Computer technology training for prospective teachers: computer attitudes and perceived self-efficacy

To be effective users of computer technologies and be models for students' computer use, teachers must have positive computer attitudes and feel self-efficacious in using them. The computer training that teachers receive through their teacher education program is likely to foster positive computer affect, yet the change may require time and development. This longitudinal study examined prospective teachers' changes in perceived anxiety/discomfort with and usefulness of computer technology, frequency of using word processing, e-mail, spreadsheets, database management, statistical packages, and CD-ROM databases, and perceived self-efficacy with the six selected computer technologies over three years of study. Statistical analyses of data involved three time periods and two student-teacher cohorts. Significant time effect, cohort effect, and time by cohort interaction effect are discussed. Technology is having a significant influence on the future of education. In some cases, computer technology has manifested its potential in helping teachers facilitate students' problem-solving skills, scientific inquiry, understanding of abstract mathematical concepts, communication skills, and workplace competencies (Office of Technology Assessment, 1995). Current learning theories, such as constructivism, emphasize using computer technology as a tool to access and organize information, and to construct personal knowledge. On the other hand, the Office of Technology Assessment (1995) reported that "despite technologies available in schools, a substantial number of teachers report little or no use of computers for instruction" (p. 1). Marcinkiewicz (1994) found that more than half of the teaching population displayed a pattern of under use or non-use of computer-related resources in schools. Evans-Andris (1995) examined 72 elementary teachers' computing styles. What was found was that more than half (60%) o f the teachers avoided using computers and treated computer lab visits as an aimless activity. Many teachers have doubts about computer technology and their own ability because computer technology was not part of their learning experience. In addition, the rapid evolution of computer applications in education appears to further complicate the situation. Therefore, teachers must have positive computer attitudes and feel self-efficacious in using computer technologies in order to model effective computer use for their students. THEORETICAL AND RESEARCH BACKGROUND Computer Affect Affect such as attitudes, values, and self-judgments can exert a profound effect on behaviors. Negative emotions are more likely to deter a person from trying new things, while positive affect tends to strengthen a person's belief and promote productive behavior (Campbell & Williams, 1990). The construct of computer attitudes has multiple dimensions. A substantial amount of literature suggests that computer anxiety can be a great obstacle for educators' computer adoption (Gabriel & MacDonald, 1996; Hakkinen, 1995; Handler, 1993; Hunt & Bohlin, 1993; Kernan & Howard, 1990; Koohang, 1989; Liu, Reed & Phillips, 1992; Loyd & Gressard, 1984; McInerney, McInerney & Sinclair, 1994; Reed & Overbaugh, 1992; Reed & Overbaugh, 1993; Robertson, Calder, Fung, Jones & O'Shea, 1995; Stimmel, Connor, McCaskill & Durrett, 1981). Stressful encounters with computers are likely to cause an aversive predisposition toward the object. Many studies also measured attitudes toward computer usefulness to help predict computer behavior . Campbell (1992) found that college students' attitudes toward the usefulness of computers were predictive of their enrollments in college computer courses. Marcinkiewicz (1994) reported that teachers' perceived relevance of computers for teaching was one of the factors that influenced their motivation to integrate computers into teaching. Perceived self-efficacy is defined as "personal judgments of one's capability to organize and implement actions in specific situations that may contain novel, unpredictable, and possible stressful features" (Schunk, 1984, p. …