Locus of control and computer attitudes as determinants of the computer literacy of student teachers

Abstract

The computer literacy of a group of 106 student teachers enrolled in an introductory computer literacy course was measured and correlated with measures of their computer attitudes, locus of control for academic achievement, gender, age, word processing and computer experience. Computer literacy was found to be correlated, at the P < 0.05 level, with positive attitudes towards computers, and at the P < 0.01 level, with the interest attitude subscale. Computer literacy was also correlated, at the P < 0.05 level, with previous computer experience, and at the P < 0.01 level, with previous word processing experience. Computer literacy was negatively correlated, at the P < 0.05 level, with the ability subscale of the locus of control scale but was otherwise uncorrelated with the locus of control measures. Age and gender had no correlation with computer literacy.