The Relationship Between Student and Faculty Attitudes Toward Technology

The purpose of this study was to examine student and faculty attitudes toward computer technology in advanced arts classes at a southeastern university in the United States. This one semester study was focused on the traditional arts disciplines of art, dance, music, and theatre. This correlational analysis limited to faculty members and students engaged in the 3000 and 4000 level undergraduate classes. The sample of 306 students and 45 faculty members participants was taken from the population from the visual and performing arts disciplines. Attitudes of both students and faculty members were examined through perceptions of liking, usefulness, confidence, and anxiety levels toward computers. Results indicated that based on correlational analysis, the more faculty members liked computers the more students liked computers had more positive attitudes toward computers when more competent with computers. Furthermore, the results showed that faculty members had more positive attitudes toward computers when they felt more competent with computers. Based on the results of this study, the researcher recommends that universities need to initiate formal computer training programs for the arts faculty to engage students use computer technology in the arts. (Contains 5 tables) Introduction Dewey (1934) believed that the arts could not be shut off from human environment and society because the arts were a reflection of society and the environment. The comprehensive nature of computer technology influenced American society from everyday life to higher education classrooms and academic disciplines. As a result, the pressure has increased on the arts to embrace computer technology as a staple for producing art and teaching the arts in higher education. The embedded qualities of computer technology in everyday life have caused a conflict between popular American culture and the traditional disciplines of visual and performing arts (Bowers, 1998; Penny, 1997). Researchers have suggested that student attitudes toward computer technology were a result of exposure to computers (Huang, 2002), experience with computers (Busch, 1995; Mitra, Steffensmeier, Lenzmeier & Massoni, 1999; Necessary & Parrish, 1996; Orr, Allen & Poindexter, 2001), and computer training (Dusick & Yildirim, 2000). These factors were subject to influences from faculty members (Grasha, 2002; Kuh & Hu, 2001) and academic disciplines (Chao et al, 2003). However, other researchers indicated that student attitudes toward computers were already formed before college years due to the integration of technology in daily life (Kenney, 2002; Tapscott, 1998; Wangemann, Lewis & Squires, 2003). On the other hand, faculty members’ attitudes and acceptance of computer technology were influenced by the academic discipline culture (Gillespie, 1998). Faculty members’ attitudes reflected the values of their academic discipline, which was modeled by the faculty member in behavior, and choice of instructional processes (Stark & Lattuca, 1997). The processes of student-faculty interaction included the influences on student behavior and modes of thinking (Gates, 2000; Kuh & Hu, 2001; Woodside, Wong & Wiest, 1999). Because of the nature of the academic discipline and the individual faculty member’s interest, the use of technology in higher education progressed faster in some disciplines more than others (Gillespie, 1998). The culture among the faculty members comes from the discipline, professional practice, and scholarship (Kezar, 2002). The influence of faculty members on students was evident through studies and theories of studentfaculty engagement and student-faculty interaction (Chickering & Gamson, 1987; Kuh & Hu, 2001). Researchers indicated that faculty members had a significant influence on students through behavioral norms (Woodside, Wong & Wiest, 1999) and one-on-one interaction (Grasha, 2003). Cultural norms and values have been passed from one generation to the next generation through the process of enculturation in the disciplines and professions (Jonassen & Land, 2000; Lave & Wenger, 1999; Wenger, 1998). The tradition of mentoring and apprenticeship training in the arts has been a powerful tool to train students in the ways of the discipline (Kindelan, 2001; Madsen, 2003; Rolston & Herrera, 2000). In the last two years of undergraduate school, students have been culturally conditioned for the discipline through studentfaculty interaction and mentoring from faculty members (Brown, 2002). Students in the arts were influenced by faculty members’ behavior (Madsen, 2003; Rolston & Herrera, 2000) that consisted of discipline culture norms (Lave & Wenger, 1999). Through student-faculty engagement, students acquired the shared repertoire of resources for negotiating meaning through established patterns of engagement, organizational structure within the culture, symbols, concepts, gestures, and history (Wenger, 1998). Students entered the enculturation process, which included the discipline characteristics of a common cultural and historical heritage, an interdependent system, and a reproduction cycle (Jonassen & Land, 2000). Description of the Study In this study, the relationship of faculty attitudes toward computer technology and student attitudes toward computer technology in advanced arts classes was evaluated using faculty and student perceptions. Attitudes of both students and faculty members were examined through perceptions of liking, usefulness, confidence, and anxiety levels toward computers. Using these variables, the study evaluated the relationship between student and faculty attitudes toward computers in advanced arts classes at a southeastern United States university. The sample of 306 students and 45 faculty members participants was taken from the population from the visual and performing arts disciplines. The specific population for the study was the students and faculty in the 3000 and 4000 level undergraduate arts classes in art, dance, music, and theatre disciplines. The research question for this study focused on the relationship between student and faculty attitudes toward computers. The following was the central research question for this study: Is there a statistically significant relationship between student and faculty attitudes regarding the level of computer liking, confidence in computers, usefulness of computers, and anxiety toward computers in advanced arts courses? The null hypotheses for this study:  There is not a statistically significant relationship between student and faculty level of liking toward computers.  There is not a statistically significant relationship between student and faculty level of confidence toward computers.  There is not a statistically significant relationship between student and faculty level of usefulness toward computers.  There is not a statistically significant relationship between student and faculty level of anxiety toward computers. The Computer Attitude Scale (CAS) developed by Loyd and Gressard (1984) was administered to the student and faculty participants. The instrument was designed to record participant responses using a five-point interval response scale. The null hypothesis was tested using inferential statistics at a . 05 level of significance. A correlational approach was used to gain a better understanding of the factors contributing to the relationship and gain insight into relationships between the student attitudes toward computer technology and experience with computer technology. The demographics of the student participants were summarized as 60% female, 65% 22 years old or less, 83% White ethnicity, and 35% studying in the music discipline. The demographics of the faculty participants were summarized as 60% male, 84% 31 years old and above, 91% White ethnicity, and 49% teaching the music discipline.