The Research On Undergraduates' Computer Anxiety And Its Relationship With Related Factors

Computer anxiety is a psychological phenomenon. When the individual is working by computer or thinking something about computer, he will be anxiety. There were many researches on Computer Anxiety at abroad, such as physiological arouse on computer anxiety, computer anxiety scales, and the approaches to computer anxiety. Some researches have found the occurrence of computer anxiety would be varied widely, but only a few individuals will feel severe computer anxiety. To find computer anxiety-related factors can help people to alleviate anxiety, improve self-efficacy, and make full use of computer. The purpose of this study is to develop a computer anxiety scale and use it to investigate computer anxiety of undergraduates in some universities.In research 1, we wanted to develop a computer anxiety scale. Based on summarizing the documents, the investigation of open-ended questionnaire, visiting the undergraduates, the study designed a preliminary questionnaire on computer anxiety. By the factor analysis of the informal questionnaire, we developed the formal questionnaire and verified its reliability and validity. In research 2, we used the formal questionnaire and state-trait anxiety questionnaire developed by Charles D. Spielberger to investigate undergraduates to find the relationship with computer anxiety and state-trait anxiety. In research 3, we used the formal questionnaire to investigate undergraduates to find the relationship with computer anxiety and some factors. In research 4, we used the formal questionnaire, revision of bem sex role inventory, and achievement motivation questionnaire to investigate undergraduates to find the relationship with computer anxiety, gender roles, and achievement motivation. The main results of this study are as follows:(1) The computer anxiety is a multi-dimensional model. There were 20 items in CAS. All items could be cluster as five factors that were virus anxiety, operating anxiety, task anxiety, malfunction anxiety, consuming anxiety. The computer anxiety questionnaire had good psychometric properties.(2) In the pen-test, we found state anxiety and trait anxiety were significantly positive correlated to computer anxiety. State anxiety and trait anxiety were good predictors of computer anxiety, and state anxiety was better than trait anxiety.(3) There were significant differences between male and female. But there were no correlation between gender and computer anxiety, when gender roles were controlled; Arts' students and Science' students had no differences; there were significant differences between undergraduates who began to study computer in Primary and undergraduates who began to study computer in high school; there were no differences between undergraduates who had experience about computer courses and undergraduates who had no experience about computer courses; there were significant differences between undergraduates who owned a computer and undergraduates who didn't own a computer; there were significant differences between undergraduates who considered themselves familiar with the computer and undergraduates who considered themselves unfamiliar with the computer.(4) There were significant differences in computer anxiety between undergraduates of different gender roles. There were no interaction between gender and gender roles. Computer anxiety showed among feminine> undifferentiated>androgynous>masculine, and there were significant differences between feminine and androgynous, feminine and masculine, undifferentiated and androgynous, undifferentiated and masculine.(5) Achievement motivation and avoiding failure motivation were positive correlated to computer anxiety, there were no correlation between pursuit success motivation and computer anxiety. Only avoiding failure motivation was a predictor of computer anxiety.(6) Masculine scale and feminine scale were negative correlated to computer anxiety; masculine scale, feminine scale, and pursuit success motivation were negative correlated to avoiding failure motivation; avoiding failure motivation was positive correlated to computer anxiety; masculine scale was positive correlated to feminine scale; masculine scale and feminine scale were positive correlated to pursuit success motivation; pursuit success motivation was not correlated to computer anxiety; masculine scale and avoiding failure motivation were good predictors of computer anxiety, masculine scale was a negative predictor of computer anxiety, and avoiding failure motivation was a positive predictor of computer anxiety...