Secondary school students’ perception of and attitude to information technology, with particular reference to their gender

Abstract

This research aims to assess secondary school students' attitudes to and anxieties about Information Technology and computers in relation to their gender. A wide variety of literature in the area of IT and gender was studied to provide background information for this research, as well as assisting the design of research instruments. The students and teachers involved in this research were all from middle and upper schools in the Newmarket area. At the time of data collection students were provided with high levels of IT facilities compared to the national average. In Newmarket schools, IT is used in a variety of subjects with the aim of encouraging a more student based learning pedagogy. The research involved collection of quantitative data. For this purpose, two instruments, Computer Attitude Test and Computer Anxiety Test were used in middle and upper schools to test the students' general attitudes to and personal anxieties about IT and computers. The majority of the students in the sample indicated that they had access to a home computer and expressed positive attitudes to computers as well as minimal anxiety when using them. However a majority of the home computer owners were boys who also expressed higher levels of confidence when working with computers compared to the girls. Furthermore, students who had access to a home computer and those in lower year groups also indicated positive attitudes to and minimal anxieties about computers. The study concludes that in secondary schools, male students are more aware of the advantages of computers as well as the potential effect of IT on society and on people's lives.