A STUDY OF THE ATTITUDES OF TENNESSEE TEACHERS TOWARD COMPUTERS IN THE CLASSROOM
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to assess the attitudes of Tennessee teachers toward computers in schools with reference to the following variables: the affluency of school districts as determined by per pupil expenditure, school level, gender, teaching area, years of education, years of experience, and present usage of computers in the classroom. The relationship of present usage of computers to affluency of school districts, school level, gender, teaching area, years of education, and years of experience was also examined. The sample for the study was all the teachers (586) in eighteen randomly selected public schools in Tennessee. The attitudes of these teachers were inferred by their responses to items on a questionnaire developed by the researcher. Two mailings of the questionnaire gleaned a total of 350 usable returns for a net return rate of 59.7 percent. In analyzing the data, the chi-square test and the.05 level of probability were utilized to determine significance. Among the conclusions of this study were the following: (1) Teachers viewed instructional computing to be an enduring educational innovation and felt computer experiences should be provided for all students. (2) Teachers viewed instructional computing as being motivating for students, but they were undecided concerning the effect of instructional computing on student achievement. (3) Though teachers expressed a lack of confidence in their ability to use computers in their classrooms, they indicated a high level of interest in receiving instructional computing inservice training. (4) Of the variables examined in the study, present usage or nonusage of computers by teachers seemed to have the greatest influence on their attitudes toward computers. (5) With regard to present usage, teachers from schools in the middle financial subgroup, at the elementary level, and with a moderate amount of teaching experience (8-15 years) were significantly most inclined to be presently using computers in their classrooms.
Subject Area
Curricula|Teaching
Recommended Citation
KEITH ALAN NIKOLAUS,
"A STUDY OF THE ATTITUDES OF TENNESSEE TEACHERS TOWARD COMPUTERS IN THE CLASSROOM"
(1985).
ETD Collection for Tennessee State University.
Paper AAI8802611.
https://digitalscholarship.tnstate.edu/dissertations/AAI8802611