Associations among community college students’ technology apprehension and achievement emotions in developmental education courses

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe saturation of technology in learning environments can create feelings of apprehension in students who are not technologically savvy, especially for community college students who may meet basic expectations for technology use. Despite the infusion of communication technology into higher education, the effects of incorporating this technology in community college classrooms, particularly developmental education courses, remain to be thoroughly studied. Developmental education students enrolled at a multi-campus community college in the southeast of the United States completed a survey containing measures of technology apprehension and achievement emotions. Positive associations among students’ technology apprehension and negative achievement emotions were detected. No significant associations were detected between technology apprehension and the positive achievement emotions of enjoyment, hope and pride. This implies that technology may not play as significant a role in course satisfaction as popular opinion might assume. Data from open-ended questions offered insight into the ways developmental education students view technology and the challenges they face when using technology in their academic pursuits, including concerns related to technology access (i.e. the digital divide). Community college students expect technology in the classroom; however, more research is needed to determine exactly how much and what kind of technology they expect in a specific learning setting.