Metaverse, which combines a number of information technologies, is the Internet of the future. A media for immersive learning, metaverse could set future educational trends and lead to significant reform in education. Although the metaverse has the potential to improve the effectiveness of online learning experiences, metaverse-based educational implementations are still in their infancy. Additionally, what factors impact higher education students' adoption of the educational metaverse remains unclear. Consequently, the aim of this study is to explore the main factors that affect higher education students' behavioral intentions to adopt metaverse technology for education. This study has proposed an extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to achieve this aim. The novelty of this study resides in its conceptual model, which incorporates both technological, personal, and inhibiting/enabling factors. The empirical data were collected via online questionnaires from 574 students in both private and public universities in Jordan. Based on the PLS-SEM analysis, the study identifies perceived usefulness, personal innovativeness in IT, and perceived enjoyment as key enablers of students' behavioral intentions to adopt the metaverse. Additionally, perceived cyber risk is found as the main inhibitor of students' metaverse adoption intentions. Surprisingly, the effect of perceived ease of use on metaverse adoption intentions is found to be insignificant. Furthermore, it is found that self-efficacy, personal innovativeness, and perceived cyber risk are the main determinants of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. While the findings of this study contribute to the extension of the TAM model, the practical value of these findings is significant since they will help educational authorities understand each factor's role and enable them to plan their future strategies.
Blended learning (BL), a teaching method merging online and face-to-face learning, is lauded for its potential to enrich educational outcomes and tackle challenges entrenched in conventional teaching practices. In countries like Pakistan, where equitable access to quality professional development remains an obstacle, BL is a promising avenue to surmount training barriers. While BL adoption has evolved swiftly, research into its integration within teacher training remains limited. Notably, no comprehensive model exists describing the motivational factors influencing teachers' perceptions and intentions regarding the blended mode of teacher training. This study aims to identify the motivational elements that motivate schoolteachers in teacher training institutions in Pakistan to incorporate blended learning into their programs. The motivational factors identified in BL literature have been employed to craft a motivation model grounded in their causal relationship. This quantitative study examines the interplay between multiple motivational factors and their impact on BL adoption within teacher training and the BL environment. Surveying 350 schoolteachers (participants) from teacher training institutions, we employed Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) techniques with Smart PLS 4.0 for data analysis. Results reveal that extrinsic and intrinsic motivational factors significantly influence teachers' motivation to adopt BL for training. Notably, "overall training quality" and "educational environment" were non-influential. Overall, the findings underscore that considering a blend of extrinsic and intrinsic factors can wield a 65 % influence on BL adoption. The study's results provide practical guidance for educational leaders, curriculum designers, and faculty members aiming to cultivate a unified blended learning environment for teacher professional development. These insights also underscore the importance of incorporating essential motivational factors into forthcoming blended learning training programs.