An Exploratory Study of K-12 Teachers’ Perceptions of Adopting Open Educational Resources in Teaching

Abstract

With the increased use of digital resources, the use of open educational resources (OERs) has become more demanding in K-12 education, especially after the outbreak of COVID-19. OERs support teachers by providing them with the ability to adapt or create learning materials to meet students’ needs. To engage K-12 teachers in the use of OERs, it is important to understand the factors affecting their willingness to adopt them. This study investigated K-12 teachers’ perceptions of using OERs in teaching. The variables, including teachers’ perceived ease of use of OERs, perceived usefulness of OERs, and technology integration self-efficacy, were examined. Other factors associated with teachers’ intention to adopt OERs were explored. Participants were teachers at a university in the north-eastern United States. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches were applied to analyze the collected data. The results indicated that the proposed variables significantly correlated with intention. Ease of use, usefulness, and technology integration self-efficacy were all significant predictors of teachers’ intention to adopt OERs, with perceived usefulness being the strongest predictor. K-12 teachers’ perceived advantages and disadvantages of using OERs in teaching are reported and discussed.

1. Introduction

With the development of information communication technologies (ICT) and the pervasive use of the Internet, teachers have the opportunity to access a wide variety of digital or web-based resources (Baas et al., 2022). Most online resources are restricted for use under copyright. Open educational resources (OERs) that allow the re-use of materials or resources have gradually gained educators’ attention in K-12 and higher education settings (Baas et al., 2022; Chiorescu, 2017; Clinton-Lisell, 2022; Clinton-Lisell & Kelly, 2024; Hilton, 2020; Y. T. Kuo et al., 2025; Tang, 2021). The term Open Educational Resources (OERs) was first introduced by UNESCO in 2002 through a forum on Open Courseware (OCW) with the intention of describing the free distribution of university educational materials in the virtual learning environment (Butcher et al., 2015). According to UNESCO (2019), OERs are “learning, teaching and research materials in any format and medium that reside in the public domain or are under copyright that have been released under an open license, that permit no-cost access, re-use, re-purpose, adaptation and redistribution by others” (UNESCO, 2019, definition and scope section).

OERs provide users with permission to retain, reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute resources, known as the 5R characteristics of OERs (Wiley & Hilton, 2018; Wiley, n.d.). The “retain” feature allows users to download and keep their own copy of resources (Hilton, 2016). “Reuse” gives users the permission to use the original, revised, or remixed OERs (Wiley & Hilton, 2018). “Revise” refers to the right to edit, adapt, or modify users’ own copies of resources, and “remix” give users the opportunity to create new resources by combining original or revised resources with other existing materials (Wiley, n.d.). “Redistribute” refers to the right to share or disseminate resources that are in the original, revised, or remixed form, without restrictions (Hilton, 2020).

Educational OER materials include, but are not limited to, courses, textbooks, videos, test items, and podcasts (Clinton-Lisell, 2021; Hilton et al., 2019; Wiley & Hilton, 2018). They are often licensed through Creative Commons that provide permission for reuse and revision to fulfill the needs of educators and students (Hilton et al., 2019). With the nature of free availability, OERs can benefit students in several ways (Hilton, 2016, 2020). For example, the use of OERs can reduce students’ expenses of purchasing commercial textbooks and provide students with the opportunity of equal access to learning materials that may not be affordable for some students due to the issue of high costs for traditional textbooks (Fischer et al., 2021; Hilton, 2020). In addition to the benefits of cost savings and equal availability of learning resources, the remixable feature of OERs has the potential to allow teachers to create customized or personalized materials that can better engage students in the learning process (Clinton-Lisell, 2021; The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, n.d.).

The implementation of OERs in K-12 schools is on the rise. Especially after the outbreak of COVID-19, free and accessible online or digital materials have been in high demand from both teachers and students (Tang, 2021). OERs provide teachers with opportunities to retain, reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute educational materials at no additional finical cost (Read et al., 2020). The flexibility of OERs allows K-12 teachers to freely access high-quality resources and develop materials that are customized to their students’ needs and learning preferences (Avila et al., 2020; Hilton, 2016; Tang, 2021). The use of OERs with proven efficacy and trusted quality has been envisioned as an effective way for K-12 schools to achieve the outcome of delivering high quality learning at a low cost (de los Arcos et al., 2016; Avila et al., 2020; Hilton, 2020; The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, n.d.).

