Addressing Gender Differences in Computer Ability, Attitudes and Use: The Laptop Effect

Abstract

The impact of gender on computer related attitudes, ability, and use has been actively documented, but little research has been done examining how to modify and reduce imbalances. The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of ubiquitous computing (24-hour access to a laptop and the Internet) on gender differences in pre-service teachers with respect to computer attitudes, ability, and use. Regarding computer attitudes, gender differences before the laptop program were observed in only one of the four constructs assessed: future intentions to use computers (behavioral attitude). There were no significant differences in attitude between males and females after the laptop program. With respect to computer ability, males reported having stronger skills in five of the ten ability constructs assessed before the laptop program (operating systems, database software, creating a web page, and programming). There were no significant gender differences in ability after the laptop program, with the exception of programming which continued to favor males. It is speculated that the gender equalization effect observed in this study could have a significant impact on the extent to which technology is used by future students, especially given recent trends in promoting the use of technology in the classroom.