| The increasing popularity of information technology means that computers have been progressively employed more widely in teaching and learning at all levels. Computers are now becoming common in schools. Since student computer attitudes are an important influence in the future use of computers in instructional settings, much research has focused on how to assess students' comprehensive computer attitudes.; This research investigated the influence of gender, age, computer experience, computer competency, computer usage, computer ownership, computer anxiety, learning style (collaboration), and personality traits on students' computer attitudes and their perceptions of the usefulness of computers. Through the results, teachers can better understand students' needs and thus provide them with appropriate teaching strategies and technologies.; Conducted in a private junior college located in the middle of Taiwan, this research used a sample of six hundred students (N = 600) with an average age of twenty. All participants were selected by stratified random sampling. To collect data, a questionnaire including demographic information, the Computer Attitudes Scale (CAS), the Perceived Usefulness of Computers, the Computer-Email-Web (CEW) Fluency Scale, the Grash-Riechmann Student Learning Style Scales, and the IPIP (International Personality Item Pool) Five-Factor Personality Inventory was administered to the sample. The multiple regression method was utilized to analyze the collected data.; The results indicated that gender, computer usage, computer ownership, computer anxiety, computer competency, learning style (collaboration), openness to experience, and conscientiousness were each found to make significant contributions in predicting computer attitudes. Computer anxiety contributed most to the prediction of computer attitudes. The results also showed that only computer anxiety, computer competency, and learning style (collaboration) were each found to make significant contributions to prediction of perceived usefulness of computers. Of these three, learning style (collaboration) played the most important part in predicting perceived usefulness of computers.; The findings provided several implications: that educators should design suitable teaching strategies in order to adequately address the existence of technology gender inequity in the classroom, that school authorities should spare no effort in helping students own a computer, that school authorities should extend the computer labs hours to increase accessibility of computer technologies to students. Besides, in order to improve students' levels of computer competency, educators should set up specific evaluation standards for computer competency and sponsor computer competency contests to encourage student to reach acceptable levels of computer competency. Educators should establish a collaborative learning environment to enhance students' computer attitudes through teaching and learning from each other. Educators also should employ suitable teaching strategies that accommodate different learning styles and personality traits. |
