Abstract

Vocational education systems worldwide invest substantial capital in virtual simulation infrastructure, yet virtual laboratories deliver instructional value only if students continue to use them. This study applied the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to explain acceptance of virtual electrical and electronics laboratories, a context distinguished by imperceptible target phenomena, physical hazard, and a strong emphasis on fault diagnosis, and a population largely absent from the international acceptance literature. Cross-sectional survey data were collected from 409 students. The participants were higher vocational students enrolled at Sichuan Vocational and Technical College of Communications, China. All respondents had prior experience using virtual electrical and electronics laboratories as part of regular coursework, and the data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (SmartPLS 4; 5,000 bootstrap subsamples), pairing conventional explanatory assessment with out-of-sample predictive evaluation via PLSpredict. All four hypotheses were supported. Perceived ease of use predicted perceived usefulness (β = 0.491) and attitude toward use (β = 0.252); perceived usefulness predicted attitude (β = 0.497); and attitude predicted behavioral intention (β = 0.597). The model explained 24.1%, 43.4%, and 35.6% of the variance in usefulness, attitude, and intention respectively, and returned positive Q²predict values for every endogenous indicator. Two findings refine TAM in this setting. Perceived usefulness exerted about twice the direct influence on attitude as ease of use (f² = 0.332 versus 0.085), with about half of ease of use's total effect transmitted indirectly through usefulness, indicating that usability operates as an enabling rather than a driving belief. Attitude, in turn, served as the complete conduit linking both beliefs to intention. For experienced vocational learners, instrumental value rather than operational convenience governs continued use, implying that design and procurement should prioritize curricular alignment and diagnostic depth over interface sophistication.

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