The moderation effects of attitudes on the relationship of user acceptance among Malaysian polytechnic’s students towards institutional repository

The evolution of technology has led to the creation of an IR platform designed especially for higher education institutions to improve students' educational experiences. Simultaneously, the internet has facilitated worldwide connectivity, leading to a paradigm change favouring a broader range of reference materials in readily accessible libraries. This study relies on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and employs ATT as a moderator. Within this approach, PE, EE, and SI are essential variables that define their relationship to BI. The degree to which polytechnic students embrace technology substantially impacts the IR platform's sustainability, which has been observed at a deficient level. Furthermore, the IR faces competition from various online search services, making its long-term viability even more difficult. Although there are several studies on user acceptance, most of them centre on faculty members and lecturers at universities, and only a few of them look at ATT studies as moderators. This quantitative study was conducted using an adapted purposive sampling technique in four polytechnics: Politeknik Sultan Salahudin Abdul Aziz Shah, Shah Alam, Politeknik Seberang Perai, Politeknik Kota Bahru and Politeknik Kuching Sarawak, with data from 282 respondents accepted to obtain study results. The data was analysed descriptively using SPSS and Structure Equation Modelling (SEM) with Smart PLS. The study results show that BI is strongly influenced by PE and SI, which affects students’ acceptance of using IR for educational purposes. However, EE does not have a significant relationship with BI. Additionally, the findings imply that ATT does not affect the relationship between PE, EE, and SI with BI; the study's conclusions expand UTAUT research in Malaysian polytechnics by highlighting ATT as an external variable. These findings provide valuable insights for the stakeholders in designing initiatives to promote the use of IR, particularly among students. Furthermore, future studies should explore self-archiving among polytechnic lecturers and research data management, particularly for the Malaysian polytechnic IR.