The Role of Enablers and Barriers in the Upskilling and Reskilling of Users Through Professional Skilling Programs on EdTech Platforms

The demand for skills in emerging technologies has recently surged among professionals. To meet this demand, the implementation of professional skilling programs on education technology platforms (PSPETPs) is necessary. However, there is still a significant gap in understanding the combined motivating and hindering factors underlying the intention to upskill in emerging technologies. This study aims to address this gap by proposing and empirically validating the enablers and barriers that impact the intention to purchase PSPETPs. Additionally, it seeks to verify the moderating effect of visibility in this context. The study is conducted in two phases. The first phase explores the critical dimensions, relying on online reviews on social media platforms. Then, in the second phase, online survey responses from a total of 429 PSPETP users are gathered. The moderating effect of visibility on the relationships and the mediating effect of purchase intention (PRI) between word-of-mouth communications are also tested. The findings suggest that barriers related to image, instruction quality, content quality, and word-of-mouth communication significantly impact PRI, which in turn affects purchase behavior. Besides broadening the innovation diffusion theory and dual-factor theory within the stimulus-organism-response framework, the findings offer practical directions for PSPETP businesses to improve their service offerings and provide additional value for users.