A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of a Four-Factor Model of Attitudes toward Computers: A Study of Preservice Teachers

AbstractBased on previous research, a four-factor model of attitudes towards computers is proposed: (a) sex differences, (b) comfort, (c) liking, and (d) value. Employing 401 education undergraduates as subjects, a confirmatory factor analysis was carried out. The results suggested that the data produce a satisfactory fit to the model with a Goodness of Fit Index of 0.844 and a Root Mean Square Residual of 0.061. A large proportion of the variance (82%) in the data was explained by the four-factor model. The implications of these findings for further research into computer attitudes are discussed.

[1]  G. Glass,et al.  Statistical methods in education and psychology , 1970 .

[2]  Philip A. Griswold Differences between Education and Business Majors in their Attitudes about Computers , 1985 .

[3]  Cleborne D. Maddux Educational Microcomputing: The Need for Research , 1984 .

[4]  Sara D. Smith,et al.  Computer Attitudes of Teachers and Students in Relationship to Gender and Grade Level , 1987 .

[5]  Clarice P. Gressard,et al.  Gender and Amount of Computer Experience of Teachers in Staff Development Programs: Effects on Computer Attitudes and Perceptions of the Usefulness of Computers , 1986 .

[6]  Frank J. Clement,et al.  Affective Considerations in Computer-Based Education. , 1981 .

[7]  F. Dambrot,et al.  Correlates of sex differences in attitudes toward and involvement with computers , 1985 .

[8]  Cecil R. Trueblood,et al.  A Systematic Procedure for Constructing a Valid Microcomputer Attitude Scale , 1986 .

[9]  David W. Johnson,et al.  A scale for assessing student attitudes toward computers preliminary findings , 1986 .

[10]  Clarice P. Gressard,et al.  The Effects of Sex, Age, and Computer Experience on Computer Attitudes. , 1984 .

[11]  C. Violato,et al.  A National Survey of Education Students: Some Data on Background, Habits, and Reasons for Entering Education* , 1990 .

[12]  Desmond L. Cook,et al.  Computer Anxiety: Definition, Measurement, and Correlates , 1985 .

[13]  R. P. McDonald,et al.  Goodness-of-fit indexes in confirmatory factor analysis : The effect of sample size , 1988 .

[14]  Dorothy Jo Stevens,et al.  Educators' Perceptions of Computers in Education: 1979 and 1981 , 1982 .

[15]  Larry Cuban How Teachers Taught: Constancy and Change in American Classrooms, 1890-1990 , 1984 .

[16]  Clarice P. Gressard,et al.  Validation Studies of a New Computer Attitude Scale , 1986 .

[17]  J. Lawton,et al.  A Review of the Literature on Attitudes Towards Computers and Computerized Instruction. , 1982 .

[18]  L. Cronbach Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests , 1951 .

[19]  D. Stevens How Educators Perceive Computers in the Classroom , 1980 .