The adoption and use of OERs has become important in K-12 education (Tang, 2020). With many initiatives having been launched by the United States Department of Education to promote the use and implementation of OERs in K-12 curriculum (Hilton, 2020), it is essential to explore the factors that may have an influence on teachers’ use or adoption of them and to understand K-12 teachers’ perceptions of using OERs in their teaching. Limited studies have investigated K-12 teachers’ perceptions or adoption of OERs, with most of those studies attributing the adoption of OERs to the factor of cost savings (Blomgren, 2018; Y. C. Kuo et al., 2024; Tang et al., 2020). It is therefore critical to explore other factors associated with teachers’ adoption of OERs (de los Arcos et al., 2016; Tang, 2020; Tang et al., 2020). This study investigated K-12 teachers’ perceptions of adopting OERs in teaching, with a focus on factors including perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, technology integration self-efficacy, and intention of OER adoption.

2. Literature Review

2.1. Open Educational Resources (OER) in K-12 Education

Foreseeing the potential of OERs in K-12 education, the United States Department of Education launched a campaign #GoOpen to encourage K-12 school districts and teachers to participate in the OER implementation plan (U.S. Department of Education, 2015). With the goal of this campaign being to ensure access of all students to high-quality learning resources, school districts and teachers were encouraged to adopt freely accessible, openly licensed educational materials rather than using traditional textbooks (U.S. Department of Education, 2015). Through the #GoOpen campaign, a network of multiple school districts across the nation was established to actively advocate for the adoption and use of OERs in K-12 curriculum and to share strategies and receive support. In addition, a launch pack was designed to guide school districts in the implementation process of incorporating openly licensed educational resources into the curricula. The implementation process included five phases, i.e., recommending tasks for districts to develop goals and a strategic plan, determine a team of key personnel (e.g., stakeholders and teacher leaders), identify the infrastructure needed for learning, ensure the quality of resources, and design professional learning (Office of Educational Technology, n.d.).

OERs are shared in different forms (e.g., open ebooks, open lesson plans, open textbooks, etc.) and through a variety of multimedia platforms (e.g., Blogs, Wikis, etc.) (Kimmons, 2015). A few examples of OER platforms or repositories that share resources for K-12 educators and teachers include OER Commons (http://oercommons.org, accessed on 15 December 2024), the Digital Public Library of America (http://dp.la, accessed on 15 December 2024), OpenStax (https://openstax.org/ (accessed on 15 December 2024)), and CK-12 (https://www.ck12.org/ (accessed on 15 December 2024)). Among these platforms, OpenStax and CK-12 provide open textbooks that are free for teachers and students to download and share in original or adapted formats. Additionally, teachers are given the opportunity to create and curate the content of textbooks based on their teaching needs.

The Digital Public Library of America provides digital materials which are in the public domain or comprise openly licensed content, from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions in the United States.

2.2. Intention to Adopt OERs and Other Relevant Variables

2.2.1. Intention, Ease of Use, and Perceived Usefulness

The technology acceptance model (TAM) developed by Davis (1989) describes how users come to accept and use technology and information systems. In TAM, perceived ease of use (PEU) and perceived usefulness (PU) are two important factors in determining users’ intention to accept or use technology (Davis, 1989). Perceived ease of use refers to the degree of effort which users believe is required of them to use a given technology (Davis, 1989). Perceived usefulness indicates the degree to which users perceive the use of a particular technology tool in terms of enhancing their job performance (Davis, 1989). This model has been applied to a wide range of studies in various fields (Bessadok, 2022; Huang et al., 2020; Y. C. Kuo et al., 2024). In teacher-related studies in K-12 education, TAM serves as a critical framework that addresses how teachers intend to integrate technology into their classrooms (Granic & Marangunic, 2019; Y. C. Kuo et al., 2023; Teo, 2009). Relevant research has extended the original TAM by including additional predicting variables for teachers’ technology acceptance beyond the aforementioned two variables (Granic & Marangunic, 2019; Khlaisang et al., 2021; Teo, 2019).

