Socio-Emotional Moderators of MOOC Adoption in Professional E-Training: Extending UTAUT with Social Perceptiveness and Group Work Effectiveness

Abstract

The adoption of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) as a vehicle for professional e-training has grown substantially, yet completion rates among working professionals remain persistently low and adoption intentions are difficult to predict using conventional technology acceptance models alone. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) has been the dominant framework in this area, but its predominantly structural and cognitive orientation leaves the socio-emotional dimensions of professional digital learning underexplored. This study extends the UTAUT model by introducing Social Perceptiveness (SP) and Group Work Effectiveness (GWE) as novel moderating variables, and by disaggregating the Facilitating Conditions construct into two contextually relevant sub-dimensions: Continuous Availability and Time Flexibility. Using a quantitative design combining a seven-point Likert-scale survey with the behavioral “Reading the Mind in the Eyes” (RME) test, data were collected from 253 professionals enrolled in or having recently completed a MOOC. Analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS, including Cronbach’s alpha reliability testing, Pearson correlation, multiple linear regression, and moderation analysis. Results show that Effort Expectancy (EE) and the extended Facilitating Conditions construct are the strongest predictors of Behavioral Intention (BI). GWE significantly moderates the EE–BI relationship, and SP significantly moderates the Social Influence (SI)–BI relationship. These findings contribute to UTAUT scholarship by integrating socio-emotional constructs into a technology-acceptance framework tailored to professional e-learning, and offer actionable guidance for MOOC designers, training managers, and human resource practitioners.