SELF-EFFICACY AND COMPUTERS

This article is a review of the literature on self-efficacy in the mic rocomputer environment. Self-efficacy theory, introduced by Bandura (1 977), is based upon the principal assumption that psychological assess ments serve as a means of creating and strengthening expectations of p ersonal efficacy. Perceived self-efficacy can have directive influence on choice of activities and can affect coping efforts once they are i nitiated. While numerous studies have been conducted involving self-ef ficacy, only a handful have focused on self-efficacy and computers. Be cause computer technology is viewed as relatively new, it is increasin gly important to understand what educators' self-beliefs are concernin g their ability to use the computer in an instructional setting or for programming. Knowledge of an individual's computer efficacy would all ow pre-training intervention designed to reduce computer anxiety and r esistance to change.