What Hinders Physical Education Teachers From Accepting Digital Technology? An Empirical Study Based on Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 Model

While digital technology offers significant potential for innovation in physical education (PE), teachers often face considerable barriers to its adoption. Grounded in an extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) framework, this study employed a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design to investigate the factors influencing digital technology adoption among K–12 PE teachers in China. The study first quantitatively surveyed 503 practitioners, followed by qualitative semistructured interviews with 15 teachers to provide deeper contextual insights. Quantitative results revealed that behavioral intention was most strongly and positively influenced by information quality (β = 0.333) and social influence (β = 0.299), with performance expectancy and effort expectancy also being significant. Perceived cost was found to be insignificant, while habit had a minimal impact. Use behavior was primarily driven by facilitating conditions (β = 0.288) and behavioral intention (β = 0.250). Gender, age, school type, and voluntariness significantly moderated these relationships. Qualitative findings contextualized these statistical results, providing in-depth explanations for the hierarchical importance of the predictors and the underlying reasons for the nonsignificant and weaker paths within the PE teaching environment. The findings suggest that enhancing PE teachers’ digital integration requires optimizing information quality assurance systems and fostering supportive social environments. This research provides a theoretical foundation for differentiated digital technology implementation strategies, offering practical insights for advancing digital transformation in PE.