among lighter users.
Furthermore, Limayem et al.’s (2007) research explores the role of habit and its antecedents (such as satisfaction,
frequency of prior behavior, stability of context, and usage comprehensiveness) in the context of continued IS usage.
In addition, they build and test a theoretical model that integrates the habit construct along with its antecedents into
recent work on IS continuance. Habit is proposed to exert a moderator (suppressor) effect on the relationship
between intention and continued IS usage behavior. Modeling habit this way means that the stronger the habit, the
lower the prognostic power of intention on the actual behavior.
In this line of research, habit refers to the non-intentional (automatic) enactment tendencies developed throughout the
history of the individual, where particular stimuli trigger a specific behavior even when the individual does not
instruct himself/herself to behave in such a way (Thorngate 1976; Triandis 1977, 1980). On the basis of this
understanding, habit in IS usage refers to the non-deliberate, automatically-inculcated response that individuals may
bring to IS usage (Limayem and Hirt 2003).
Cultural Habit
James (1890) states that “There is no more miserable human being than one in whom nothing is habitual but
indecision, and for whom the lighting of every cigar, the drinking of every cup, the time of rising and going to bed
every day, and the beginning of every bit of work, are subjects of express volitional deliberation” (p. 122). Habit is a
mind-set that improves the perceptual readiness for habit-related cues, preventing an individual from being distracted
and from adopting other, less efficient courses of action (Verplanken and Aarts 1999). It is a condition as a
behavioral tendency; a tendency to repeat responses given a stable supporting context (Ouellette and Wood 1998, p.
55).
The culture creates patterns of behavior for different roles and the roles lay down the bases for the habits that
determine individuals’ lives. As Bloch (1943) indicated, habits are predisposing tendencies to meet certain situations
in particular ways in accordance with the roles operative in specific situations. Therefore, cultural habit is a
culturally-fixed mode; it is also an artificial object in life. Durkheim (1911) indicates that most people live under the
force and yoke of cultural habit. He continues that rules of conduct are produced under the force of cultural habits,
which can become the greatest obstacles to progress. For example, a social phenomenon like old-fashioned corporal
punishment constantly exists under the influence of the force of cultural habits. Weber (1922) points out that the
same behavior in a group is a habit that originates from the culture of the society from which it comes. Camic (1986)
also indicates that an individual can sometimes behave in ways that go beyond cultural habits. What is clear is that
there exists a strong relationship between an individual’s life and the cultural habits of a group, and this holds true in
different social groups.
Knowledge Distribution in the University Domain
Universities are the best places for the production and delivery of knowledge, and college teachers are the promoters
of the production and delivery of knowledge. College teachers explore and create knowledge through academic
research activities, sharing this with students through teaching activities to achieve the purpose of knowledge
delivery. The exploration of knowledge, however, is an important channel through which college teachers
accumulate their personal intellectual assets. Through research activities and academic presentations, they
demonstrate their status in their professional field. These knowledge assets are also important elements of college
teachers’ personal teaching activities.
Most traditional teaching activities take place in the classroom, where the medium of knowledge delivery often
includes textbooks, handouts and blackboards, etc., with teaching content always being delivered verbally. The range
of knowledge delivery is confined to the actual classroom space, with the recipients of knowledge being the students
in the classroom. When IT platforms are introduced into activities of knowledge delivery and sharing, the medium,
methods and range of knowledge delivery also change. Specifically, the recipients of knowledge change from a
limited number of students to all possible readers that come and go on the technology platforms. In this way,
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