The Relationship Between the Attitudes of Urban Students and Mothers Toward Computers

Abstract

Statistics indicate that the number of computers in use in United States elementary and secondary schools has quadrupled over the past few years (Becker, 1986). Unlike other technologies that have made their mark and then receded, it is reasonable to believe that computers will continue to be an integral part of the educative process because knowledge of computers has become so critical to functioning in today's society. The addition of microcomputers to schools has the potential to revolutionize that process (Becker, 1986; Emmett, 1983); thus, computer usage in the schools likely will continue to receive high priority. The computer and other emerging technologies can be considered a part of what Boocock (1980) calls the learning system, that is, the student, parents, and the schools. Schools do not exist in a vacuum nor does curriculum develop in a vacuum. To be effective, schools must be sensitive to the culture of the home and community. An understanding of students' attitudes and those of the family from which the students come is viewed as necessary for education to be successful. It is widely accepted that the attitudes, beliefs, and expectations of parents affect children's achievement and expectations. Because students enter school with a background of predispositions and experiences from their parents, the ways in which computer use in the schools develop are influenced in part by the attitudes of parents and students alike. Parental beliefs about their children's ability and potential with computers, especially sex-differentiated beliefs, may affect children's access to computers and elective participation in computer education as well as ability to succeed with computers (Bandura, 1977; Parson et al., 1982; Seginer, 1983). An understanding of how students and their parents view computers is especially important in urban areas where the influx of computers has been slower compared to that in suburban areas (U.S. Office of Technological Assessment, 1986). Information on how urban students perceive computers and how attitudes of urban parents and students are alike or different would be useful in planning and developing adequate computer education programs that match school beliefs and values as well as student/parent beliefs and values.