In the context of OER use, TAM is a prominent model that helps explain users’ intention to adopt OERs for various purposes (Kim et al., 2015). However, there is limited research on the application of TAM for OER use (Kelly, 2014; Kim et al., 2015; Pappas et al., 2017). Notably, studies involving pre- or in-service teachers’ acceptance of OERs are scarce (Tang et al., 2020, 2021). For example, according to a study by Kim et al. (2015) that investigated students from the Korea National Open University, perceived ease of use was found to have an effect on intention to use OERs, but perceived usefulness was not a significant predictor for intention. Kelly (2014) focused on educators from K-12, higher education, and workplace training settings and found that usefulness had a greater effect on educators’ intention to use OERs compared to perceived ease of use. In terms of studies related to teaching in K-12 environments, Tang et al. (2020) evaluated 68 K-12 teachers’ intention to adopt OERs and found that both perceived ease of use and usefulness significantly predicted intention. Another study of Tang et al. (2021) found that K-12 teachers’ perceived ease of use toward OERs increased after participating in open educational practices.

2.2.2. Technology-Integration Self-Efficacy

Self-efficacy refers to the degree to which an individual is confident to take charge of particular tasks, assignments, and challenges (Bandura, 1977). The concept of self-efficacy has been applied to a wide range of studies in various fields and learning environments, such as classrooms, hybrid, or online learning settings (Y. C. Kuo et al., 2014, 2020, 2025). Research on education has indicated self-efficacy as a critical factor in determining students’ learning outcomes (Girasoli & Hannafin, 2008; Y. C. Kuo et al., 2020; Y. T. Kuo & Kuo, 2023; Tsai et al., 2011). In the research involving pre- and in-service teachers, self-efficacy was associated with teachers’ perceptions of their ability to provide meaningful instructional experiences, as well as their willingness to implement new and innovative pedagogical strategies or technology tools (Moore-Hayes, 2011).

Self-efficacy for technology integration is a significant factor in assuring teachers’ perceptions of preparedness for successful technology adoption and implementation in teaching (Y. C. Kuo et al., 2023; Lestari & Indrasari, 2019; Moore-Hayes, 2011). It refers to the degree to which teachers are confident in their ability to successfully incorporate technology into teaching to enhance students’ learning experiences (Hur et al., 2015; Y. C. Kuo et al., 2023). Teachers who have higher levels of technology integration self-efficacy are more likely to adopt appropriate tools in instructional planning and preparation processes and to use them in an effective way to promote meaningful learning (Jones et al., 2017; Kent & Giles, 2017). Therefore, in this study, we presume that technology integration self-efficacy is critical to teachers’ intention regarding OER adoption in teaching.

3. Research Questions

• What are teachers’ perceived ease of use of OERs, perceived usefulness of OERs, technology integration self-efficacy, and intention to adopt OERs?
• What are the relationships between teachers’ perceived ease of use of OERs, perceived usefulness of OERs, technology integration self-efficacy, and intention to adopt OERs?
• Do teachers’ perceived ease of use of OERs, perceived usefulness of OERs, and technology integration self-efficacy predict intention to adopt OERs?
• What are teachers’ perceived advantages and disadvantages of using OERs in teaching?

4. Method

4.1. Participants

The participants in this study comprised 27 teachers enrolled in an online learning course (see

Table 1. Background Information.

Characteristic	n	%
Gender
Male	6	22.2
Female	21	77.8
Age
20–30	17	63.0
31–40	5	18.5
40–50	3	11.1
51 and above	2	7.4
Years of teaching experiences
1–5	14	51.9
6–10	7	25.9
10 and above	6	22.2
Technology skills (self-rated)
Moderate	5	18.5
Substantial	14	51.9
Expert	8	29.6

). The graduate-level course was offered online by the College of Education at a north-eastern university in the United States. The majority of these teachers were aged between 20–30 (63%) or 31–40 years (18.5%). The majority of the participants were female teachers (77.8%) and a few were male teachers (22.2%). About 52% of these teachers had been teaching for 1–5 years, and 25.9% for 6–10 years. A few teachers (22.2%) had teaching experience of 10 years or more. In terms of their self-rated technology skills, about 51.9% described themselves as possessing substantial technology skills. About 29.6% of teachers indicated themselves as being technology experts. About 18.5% of them had moderate technology skills.

