Abstract
AIM: Scholarly works have primarily found a negative relation between technostress and individual performance outcomes. Nevertheless, there needs to be more empirical research that casts light on the underlying causal mechanism. The current study hypothesizes that technostress affects students' resistance to innovation through the mediating role of academic self-efficacy. Further, the study proposes innovation as a salient goal as a meta-level moderator. To capture this factor, the study investigates constructive deviant behavior and knowledge sharing culture as the buffering agents stimulating these links. METHODS: On a sample of 412 Chinese university students, the authors assess the structural model guided by the social cognitive theory to examine the predictive capability of the hypothesized relationships. RESULTS: The study found that technostress diminishes students' self-efficacy, which in turn augments resistance to innovation. Besides, constructive deviant behavior and knowledge sharing culture significantly moderate the direct association between technostress and self-efficacy and the indirect relationship between technostress and self-efficacy and then resistance to innovation. DISCUSSION: The study offers several meaningful theoretical and practical implications related to the critical role of technostress in deteriorating students' self-efficacy beliefs and enhancing resistance to innovation.