Date Approved
2020
Date Posted
2-16-2021
Degree Type
Open Access Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department or School
College of Engineering and Technology
Committee Member
Shinming Shyu, Ph.D., Chair
Committee Member
Suleiman Ashur, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Dorothy K. McAllen, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Kasim Korkmaz, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Philip Schmitz, Ph.D.
Abstract
This dissertation examines the associations between the technology acceptance model and modernization theory with Libyans’ perceptions of cave dwellings in the Nafusa Mountains region, West of Tripoli. The researcher formally tested hypotheses linking cave dwelling's ease of use, usefulness, and the perceived intention to live in a modernized cave dwelling with the education, income, age, gender, and employment categories of Libyan participants in the study. A framework for constructing modernized cave dwellings that are attractive to local residents for temporary and permanent living is then provided.
Using 450 responses from Libyans worldwide, this study found that the technology acceptance model is a statistically significant framework for understanding Libyans’ intentions to live in modernized cave dwellings. More specifically, Libyans were found to be more willing to live in such homes if they perceived them as easy to construct, maintain and utilize, and useful in decreasing their utility bills and providing comfortable living standards. On the other hand, modernization theory was partially supported in its predictive power to explain Libyans’ intentions to live in cave dwellings. More educated and perceived high-income individuals are associated with a higher likelihood of living in a cave dwelling. Gender, age, and employment type were not statistically significant.
The dissertation offers a framework demonstrating how renewable energy systems can make Libyan cave dwellings sustainable for local citizens. It provides details on how solar panels, natural lighting, rain harvesting, and wastewater treatment systems could help local citizens lower construction costs and increase sustainable living. The renovation of cave dwellings offers an excellent opportunity for local economic development and a cultural renaissance of the structures, making them global sites of world heritage.
Recommended Citation
Ebrahim, Salaheddin Mohammed Ali, "A framework to assess the rehabilitation of historic cave dwellings in Libya using modernization theory and technology acceptance model" (2020). Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations. 1048.
https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1048