4.2. Data Collection

An online survey was used to collect the data. The study was approved by the university’s Institutional Review Board (IRB), and informed consent forms were obtained from the teachers who participated in the survey. An online survey was provided to teachers at the end of the semester. The survey questionnaire included several sections, such as background information, perceived ease of use of OERs, perceived usefulness of OERs, technology integration self-efficacy, intention to adopt OERs (see

Table 2. Instruments.

Scales	Number of Items	Range	Cronbach’s Alpha
Perceived ease of use of OERs	3	1–7	0.95
Perceived usefulness of OERs	3	1–7	0.98
Technology integration self-efficacy	6	1–6	0.82
Intention to adopt OERs	2	1–7	0.94

), and reflection on this topic. Background information included gender, age, years of teaching experiences, and technology skills.

The three scales, measuring teachers’ technology acceptance, contained perceived ease of use of OERs, perceived usefulness of OERs, and intention to adopt OERs. The scales were adapted from those developed by Teo (2009). Both scales for measuring teachers’ perceived ease of use of OERs and usefulness of OERs had three items. The intention to adopt OERs scale had two items. All three scales were a 7-point Likert scale. The technology integration self-efficacy scale, developed by Moore-Hayes (2011), was adopted in this study. As a 6-point Likert scale, it had six items to measure the confidence level that the teachers possessed in terms of integrating technology into teaching. Table 2 provides an overview of each scale.

4.3. Context

Teachers were asked to participate in an assignment that provided them with opportunities to review materials and online resources, including the introduction of OERs, applications of OERs, as well as some OER examples and websites or platforms that offer OER materials for K-12 educators. Teachers were required to explore existing OER lessons, OER resources, and OER teaching materials that were created by others and share their opinions with their classmates about how they felt these OER resources or materials could be beneficial to their teaching through online discussion boards.

4.4. Data Analysis

Data were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative approaches. Quantitative approaches included descriptive, correlation, and regression analyses. SPSS 26 was used for data analyses. A content analysis was performed for the qualitative approach.

5. Results

5.1. RQ1: What Are Teachers’ Perceived Ease of Use of OERs, Perceived Usefulness of OERs, Technology Integration Self-Efficacy, and Intention to Adopt OERs?

Table 3. Descriptive Information.

Scales	Range	Midpoint	M	SD
Perceived ease of use of OERs	1–7	4	6.30	0.98
Perceived usefulness of OERs	1–7	4	6.15	0.67
Technology integration self-efficacy	1–6	3.5	4.41	0.42
Intention to adopt OERs	1–7	4	5.30	0.81

shows teachers’ average scores for four variables. The average score of teachers’ perceived ease of use of OERs was 6.30, which is above the midpoint 4. The average score of teachers’ perceived usefulness of OERs was 6.15. Teachers had a moderate/average score for technology integration self-efficacy (M = 4.41, SD = 0.42). Teachers appeared to show the willingness to adopt OERs, with a slightly high mean for intention to adopt OERs (M = 5.30, SD = 0.81).

5.2. RQ2: What Are the Relationships Between Teachers’ Perceived Ease of Use of OERs, Perceived Usefulness of OERs, Technology Integration Self-Efficacy, and Intention to Adopt OERs?

Table 4. Correlations among Variables.

	Perceived Ease of Use of OERs	Perceived Usefulness of OERs	Technology Integration Self-Efficacy	Intention to Adopt OERs
Perceived ease of use of OER	–	0.46 *	0.19	0.64 **
Perceived usefulness of OER		–	0.52 **	0.79 **
Technology integration self-efficacy			–	0.60 **
Intention to adopt OER				–

Note. * p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01.

indicates the correlations between perceived ease of use of OERs, perceived usefulness of OERs, technology integration self-efficacy, and intention to adopt OERs. Intention to adopt OERs was positively related to perceived ease of use of OERs (r = 0.64, p < 0.01), perceived usefulness of OERs (r = 0.79, p < 0.01), and technology integration self-efficacy (r = 0.60, p < 0.01). Technology integration self-efficacy had a positive relationship with perceived ease of use of OERs (r = 0.19, p > 0.05) and perceived usefulness of OERs (r = 0.52, p < 0.01). Perceived ease of use of OERs was positively correlated with perceived usefulness of OERs (r = 0.46, p < 0.05).

