Computer anxiety : assessment and treatment

This thesis represents the results of studies designed to investigate computer anxiety among adult learners. The existence, nature and degree of computer anxiety were investigated with a sample of teacher trainees undertaking an introductory computer training course, and the impact of this course on the anxiety and cognitions of the students were studied. Another study focussed on the evaluation of the measure of computer anxiety used in this study with a view to the design of a new computer anxiety treatment. Results showed that computer anxiety is not necessarily dissipated by completing a computer course, and is correlated with gender, computer ownership and previous computer experience. A number of faculties with different student populations were studied, and computer anxiety was high within each. Interviews with computing course coordinators indicated a range of approaches to instructional design, beliefs about the extent and causes of computer anxiety, and ways of alleviating it. Two approaches derived from these interviews formed the basis of the design of this study, with instructional methods as the treatments and levels of computer anxiety and negative cognitions as the aptitudes. The sample comprised two, with the first group receiving traditional instruction while the second group received direct instruction plus metacognitive strategy training in self-questioning within a cooperative learning context. Achievement was significantly enhanced in the second group, and it was felt that metacognitive training was effective as a means of enhancing achievement and positive cognitions