Teachers' computer literacy and students' use of computers in a large, urban, unified school district

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the levels of computer skills of teachers in a large, urban, unified school district, specifically in the areas of word processing, graphics, spreadsheet, database, multimedia, computer assisted instruction, Internet, electronic resources, and computer maintenance. The study sought to determine if a relationship existed between the level of teachers' computer literacy and the amount of time their students spent using computers. Teachers' attitudes towards using computers with their students and staff development on integrating computers into their curriculum were also investigated.; A questionnaire was developed to obtain information on teachers' level of computer skills, amount of time students spent using computers, and teachers' attitudes towards using computers and staff development. The survey was sent to a total of 300 randomly selected K-12 teachers. The data for each teacher were used to determine their Computer Literacy Score and then used to place teachers into one of the following categories: Novice Computer User, Limited Computer User, Competent Computer User, and Expert Computer User. Structured interviews were completed to elicit information regarding reasons teachers used computers with their students as well as factors that encourage or hinder their use of computers in the curriculum.; The survey was returned by 84% of the teachers. Overall, there was no difference in the distribution of computer skills between teachers at Upper Elementary (grades 3-5), Intermediate (grades 6-8), or High School (grades 9-12). Lower Elementary (grades K-2) teachers were somewhat less skilled computer users. Overall most teachers were competent at using word processing, had moderate skills in computer assisted instruction and Internet. Teachers were least skilled at using multimedia. There was a significant correlation between teachers' levels of computer literacy and the amount of time their students used computers. The large majority of teachers indicated that they thought their students should use computers and wanted to receive training on using computers. The structured interviews revealed that desire to prepare students for careers and a teacher's teaching philosophy were the two major factors that influenced them to use computers with students.