This study investigated the factors that influence community college students'
attitudes toward technology, particularly in teaching and learning experiences. Studies
on post-secondary students' attitudes reported in the literature are limited. Factors cited
previously as having an effect on attitudes towards technology and toward computers
included: gender; age; presence of a computer in the home; completion of a formal
technology course; and comfort with technology.
The subjects in this study were 372 students in freshman level credit English
classes in the five colleges of the North Harris Montgomery Community College District
located in the greater metropolitan Houston area. Previous research instruments and
studies to measure students' attitudes toward technology were reviewed. A modified
version of the Secondary Students Attitudes' Toward Technology (SSATT) was
developed for this study because of the content, reliability, and applicability to the postsecondary
population. The instrument was administered in the spring of 2005. The fact that 95.4% of the participants reported having a computer at home and
that 70.2% reported having had a formal technology class provided insight into the
integration of technology in the lives of this community college sample. A correlation
matrix of all variables and analysis of variance were performed. Factor analyses were
performed to identify subcomponents of the instrument. Eight factors were identified:
(1) need for technology competence, (2) technology benefits, (3) negative aspects of
technology, (4) technology and the workplace, (5) impact of increased use of
technology, (6) video games, (7) technology and job creation, and (8) technology and
safety.
A conclusion of the study was that neither age nor gender had a significant effect
on the post-secondary students' attitudes toward technology, which differs from the
findings in some of the previous studies. Females reported being as comfortable, if not
more so, with technology in teaching and learning experiences as the males in the study.
Exposure to technology, completion of a formal technology class, and the use of
computers appeared to positively affect community college students' attitudes toward
technology.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:tamu.edu/oai:repository.tamu.edu:1969.1/4711 |
| Date | 25 April 2007 |
| Creators | Fleming, Kathleen Literski |
| Contributors | Seaman, Don, Stenning, Walt |
| Publisher | Texas A&M University |
| Source Sets | Texas A and M University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Book, Thesis, Electronic Dissertation, text |
| Format | 277452 bytes, electronic, application/pdf, born digital |
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