“This paper reports the results of a study on the effects of practice on the pre-implementation attitudes, job insecurity of end users, and post-implementation use of an information technology.” The system selected for study was an electronic mail system that was to be installed in a Fortune 500 transportation firm that had found it necessary to replace its existing email system. For this study, “practice” was taken to mean “a form of OJT [on-the-job-training] engaged in at the discretion of the end user with respect to when training occurs, for how long it occurs and which skills are practiced.”

The research found that as the amount of practice using an information technology increases, “perceptions of the ease of using the information technology increase above perceptions of ease of use associated with user sociodemographics and experience” and “perceptions of the usefulness of the information technology increase above perceptions of usefulness associated with user sociodemographics and experience.” The study did not find support for either the hypothesis that “end users’ pre-implementation attitudes toward the information technology become more positive” or the hypothesis that “end users’ job insecurity related to the information technology decrease,” however. The hypothesis that practice would increase use after implementation was supported. It was noted that the positive results reported for practice may have been influenced by both the participants’ experiences with the existing email system, which gave them a level of expertise that allowed them to take advantage of practice, and by the long period of time (one month) allocated for practice.

The paper is well written, and the extensive references (61) both support the paper and serve as an excellent framework for anyone who is looking into training and acceptance of information technologies.