5.3. RQ3: Do Teachers’ Perceived Ease of Use of OERs, Perceived Usefulness of OERs, and Technology Integration Self-Efficacy Predict Intention to Adopt OERs?

The multiple regression model (see

Table 5. Multiple Regression Model: Perceived Learning Explained by Three Predictor Variables.

Variables	B	SE B	β	t	p
Perceived ease of use of OERs	0.272	0.076	0.329	3.92	0.002 **
Perceived usefulness of OERs	0.701	0.127	0.580	2.77	0.000 ***
Technology integration self-efficacy	0.467	0.186	0.239	2.09	0.019 *

Note. * p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01; *** p < 0.001.

) was significant: F(3, 23) = 42.79, p < 0.001. The model explained 75% of the variance in intention to adopt OERs. Perceived ease of use of OERs (β = 0.329, p < 0.01), perceived usefulness of OERs (β = 0.580, p < 0.001), and technology integration self-efficacy (β = 0.239, p < 0.05) significantly influenced intention to adopt OERs. Among the three variables, perceived usefulness of OERs was the strongest predictor of perceived learning.

5.4. RQ4: What Are Teachers’ Perceived Advantages and Disadvantages of Using OERs in Teaching?

Table 6. Summary of Advantages and Disadvantages.

Advantages

Cost savings (11) Differentiation/meet the needs of students (10) Allow for modification and reuse (8) Easy access (8) Increase student engagement (5) Increase educational equality (4) High-quality lessons (4) Save time for creating materials (4) Foster collaboration between educators (3) Increase students’ 21st century skills (2)

Disadvantages

Lack of alignment of OERs with academic or state standards (9) Lack of knowledge of reuse/adaptation/attribution rules of OERs (7) Time consuming to search for OER (7) Difficulty in finding or knowing where to search for OERs (6) The quality and consistency of OERs may vary (4) Technical difficulties in downloading or using OERs (4) Learning issues for students, such as a decrease in students’ social skills, fewer student/teacher interactions, low ease of use for younger students (4) The authenticity of the content may be lacking (3) Constraints from school districts (2) Lack of training regarding the use of OERs (1) Disconnect with parents (1)

Note: The numbers in the parentheses refer to the frequency of terms or phrases indicated by teachers.

provides an overview of teachers’ perceived advantages and disadvantages of using OERs in teaching. Two major themes were making instructors’ class preparation more efficient (i.e., saving time creating materials) and enhancing students’ learning experience (i.e., increasing student engagement). The four advantages mentioned by teachers most frequently were cost savings, differentiation, easy accessibility of OERs, and the possibilities of the modification and reuse of OERs. Teachers felt that the use of OERs would help reduce the cost of purchased textbooks or materials and enhance differentiation in their instruction to meet students’ needs or interests. Being able to freely access, reuse, and curate OER resources is beneficial to teaching preparations. For example, one teacher indicated that “you can start with materials that others have provided but make them your own by adding unique touches”. Some teachers indicated the use of OERs would enhance educational equality and allow students in the low-income areas to have the opportunity to access high-quality online lessons or resources. OERs allow teachers to share their work and collaborate with other teachers. The use of OERs would also benefit students by increasing their learning engagement and 21st century skills such as collaboration and innovation.

