Attitudes toward computers among students and teachers in Mexico

Transcription

1 INSTITUTO LATINOAMERICANO DE LA COMUNICACIÓN EDUCATIVA Unidad de Investigación y Mdels Educativs Attitudes tward cmputers amng students and teachers in Mexic Cesáre Mrales Crdinadr cmrales@ilce.edu.mx ILCE, Méxic, Crre electrónic: pavila@ilce.edu.mx

2 SUMMARY In 1998 Likert scale questinnaires were administered t Mexican Teachers and 9 th Graders frm fur States t measure attitudes tward cmputers and electrnic mail. Results shwed significant differences amng States in bth children and teachers. It is argued that a differential technlgical capacity and specific t state cmputer usage mdels are variables respnsible fr thse differences. As part f a large scale internatinal study n attitudes tward cmputers and infrmatics which has been crdinated since the early nineties by Dr. Gerald Knezek and clleagues at the University f Nrth Texas, a Mexican research team based in the Institut Latinamerican de la Cmunicación Educativa (ILCE) cnducted in 1998 the first f a series f studies n the attitudes f Nineth Graders and their Teachers tward cmputers and infrmatics. Participants were 590 Nineth Graders and 78 Teachers frm Public Schls in fur States:,, Tlaxcala and R. Sme f the schls were lcated in rural areas, while thers were in urban settings. The instrument administered t children was the Cmputer Attitude Questinnaire (CAQ 5.22), whereas a prtin f the Survey f Teachers Attitudes tward Cmputers (TAC 2.22) was administered t teachers. Bth instruments were translated int Spanish and the first ne was als validated fr the Mexican ppulatin (Mrales, Turctt, Camps & Lignan, 1998). Each ne f the States belngs t a different gegraphic area, and als has a different degree f ecnmic develpment, which is reflected in the differential numbers systems assigned t schls, the sftware available, the pssibility f being wired t Internet and , etc. is the prttype f a mdern, industrial, self sufficient state, which has a very strng Infrmatics Prgram invlving all Secndary (7 th 9 th grades) schls. is an intermediate State, in terms f ecnmic status and level f equipment. All schls included in the study frm these tw states were well equiped and cnnected t Internet and . On the ther hand, Tlaxcala and R are ecnmically disadvantaged States, with a largely indigenus Indian, ecnmically deprived ppulatin. Nevertheless, while Tlaxcala has develped a relatively strng Infrmatics prgram fr elementary schls, R is prly equiped and its Infrmatics prgram is just beginning. This was the general cntext f the instruments administratin. A prerequisite fr the participatin in the prject was that all students and teachers shuld have had previus experience and be currently invlved in the use f cmputers in the teachinglearning prcess. This is a very shrt reprt n the mst imprtant results and the trends that appear wrthty f further research.

3 RESULTS The student sample was cmpsed f similar numbers f girls (50.7%) and bys (49.3%), while the teachers sample was predminatley male (59.2%) rather than female (39.2%). The use f cmputer at hme shwed sme differences between students and teachers, with lwer numbers amng children (yes=22%; n=77%) cmpared t teachers (yes=31.6%; n=67.1%). Additinal infrmatin abut the teachers sample is imprtant fr discussin f the results. The majrity f teachers were 36 years r lder (67.1%), and have been teaching fr 15 years r mre (58.2%). They reprted t have been using the cmputer fr instructin (73.4%), n a weekly (25.3%) r ccasinal (38.0%) basis. Mst f them appeared t have sme cmputer training (65.8%), sme have been trained in cmputer applicatins (40.5%), and a sizeable prtin (46.8%) in integratin f technlgy int the classrm. Student data were gathered n six subscales validated in a pst-hc manner thrugh factr analyis: Electrnic mail, Empathy, Frustratin-anxiety, Cmputer enjyment, Self-learning and Preferences amng media and activities. Teacher data were analyzed n the fllwing tw indices: Cmputer Enjyment and Electrnic Mail. Analysis f variance (ANOVA) indicated majr differences amng States, in all the variables measured in bth samples. Electrnic mail appeared t have the strngest psitive attitude amng students and teachers frm, cmpared t the less psitive attitudes f students and teachers frm R. Subscale (10 items) State Teacher Student Electrnic mail Tlaxcala R p<.002 p<.000 On the ther hand, differences n Cmputer enjyment appeared t be mre evident between the States f and Tlaxcala. students and Tlaxcala teachers seem t be the mst enthusiastic abut using and enjying a cmputer. On the cntrary, the less enthusiastic are teachers and Tlaxcala students. Subscale (12 Items) State Teacher Student Cmputer enjyment

