Attitudes Toward Computers and Computer Use

The present study examined the relationship between alternative high school students’ attitudes toward computers and computer use over a four-month period. Students’ experience with computers was minimal at the onset of the study. Computers were used primarily for word processing, and computer use was tracked using an internal tracking system. Results revealed that girls’ attitudes toward computers improved over the course of the study while boys’ attitudes did not. However, there were no overall gender differences in actual computer use nor did computer use increase across the course of the study. Results also revealed that boys’ attitudes toward computers and actual computer use were relatively unrelated, while girls’ attitudes toward computers and actual computer use converged across the course of the study Finally, results revealed that boys’ attitudes and behaviors toward computers were relatively stable, with strong pretest/posttest correlations, while girls’ attitudes and behaviors were not stable. Results are discussed in terms of the different attitudes and behavioral expectancies boys and girls bring to their initial encounters with computer technology.