Three major negative themes were instructors’ lack of experience with OERs (lack of training), concerns regarding the OER content (e.g., the authenticity of the content), and issues related to the use of OERs for students and parents (e.g., fewer student–teacher interactions). The three disadvantages indicated most frequently by teachers were the lack of alignment of OERs to state or academic standards, a lack of knowledge about reusing, adapting, or attributing OERs, and a lack of time to search for OERs. Teachers also indicated difficulties in terms of finding OERs for specific subject areas and determining which resources to use. For example, one teacher mentioned that “it can become very overwhelming to search, locate, and evaluate resources before putting them into practice”. Some teachers were concerned about the quality of OERs, as they may be created by non-teachers, and some OERs might be outdated or need content validation. Technical difficulties were another concern, as teachers or students might not be able to download or use OERs, and some OERs might have glitches. Several teachers felt that the use of OERs might lead to a decrease in students’ social skills and fewer interactions among students, parents, and the teacher. OERs appeared to be more suitable for older students. In addition, teachers mentioned that some school districts might not allow the use of OERs, and the lack of training regarding OERs may discourage teachers from using them. For example, one teacher noted that “we have to follow strict curriculum for certain subjects”.

6. Discussion

Based on the results of our analysis, overall, teachers in this study were found to be positive about the use of OERs in teaching. Our descriptive analysis shows that most teachers perceived OERs as being easy to use, found OERs to be useful in enhancing teaching effectiveness or productivity, and intended to adopt OERs in their future teaching. On average, these teachers held a moderately high level of self-efficacy in terms of incorporating technology into the classroom.

Based on the correlation analysis, teachers’ perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and their intention to adopt OERs were found to be positively correlated with each other at a significant level. This implies that the higher the perceived ease of use and usefulness of OERs, the more likely that teachers were to be willing to use OERs in their teaching. This finding corresponds to the study of Tang et al. (2020), in which the correlations between three variables of OER acceptance were found to be significantly positive among school teachers. Also, other TAM studies have found positive relationships between intention to use, perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness (Granic & Marangunic, 2019; Khlaisang et al., 2021; Teo, 2019). In terms of technology integration self-efficacy, it was found to be significantly related to perceived usefulness of OERs in a positive way, indicating that teachers with higher levels of self-efficacy in integrating technology into teaching are more likely to perceive OERs as useful educational resources. However, teachers’ technology integration self-efficacy was not found to be significantly correlated with perceived ease of use. This may have been due to the fact that most OERs are easy to use, not requiring lots of effort on the part of teachers; therefore, the average scores of ease of use did not show significant differences in technology integration self-efficacy.

In terms of the regression analysis, teachers’ perceived ease of use of OERs, perceived usefulness of OERs, and technology integration self-efficacy all significantly predicted their intention to adopt OERs. Among the three predictors, perceived usefulness of OERs was the strongest predictor, followed by perceived ease of use of OERs and technology integration self-efficacy. This finding is consistent with the results from previous studies that applied TAM to investigate teachers’ acceptance of various technological tools and found that both perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness were significant predictors of teachers’ intention for technology adoption (Granic & Marangunic, 2019; Tang et al., 2020). Furthermore, these prior studies also indicated that perceived usefulness had a stronger effect on intention for adoption compared to perceived ease of use (Granic & Marangunic, 2019; Tang et al., 2020). The significant influence of technology integration self-efficacy on intention for OER adoption, which was not investigated in prior OER studies for teachers, implies that teachers’ confidence in integrating technology is a determinant of their intention to adopt OERs in teaching. This finding contradicts the study conducted by Kim et al. (2015), in which adults’ self-efficacy in terms of using OERs did not have a significant effect on their intention to use OERs. The participants in our study were K-12 teachers in the United States, while the participants in the study of Kim et al. (2015) were adult students enrolled in an open university in South Korea; the sample in the latter study might have included both educators and non-educators, and the details of participants were not mentioned.