4 Tlaxcala R p<.009 p<.000 As dcumented in previus studies cnducted in the United States and Japan (Knezek and Miyashita, 1993; Knezek, Lai and Suthwrth, 1994), girls tend t shw mre Empathy than bys, which is cnfirmed in this study (X=43.99 vs X=39.12, p<.000). One f the mst intriguing and interesting results was that the variable Frustratin-anxiety indicated differences accrss states, grups and sex. Subscale (11 Items) State Grup Sex Frustratin-anxiety (Chidren) Tlaxcala R Rural Urban Bys Girls p<.001 p<.009 p<.009 This table shws the highest levels f frustratin-anxiety in using the cmputer and attending schl amng children frm the mst deprived states and the rural areas, plus, bys cmpared t girls. As shwn in the Cmputer enjyment table abve, children frm the mre ecnmically advanced states tend t enjy the use f a cmputer mre. Furthermre, an ANOVA f particular items frm the teachers respnses shwed differences amng states in fur items cncerning the general idea f liking-disliking the cmputer. Item State Prb. I get a sinking feeling when I think f trying t use a cmputer Tlaxcala 1.55 R

5 I will d as little wrk with cmputers as pssible Tlaxcala 1.65 R If I used a cmputer, I culd get a better picture f the facts and figures Tlaxcala 4.45 R If there was a cmputer in my classrm it wuld help me t be a better teacher Tlaxcala 4.05 R Perhaps this last item was ne f the mst cntrversial assertins f the instrument administered, and reflects sme f the true feelings f the varius grups. Teachers frm seem t be mst skeptical abut being a better teacher if they have a cmputer in the classrm, but teachers frm Tlaxcala seem t have the ppsite pint f view. Further explratin f the reasns why teachers experience this ambivalence in their attitudes tward cmputers when it cmes t the idea f enhancing their wn perfrmance, will have t take int accunt several ther variables such as their real access t this technlgy, the threats they face n their jbs, their cmmitment t teaching, the experience they have n the use f this technlgy, their pint f view respecting the educatinal means and its place in the teachinglearning prcess. Since there are n majr differences fr urban-rural analysis, we believe that particular cnditins f States, in terms f technlgy availability, schl equipment, and the mdels f cmputer usage, are respnsible fr the differences in teachers and students attitudes. As a matter f fact, there is still much t be explred in teachers and students attitudes tward the cmputer, nw that we have a trend in the State differences. We have speculated n it and cncluded that we need t explre mre clsely the different mdels fr cmputer use that exist in ur cuntry. Each State has its wn Infrmatics Prgram, which is the basis fr the intrductin f cmputers in the lcal schls. Perhaps we will find sme answers in the ratinale and the cmputer applicatin plicy that underlies each State Infrmatics Prgram, and als in the prcess that teachers and students g thrugh in rder t be using the cmputer fr teaching and learning.

6 REFERENCES Knezek, G.; Lai, M. & Suthwrth, J. (1994) Psychlgical Dispsitins f Children Residing in Hawaii in the Cntext f a Multinatinal Study n Cmputing, in: Gerald A. Knezek (Ed.) Studies n Children and Cmputers: The Fulbright Series. Dentn, Tx., TCET-University f Nrth Texas. Knezek, G. and Miyashita, K. (1993) Handbk fr the Yung Children s Cmputer Inventry. Dentn, Tx., TCET-University f Nrth Texas. Mrales, C.; Turctt, V.; Camps, A. & Lignan, L. (1998) Actitudes de ls esclares hacia la cmputadra y ls medis para el aprendizaje. Institut Latinamerican de la Cmunicación Educativa (ILCE). Available: Feb. 23, 1999 Pnencia presentada en SITE 99, San Antni Tx., 28 de Feb.- 4 de Marz, 1999.