| This research examined the interactions between learners' gender identity, learning style, and attitude towards computers. An investigation was completed to determine if grouping learners by their gender-identity and learning-styles would enhance learning about computers. The purpose of conducting this study was to identify relationships between the variables of gender-identity, learning-style, computer anxiety-apprehension, and attitude about computers. Positive attitudes about computers relates to how people intend to use and actually use computers (Davis, 1999; Griswold, 1984; Kadhiravan & Balasubramanian, 1999). The primary hypothesis of this research was that significant differences existed in the mean scores for attitudes about computers and computer anxiety-apprehension for participants based on their learning style and gender identity.; The participants were students at a Southern university in a required general psychology course. The mean age for participant's was M = 18.92. There were 190 female and 118 male participants in this study of 308 respondents. Participants completed Kolb's Leaning Style Inventory, Bern's Sex-Role Inventory, and Davis's Computer Anxiety-Apprehension and Attitude Survey. The variables measured by the three surveys were learning style, gender identity, computer apprehension-anxiety, and attitudes about computers. The data analysis consisted of descriptive statistics and Two-Factor MANOVA.; The interaction effects of learning style with gender identity on computer anxiety-apprehension and attitude about computers were not significant. MANOVA analysis found significant main effects for gender-identity on computer anxiety-apprehension and attitude about computers. This study included six null hypotheses, two null hypotheses were rejected and four null hypotheses were not rejected. The main effect of gender identity on computer anxiety-apprehension was significant at the p < .05 levels. Using the Scheffe multiple-comparison procedure, this study revealed significant mean differences between the undifferentiated gender-identity and the androgynous, feminine, and masculine gender identities. The main effect of gender identity on attitude about computers was significant at the p < .05 levels. Using the Scheffe multiple-comparison procedure, this study revealed significant mean differences between the undifferentiated gender-identity and the androgynous and masculine gender-identities. In addition, this study revealed significant mean differences between the feminine (M = 107.80) and masculine (M = 116.67) gender-identities. |
