The Influence of Computer Literacy and Computer Anxiety on Computer Self-Efficacy: The Moderating Effect of Gender

Abstract

Although researchers have published many studies on computer literacy and anxiety related to computer self-efficacy, there are two gaps in relevant literature. First, the effects of computer literacy and computer anxiety on computer self-efficacy are considered separately, yet their interaction effect is neglected. Second, the role of individual gender characteristics in the relationships between computer literacy and anxiety on computer self-efficacy is far from clear. To address these two concerns, this study empirically investigates the interaction effect between computer literacy and computer anxiety, and the moderating role of gender. This study tests hypotheses using survey data from people who have experience using computers in Taiwan, and uses hierarchical regression to analyze the models. Results indicate that computer literacy can help form positive computer self-efficacy more effectively for males than for females, and computer anxiety can lead to more negative computer self-efficacy for females than for males. A three-way interaction also exists among computer literacy, computer anxiety, and gender. The results, research contributions, and limitations are discussed, and implications for future studies are suggested.