A cross-cultural comparison of computer anxiety in college students

As computers are introduced into school curricula, it is important to be able to evaluate student attitudes and reactions toward computers in order to assure the successful implementation of computers. In this study, the attitudes and reactions of two samples of college students from Los Angeles, California, and Hunan, People’s Republic of China, toward computers were examined and compared. The results indicate that computer anxiety is present to a similar degree for both samples of American and Chinese students. The recent growth in the availability of computer technology in the work environ-ment has been accompanied by a corresponding expansion of educational curricula to ensure computer literacy. When students are first exposed to computers many respond enthusiastically and quickly master the skills necessary for the effec-tive application of computers. For many students, however, the experience is unpleasant. These students exhibit anxiety when required to learn about or use computers [l, 21. Loyd and Gressard and Rosen, Sears, and Weil suggest that more than one-quarter of adults may experience some computer anxiety when first required to learn about or use computers [3,4]. According to Clement, it is the manner in which students perceive computers that will or will not make the interaction a pleasant and rewarding experience [5]. Byrnes and Johnson, Sherman, and Marcoulides have indicated that negative emotional reactions toward computers influence the degree to which computerscan be effectively utilized [6,9]. Raub has defined thes