A Study on Services Motivating Computing Professional Association Membership

The purpose of this study is to investigate computing professionals' perspectives on services offered by a professional association. A conceptual framework was developed based on a review of relevant literatures to explore the motivations of professionals to join and maintain professional association membership. A survey instrument was developed based on the conceptual framework, and was subsequently deployed within the Association of Information Technology Professionals AITP. The analyses N = 220 include descriptive analyses, exploratory factor analysis, and internal consistency reliability analyses. The results suggest that members' needs and motivations are multidimensional, involving ten distinct and internally consistent underlying constructs. This paper contributes by providing a reliable measurement system for computing professional association leadership to make informed decisions and provides substantive recommendations for offering targeted services. The findings suggest that important aspects of computing professional membership are networking with local professionals, professional development programs, and promoting their concerns.

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