Comparing virtual reality acceptance in education: the divergent experiences of teachers and students in China and Africa

Abstract Virtual Reality (VR) has emerged as a transformative technology with strong potential to enhance teaching and learning through its immersive and interactive features. This study examined the factors influencing the acceptance of VR technology among university teachers and students in China and Africa, drawing on an extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as the theoretical framework. The model incorporated key constructs, including perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, innovativeness, attitude toward using, and behavioral intention. In particular, individual innovativeness was conceptualized not only as an antecedent influencing perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and behavioral intention, but also as a moderating variable that strengthens the relationships between the core TAM constructs and behavioral intention.This study employed a quantitative questionnaire survey and collected data from 339 participants. The Mann-Whitney U test and the entropy-analytic hierarchy process (AHP) were applied to examine differences between groups and to assess the relative importance of the evaluation indicators. The results revealed that African respondents demonstrated higher levels of acceptance compared with their Chinese counterparts, while students exhibited greater receptivity to VR than teachers. Moreover, individual innovativeness was found to play a significant moderating role in shaping behavioral intentions toward VR use. The findings provided cross-cultural validation of TAM within emerging-economy contexts of immersive education, highlighted the importance of local context and personal innovativeness as moderating factors. This study contributed theoretical insights into cross-cultural technology adoption and offered practical implications for promoting the effective integration of VR in higher education.