COMPUTER TECHNOLOGIES - ATTITUDES AND SELF-EFFICACY ACROSS UNDERGRADUATE DISCIPLINES

Computer technologies are important tools for learning, communicating, and retrieving information. For individuals to effectively employ the se tools, they must feel self-efficacious in using them. For this reas on it is important to examine attitudes and perceptions of competence that are encouraged by undergraduate educational programs. This paper reports on the factor validation of two affective measures related to computer technologies, ATTITUDES TOWARD COMPUTER TECHNOLOGIES (ACT) an d SELF-EFFICACY FOR COMPUTER TECHNOLOGIES (SCT). ACT assesses perceive d usefulness of and comfort/anxiety with computer technologies. Percei ved self efficacy for computer technologies (word processing, electron ic mail, spreadsheets, database programs, statistical packages, and CD -ROM databases) is measured by the SCT. In addition to data on constru ct validity, the results of exploratory analyses examining predictors of self-efficacy for undergraduate students in business, education, an d nursing are presented, and implications and future research directio ns are discussed.