Purpose: The purpose of this study is to assess the efficiency of the technology acceptance model (TAM) to explain pre-service teachers' intention to use technology in Turkey. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 197 pre-service teachers from a Turkish university completed a survey questionnaire measuring their responses to four constructs which explain their intention to use technology: attitude towards computer use, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use. A structural equation modeling (SEM) approach was employed for modeling and data analysis. Findings: Results revealed that the TAM is an efficient model to explain the intention to use technology of Turkish pre-service teachers. The proportion of variance explained in pre-service teachers' intention to use technology by its antecedents was 51 percent. In addition, four out of five hypotheses were supported in this study. Overall, the data in this study provided support that the TAM is a fairly efficient model with a potential to help in understanding technology acceptance pre-service teachers in Turkey. Originality/value: The TAM is a well-tested and validated model to explain the intention to use technology. However, information on its cross-cultural validity is limited. This study validated the TAM on a sample of pre-service teachers in Turkey and the results provided initial support for the cross-cultural validity of the TAM. (Contains 6 tables and 1 figure.)