Computer experience and age as possible factors of computer anxiety in secondary teachers of private Catholic schools in Ponce, Puerto Rico

This research investigates secondary teachers anxieties regarding computers and the sources of this anxiety. The researcher examined how certain variables (age, gender, computer confidence, computer ownership, and the number of computer courses taken by the participants) could affect the level of computer anxiety in the educational system focusing particularly on secondary teachers of private Catholic schools in Ponce, Puerto Rico.; A total of eleven hypothesis were tested using the following statistical tests: chi-square, correlation, z-test, and the coefficient of determination. The participants for the research consisted of 91 secondary teachers of both gender distributed among eight secondary private Catholic schools located in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Gender distribution consisted of 73 females (20 per cent) and 18 males (20 per cent).; The participants were asked to voluntarily complete the Computer Anxiety Scale (CAS) designed by Loyd and Gressard (1984). The Computer Anxiety Scale (CAS) contained 29 Likert-style items which present statements of attitude toward computer and their use. The scale was designed to measure three separate factors: computer anxiety, computer confidence, and computer liking. The CAS was chosen for this study because it is believed that the scale, more so than any other instrument available, attempts to define specific components of computer anxiety.; The chi-square statistical analysis indicated that the variable age were independent with regard to computer anxiety, computer confidence, and computer liking among the secondary teachers of private Catholic schools in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The variable gender was also submitted to the chi-square analysis and the same results were recorded as with the variable age. The variable computer anxiety was found to be significantly correlated to computer confidence but not so with the variable computer liking. No significant correlation was found between the variable computer confidence and computer liking. When researching the effect of computer ownership and computer anxiety the statistical analysis indicated that both variables are dependent of each other. The number of computer courses taken by the participants and computer anxiety were also dependent of each other.