The Mediating Role of Perceived Ease of Learning in Teacher Readiness to Adopt Blockchain for Educational Assessment

Abstract

Traditional educational assessment systems in Malaysia face persistent issues such as data security vulnerabilities, lack of transparency, and centralised control, which collectively undermine trust, reliability, and operational efficiency. While blockchain (BC) technology has emerged as a promising solution offering decentralisation, immutability, and enhanced data security, a critical gap exists in understanding teacher readiness to adopt such innovations within the education sector. Most prior research emphasises the technical feasibility of blockchain or user acceptance in non-educational contexts, often overlooking educators’ cognitive and pedagogical challenges when learning and using unfamiliar technologies. This study investigates how key attributes of BC relative advantage (RA), compatibility (COM), and complexity (CPX) influence teacher readiness for adoption, mediated by perceived ease of learning (PEOL). A total of 750 questionnaires were distributed, resulting in 514 valid responses from post-secondary school teachers in the northern region of Malaysia, achieved through a simple and proportionate stratified random sampling technique. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) reveals that COM and CPX significantly predict teacher readiness, while PEOL is a partial mediator. RA shows no significant direct or indirect effect, challenging assumptions about its centrality in technology adoption models. These findings contribute to the broader goals of Industrial Revolution (IR) 5.0 by highlighting the importance of human-centric, cognitively accessible technological integration strategies in education, particularly for fostering systemic reform in assessment practices.

Keywords

• Assessment management
• Blockchain in education
• Teacher readiness
• Perceived ease of learning
• Education 5.0