Changes in entry-level university students' attitudes to computers from 1985 to 1997

Abstract

A modified version of Lee's instrument for measuring attitudes to computers was administered to two groups of first-year university students separated by a period of twelve years. Factor analysis was applied to these two samples independently to isolate the key dimensions of attitudes. A comparison of the two sets of results highlights both the changes in attitude structure and the extent to which attitudes within those dimensions have changed. The analysis shows that the structure of computer attitudes has remained stable, but that attitudes within that structure have shifted. Students now hold afar more negative view of the role of computers in society, and more "fear and awe" of computers, but an increased appreciation of the technical power of computers. The researchers also compared the attitudes of students based on their prior experience of computers, their gender and their first language. Some suggestions are proposed to account for these results, taking into consideration the changes in the South African social and educational context.