Using Cognitive Mapping to Understand Innovative Software Use by Adolescents

This study is the second step of a long-term research project, which investigates the innovative uses of a software application by adolescents in an all girls’ high school in the southern United States. In the first phase, we proposed a research model that can be used to predict innovative use following mandatory adoption by conducting surveys and quantitative analysis of the results (Singletary et al. 2002a, 2002b). In this second phase, we will more deeply investigate innovative use phenomenon through qualitative analysis using cognitive mapping methodology. The current study is based in large part on Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura 1986; Wood and Bandura, 1989). We will also utilize the Diffusion of Innovations Theory (Rogers, 1995) and the Task-Technology Fit Theory (Goodhue and Thompson, 1995).