Authors - Mohar Banerjee Biswas, Srikant Das Abstract - Individuals display different levels of innovativeness towards technology and this innovativeness is a crucial personality trait to understand adoption behavior. Personal Innovativeness in Information Technology (PIIT) has emerged as a strong personality trait that influences the adoption behavior towards Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in higher education. This research analyses the influence of PIIT on the perception of utility and simplicity of ICT by higher education students. The study extends the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by adding PIIT and analyses how it affects the perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU) and subsequent behavior intention (BI) towards ICT adoption. For the data collection, 493 sample data were obtained from university students using an online structured questionnaire and was processed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The findings of the study reveal that PIIT significantly impacts the PU and PEOU, indicating that students who are more innovative will view ICT as beneficial to their academic task and will find it easy to use. PIIT also has an indirect influence on BI via the construct of PU and PEOU, emphasizing its mediating role. The findings propose that developing PIIT amongst learners can improve students' preparedness to adopt ICT in academics. The research has important implications for stakeholders in developing specialized interventions, training, and curriculum designs that nurture creative mindsets, thus enabling stronger integration of technology in learning.
