Anxiety In Undergraduate Students Research Articles

A Study of Computer Anxiety in Undergraduate Students Enrolled in the Dietetics Curriculum at the University of Southwestern Louisiana

LEARNING OUTCOME: To identify the level of computer anxiety of undergraduate dietetics majors at the University of Southwestern Louisiana. The main purpose of this study was to explore the level of computer anxiety of undergraduate dietetics majors at the Univerity of Southwestern Louisiana (USL).The secondary purpose was to determine if selected personal and computer usage factors were related to computer anxiety in these students. The final purpose was to develop a clear description of the students’ demographics. A total of 167 students participated in the study. A demographic and computer usage questionaire, developed by the researcher, and the Computer Anxiety Scale (CAS), developed by Marcoulides, Rosen, and Sears (1985) was used. Data revealed that the majority of dietetics majors at USL are white females between the ages of 18 and 23. Approximately one-third of the participants were identified as having computer anxiety. Factors recognized as having a significant impact on the participants’ experience with computer anxiety were their computer knowledge (self-reported), and the number of years of computer usage. These findings can be used to support the increased need for computer education in undergraduate dietetics curriculums at each academic level. Special educational techniques should be employed to include computer applications in course lectures and laboratories. The final outcome should be an increase in the students’ preparedness for post-baccalaureate dietetics education and entry-level positions within the dietetics profession.