IDENTIFIERS *Computer Uses in Education

A one-year study is being conducted to provide a comprehensive, empirical definition of the factors that produce inequitable access to computers and computer knowledge for women, to generate a list of potential solutions to this problem, and to develop a self assessment instrument for use by educators to identify the inequitable access factors operating in districts and/or classrooms. Information on 350 critical incidents--iituationt where computer use and access were limited for some students--has been collected from educators, students, and parents of students at 12 elementary and junior high schools. The findings halfway through the project indicate that: (1) computers have not,found a place in the curriculum; (2) computer technology seems to generate enthusiasm for both very creative and routine tasks; and (3) many students do not underStand what they are supposed to be learning on the computer