The findings of the present study about teachers’ perceived advantages (e.g., cost savings, differentiation, accessibility, reuse/modification features, etc.) of using OERs are aligned with the results from previous OER studies (Hilton, 2020; Kwak, 2017; Tang, 2020), where OERs were found to have the potential to improve teachers’ preparations of teaching materials or resources. Tang (2020) indicated that teachers perceived OERs as resources that are easily accessible with no cost, saving teachers’ time regarding the creation of high-quality materials, and helping with personalized instruction. The advantage of fostering collaborations among teachers when using OERs, as found in this study, corresponds to the research of Tang (2020), in which the use of OERs was found to promote the development of reciprocal exchanges among educators. Our study found that the use of OERs contributes to student learning experiences, resulting in an increase in student engagement and the development of students’ 21st century skills. Consistent with the study conducted by Nkwenti and Abeywardena (2019) that involved a group of pedagogic supervisors, OERs were found to have the potential to increase learners’ engagement with the lesson content. The advantage of enhancing students’ 21st century skills, as a new finding, was not indicated in prior OER studies. The features of OERs enable users to collaboratively reuse and modify the content (Wiley & Hilton, 2018; Clinton-Lisell, 2022). Teachers may see the opportunity for their students to recreate new learning content using OERs in course activities, which helps to improve students’ 21st century skills. In terms of teachers’ perceived disadvantages of using OERs, most teachers had the concern about the misalignment of OERs with curriculum or state standards. Corresponding to the study of de los Arcos et al. (2016), school teachers around the world indicated that OERs that are not aligned with professional standards as one of the challenges. Other disadvantages (e.g., a lack of knowledge of attribution rules for OERs, not having enough time to find OERs, technology problems, etc.) found in our study were aligned with those indicated by some prior studies (de los Arcos et al., 2016; Nkwenti & Abeywardena, 2019; Ozdemir & Bonk, 2017; Tang, 2020). Two disadvantages, including learning issues for students (i.e., decreasing students’ social skills, fewer student/teacher interactions, age appropriateness, etc.) and the disconnection with parents, were not found in previous research. Interestingly, some advantages contradicted stated disadvantages. For example, some teachers thought that OERs provide high-quality lessons; however, some teachers had concerns about the quality and consistency regarding the OER content.

7. Conclusions and Implications

Overall, in this study, teachers appeared to be positive about the adoption of OERs in teaching. Positive relationships were found among perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, technology integration self-efficacy, and intention for OER adoption. Teachers’ perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and technology integration self-efficacy were all significant predictors of their intention to adopt OERs, with perceived usefulness being the strongest predictor. This study adds to our understanding of the factors that have an influence on teachers’ adoption of OERs. Based on TAM, the critical roles of teachers’ perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness in intention for OER adoption were verified in our study. Beyond that, we examined and identified the importance of teachers’ technology integration self-efficacy in OER adoption or use, which was not explored in prior OER research related to teachers. In addition, the qualitative results summarized the advantages and disadvantages that teachers perceived about using OERs in teaching.

In terms of practical implications, this study suggests that school leaders, administrators, and policymakers should pay attention to the benefits of OERs in terms of enhancing teaching and provide teachers with assistance, incentives, and support to encourage them to adopt OERs in their class. Providing teachers with professional development or training on OERs would help increase their motivation and willingness to use or adopt OERs. Through professional development, the features of OERs (e.g., reuse, accessibility, etc.) and the benefits of using them should be presented with available OER resources and platforms, examples of OER-integrated lessons or curriculum, and hands-on practice, which would help increase teachers’ perceived ease of use and usefulness regarding OERs. School districts and teacher educators should provide teachers with low levels of technology integration self-efficacy with additional support or training opportunities to reinforce their acceptance of using OERs. Pairing these teachers with teachers with high levels of technology integration self-efficacy would allow those with low confidence in technology integration to see successful examples of OER integration and receive mentoring from their colleagues when encountering problems when using OER resources. School leaders are advised to provide Q&A sessions or organize informal gatherings for teachers to report problems or issues and discuss ways to overcome them.

There are some limitations in our study. First, the results were drawn from a group of teachers from a single institution in the United States, and such results may not be generalizable to teachers from other countries with different cultures and educational requirements. Second, the sample size of this study was small; future studies should include a larger sample size of teachers to verify the significant effect of the proposed predictor variables on teachers’ intention to adopt OERs. Third, our study focused on exploring the influence of three variables (i.e., perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and technology integration self-efficacy) on teachers’ intention to use OERs. Other variables, which were not included in this study, may have a potential influence on teachers’ intention to adopt OERs in teaching. Researchers are encouraged to expand the exploration of variables associated with teachers’ intention for OER adoption based on TAM.