This study evaluated teachers' perceptions of the usability of CogniRise, a software application used as a teaching and learning support tool for secondary-school students with learning disabilities in Malaysia's Special Education Integration Programme (PPKI). The article is framed by literature on inclusive educational technology, assistive technology, usability, and technology acceptance. A cross-sectional quantitative survey was administered to 214 PPKI teachers across the districts of Jasin, Alor Gajah, and Melaka Tengah. The questionnaire comprised 17 five-point Likert items across three constructs: perceived usefulness, satisfaction, and perceived ease of use. Teachers reported high satisfaction (M = 3.91, SD = 0.58) and high ease of use (M = 3.87, SD = 0.55), while perceived usefulness was moderate (M = 3.43, SD = 0.53). The lowest usefulness item concerned time saving during teaching sessions (M = 3.25, SD = 0.88). Overall, CogniRise appears acceptable and user-friendly, but its pedagogical utility may be strengthened through better content alignment and implementation support.
Alnahdi, G. H. (2014). Assistive technology in special education and the universal design for learning. Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, 13(2), 18-23.
Alsolami, A. S. (2022). Teachers of special education and assistive technology. SAGE Open, 12(3), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221116749
Azhar, N. A. M., et al. (2020). TMK integration in Malaysian secondary schools: Trends, challenges, and recommendations. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET), 15(8), 137–154.
Aziz, N. A., & Hadi, N. S. (2016). Assistive technology adoption among special education teachers: A preliminary study in Malaysia. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 224, 439–446.
Brooke, J. (1996). SUS: A quick and dirty usability scale. In P. W. Jordan, B. Thomas, B. A. Weerdmeester, & I. L. McClelland (Eds.), Usability evaluation in industry (pp. 189-194). Taylor & Francis.
CAST. (2018). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2. CAST.
Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly, 13(3), 319-340. https://doi.org/10.2307/249008
Ertmer, P. A. (1999). Addressing first- and second-order barriers to change: Strategies for technology integration. Educational Technology Research and Development, 47(4), 47-61. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02299597
Han, J. H., & Sa, H. J. (2022). Acceptance of online classes among university students during COVID-19: Applying an extended technology acceptance model. Asia Pacific Education Review, 23(4), 795–808. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-021-09732-6
Harris, J., & Hofer, M. (2019). Technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) in action: A descriptive study of secondary teachers’ curriculum-based, technology-related instructional planning. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 41(3), 245–259.
Hew, K. F., & Brush, T. (2007). Integrating technology into K-12 teaching and learning: Current knowledge gaps and recommendations. Educational Technology Research and Development, 55, 223-252. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-006-9022-5
International Organization for Standardization. (2018). ISO 9241-11:2018: Ergonomics of human-system interaction - Part 11: Usability: Definitions and concepts. ISO.
Marian, A.-L., Apostolache, R., & Ceobanu, C. M. (2025). Toward sustainable technology use in education: Psychological pathways and professional status effects in the TAM framework. Sustainability, 17(15), 7025. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17157025
Sakarneh, M. (2023). Teachers’ attitudes towards the rights of students with special education needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. CEPS Journal, 13(2), 143–162. https://doi.org/10.25656/01:26919
Sibarani, A. J. P. (2021). Usability and user satisfaction rate evaluation on e-learning application from student’s perspective using Nielsen usability method. Jurnal Infotel, 13(3), 120–127. https://doi.org/10.20895/infotel.v13i3.673
Venkatesh, V., Morris, M. G., Davis, G. B., & Davis, F. D. (2003). User acceptance of information technology: Toward a unified view. MIS Quarterly, 27(3), 425-478. https://doi.org/10.2307/30036540
Michael, J. K., & Rashid, S. M. M. (2026). Teacher Usability of the CogniRise Software for Students with Learning Disabilities Evidence from Special Education Teachers in Melaka, Malaysia. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 15(3), 242-248.
Copyright: © 2026 The Author(s)
Published by Knowledge Words Publications (www.kwpublications.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode