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This article was downloaded by: [Trinity International University] On: 05 October 2014, At: 23:49 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK Action in Teacher Education Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/uate20 An Examination of Self-Reported Computer Literacy Skills of Preservice Teachers Caryl J. Sheffield a a California University of Pennsylvania , USA Published online: 04 Jan 2012. To cite this article: Caryl J. Sheffield (1996) An Examination of Self-Reported Computer Literacy Skills of Preservice Teachers, Action in Teacher Education, 17:4, 45-52, DOI: 10.1080/01626620.1996.10463352 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01626620.1996.10463352 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms- and-conditions

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This article was downloaded by: [Trinity International University]On: 05 October 2014, At: 23:49Publisher: RoutledgeInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registeredoffice: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK

Action in Teacher EducationPublication details, including instructions for authors andsubscription information:http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/uate20

An Examination of Self-ReportedComputer Literacy Skills of PreserviceTeachersCaryl J. Sheffield aa California University of Pennsylvania , USAPublished online: 04 Jan 2012.

To cite this article: Caryl J. Sheffield (1996) An Examination of Self-Reported ComputerLiteracy Skills of Preservice Teachers, Action in Teacher Education, 17:4, 45-52, DOI:10.1080/01626620.1996.10463352

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01626620.1996.10463352

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE

Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the“Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis,our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as tothe accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinionsand views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors,and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Contentshould not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sourcesof information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims,proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever orhowsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arisingout of the use of the Content.

This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Anysubstantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing,systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms &Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions

Action in Teacher Education Winter 1996, Vol. XVII, No. 4, pp. 45-52

An Examination of Self-Reported Computer Literacy Skills of Preservice Teachers

Caryl J. Sheffield California University of Pennsylvania

Abstract

The author examined the experience of preservice teachers in word processing, database, and spreadsheet sofnvare. A questionnaire was administered to 772 students enrolled in an introductory educational computing course over a period of four academic years. The author analyzed the relationship of gender, academic classijication, comfort with computers, academic year and other personal computer (PC) experience to students ' self-reported computer literacy skills. Students reported more experience with word processing than database and spreadsheet software. Males reported more experience with database and spreadsheet software than females. Students who were computer phobic and students who had no other PC experience reported less experience with all three applications than students who were comfortable with computers and students who had other PC experience, respectively. Respondents from the most recent academic year reported more experience with word processing than respondents from previous years. Implications of these findings for teacher education programs are discussed.

There is no question that the number of microcomputers in K-12 schools has increased over the past 15 years. In 1981, it was reported that there were 15,000 schools with computers; that number had grown to about 77,000 by 1988. The percentage of elementary and secondary schools that has at least one computer has increased from 18% in 1981 to 95 % in 1988. As of the late 1980s, there were between 1.2 and 1.7 million computers in U S . public schools, which translates into an average of one computer for every thirty children (Office of Technology Assessment, 1988). It is projected that by the spring of 1995 the ratio will have decreased to one computer for every 9 students (Office of Technology Assessment, 1995).

With more and more students in K-12 schools having access to computers, it might be expected that high school graduates, particularly those who matriculate at a college or university, have some degree of computer literacy skills. Recent research suggests, however, that most college students have had little experience with a personal computer prior to entering the university. A 1991 survey conducted at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst found that slightly more than half (50.9%) of the students had used a personal computer "very little" or "not at all" before coming to the university, 31.6% had used a PC "somewhat," and 17.6% had used a PC "a great deal" (McAulay, 1993). Similar results have been found by researchers examining computer literacy trends in preservice teacher education, where most students are female (Beaver, 1990). Cardinale's (1992) findings

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suggest that the majority of female preservice teachers lack extensive prior experience with computing; the experience they do have is limited to word processing, databases, and games.

In this paper, the computer literacy skills of preservice teachers are examined. The major motivation for the study was the perceived discrepancy between access to computer technology in high school and the actual skills of the students as demonstrated at the beginning of an introductory educational computing course. In general, students exhibited a lack of familiarity with both computer hardware and software. Meanwhile, discussions among teacher education colleagues reflected a desire to revise the educational computing curriculum, moving away from such widely used productivity tools as word processing and spreadsheets toward advanced computer-based multi-media instructional technologies, e.g. CD-ROM and laser disk. Such a change would require basic computer literacy as a prerequisite to an advanced educational technology course. Anecdotal evidence, however, may be an inadequate source of information for making important curriculum-related decisions. Thus, it was decided to collect, over several semesters, quantitative data related to the nature of students’ computer literacy skills. This information could then be used to guide curricular revisions.

The purpose of this study was to examine the entering computer literacy skills, based on self-reported information, of preservice teachers. In addition, the study examined the factors that influenced the students’ entering skills. Specifically, the objectives of this study were as follows:

1. identify the level of experience of preservice teachers in word processing, database, and spreadsheet applications, and

2. determine the effect that such factors as gender, academic classification, comfort with computers, academic year, and prior PC experience have on preservice teachers’ self-reported skills in word processing, database, and spreadsheet applications.

Methodology

The university where the study was conducted is a small public institution serving a regional population. There are approximately 6,000 students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs. In 1991, the mean SAT score was 850, 7% of the students were from the top 10% of their high school class, 59% of the students were from the top half of their high school class, and 50% of the students graduate in 5 years (U.S. News and World Report, 1992). The College of Education is the second largest in the university in terms of student enrollment (the largest college is science and technology), with approximately 1,900 students.

Data Collection and Analvsis

Data for the study were collected from students enrolled in the introductory educational computing course over four academic years: 1991-92, 1992-93, 1993-94, and 1994-95. At the beginning of each semester, students were administered a questionnaire requiring them to evaluate themselves, using a Likert-type scale, in the computer literacy areas of word processing, database, and spreadsheet software. The scale ranged from 1 = no experience, to 3 = basic familiarity, to 5 = expert.

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There are five other variables for which data were collected. The analysis focused on whether or not the self-reported skills in word processing, database, and spreadsheet software varied across gender, academic classification, comfort with computers, academic year, and other PC experience. Academic classification refers to the academic level, freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, or post-baccalaureate, at which students were at the time of enrollment in the course. Comfort with computers relates to students' indication of being computer-phobic. Academic year refers to one of the four periods of time over which the data were collected: 1991-92, 1992-93, 1993-94, and 1994-95. Other PC experience refers to students' indication of whether they had experience with any other personal computers before enrolling in the course.

i experience familiarity oxport

Level of Experlenco L

Results

Responses from a total of 772 respondents over four academic years were included for analysis in this study. The gender composition was 28% male and 72% female. The sample consisted primarily of juniors (46%), followed by sophomores (25%) and seniors (22 %). Approximately 4 % were freshmen and 3 % were post-baccalaureate students. Almost one-third of the students indicated that they were computer-phobic; females were more likely than males to indicate that they were not comfortable with computers (chi-square value = 6.9, p = .008). Sixty-one percent of the students reported experience with another personal computer; those who had experience with another PC were more likely to report that they were comfortable with computers (chi-square value = 15.7, p = .OOO).

Word Processing;

In general, students rate themselves as more familiar with word processing than other types of software. In Figure 1 it may be seen that 53% have less than basic familiarity and another 32% have only basic familiarity with word processing software. The mean rating was 2.34.

Figure 1 Experience with Word Processing Software

I Word procerrlng

I : 'O f 31.6 K 31.5 K

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Results of the chi-square analysis of gender, academic classification, comfort with computers, academic year, and other PC experience are depicted in Table 1. There were no significant differences across gender and academic classification in students' self-reported word processing skills. However, the results do indicate that there were significant differences across comfort with computers, academic year, a i d other PC experience.

I

Chi-Square Value - Variable

gender 7.3

academic classification 22.7"

comfort with computers 58.8

academic year 56.4

other PC experience 206.6

Table 1 Chi-square Values of Specific Factors for

Word Processiiig Experience

Significance Level

.12

.12

. 000

. 000

. 000 I I J

* more than 20% of the cells had an expected frequency of less than 5

The percentage of students who rated themselves as having basic experience with word processing software steadily increased over the four academic years, while the percentage who rated themselves with no experience decreased. This may indicate that students who were more recently enrolled have had more opportunities to gain experience in word processing. Students who did not consider themselves computer-phobic rated themselves higher in word processing at all levels of experience than students who considered themselves computer-phobic. Similarly, students who reported experience with other personal computers rated themselves higher than students who had no prior experience with personal computers.

Database

In contrast to the relatively higher reported level of competency with word processing software, Figure 2 shows that few students are familiar with database software. Approximately 8 1 % of the students indicated less than basic familiarity and approximately 15 % indicated at least basic familiarity with database software. The mean rating was 1.64. Results of the chi-square analysis of gender, academic classification, comfort with computers, academic year, and other PC experience are depicted in Table 2. There were significant differences in experience with database software across all of the variables tested.

A smaller percentage of males than females rated themselves at the levels of less than basic familiarity; a higher percentage of males than females rated themselves higher from basic familiarity to expert. A smaller percentage of freshmen rated themselves at the basic familiarity level than all other academic classifications, and a higher percentage of post- baccalaureate students rated themselves at the level of basic familiarity and above. Students who considered themselves to be computer-phobic report less experience with database

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Figure 2 Experience with Database Software

7 0

O f 6 0

B 5 0 ' 4 0

d 30 2 0

: l o B o

IN 2 3 basic 4 5 experience familiarity expert

I I Level of Experience

Variable

gender

academic classification

comfort with computers

software than students who are comfortable with computers. The percentage of students who rated themselves with less than basic familiarity decreased steadily over the four academic years. Students with other PC experience rated themselves higher than students without other PC experience.

Chi-square Value Significance Level

9.6 .04

30.8* .01

51.3 .ooo

Table 2 Chi-square Values of Specific Factors for Database Experience

I academic year I 40.3* I .ooo I other PC experience I 84.6 I . 000

* more than 20% of the cells had an expected frequency of less than 5

SDreadsheet

Students report even less experience with spreadsheet software than either word processing and database software. As Figure 3 shows, approximately 84% of the students indicated less than basic familiarity and approximately 12 % indicated at least basic familiarity with spreadsheet software. The mean rating was 1.54.

Results of the Chi-square analysis of gender, academic classification, comfort with computers, academic year, and other pc experience are depicted in Table 3. As was the case with database software, there were significant differences across all of the variables tested.

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A smaller percentage of males than females rated themselves as having less than basic experience; a higher percentage of males than females rated themselves at the levels of basic familiarity to expert. A smaller percentage of freshmen rated themselves at the basic familiarity level than all sophomores, juniors, seniors, and post-baccalaureate students, and a higher percentage of post-baccalaureate students rated themselves at the level of basic familiarity and above. Students who considered themselves to be computer-phobic report less experience with database software than students who are comfortable with computers. The percentage of students who rated themselves with less than basic familiarity decreased steadily over the four academic years. Students with other PC experience rated themselves higher than students without other PC experience.

Variable

gender

Table 3 Chi-squares Values of Specific Factors of Spreadsheet Experience

Chi-square Value Significance Level

11.8 .02

comfort with computers

academic year

I academic classification I 26.5* I .05 I 42.3 .Ooo

37.3* .ooo I other PC exDerience I 73.3 I .om I

*more than 20% of the cells had an expected frequency of less than 5

Figure 3 Experience with Spread Sheet Software

Spreadsheet Experlence % 100

: 8 0

7 0 O f

6 0

5 0 t

d 3 0 u ‘O

; 2 0

t 10 $ 0

experience familiarity expert

Level of Experience ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~

Discussion Related to Teacher Education

In general, the results of this study indicate that preservice teachers, upon enrollment in their first educational computing course, have little experience with the three most

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commonly used productivity programs. This may be surprising to those who believe that the increasing presence of computer technology in K-12 schools means that students are entering the university computer literate. It does appear, however, that students enrolling in the course during the most recent year of the study report more experience than those from the three years prior, particularly in word processing. The potential impact on teacher education programs is that in the near future, word processing may be able to be eliminated as a topic in the educational computing course in exchange for other more advanced instructional technology issues , such as integrating technology into the curriculum.

While neither male nor female students appear to have much experience with application software in general, some gender differences have emerged from the study. Males and females report similar levels of experience in word processing, but males rate themselves higher in both database and spreadsheet applications. Men seem to be more comfortable with quantitatively-oriented applications than women. Given this gender variance, professors of introductory educational computing courses may need to consider specific instructional strategies, e.g. demonstration, practical examples, and problem-solving, that appeal to females and males alike.

Given the distribution of upperclassmen in the sample, a stronger connection between academic classification and computer literacy might have been anticipated. By the time preservice teachers reached their junior year, one would expect that they would have had some exposure to computer technology. However, limits in the data precluded a conclusive assessment of the relationship of academic classification to word processing, database, and spreadsheet experience.

The preservice teachers in this study who were computer-phobic or who had no other personal computer experience prior to taking the course tended to also report low levels of experience in all three applications. Opportunities for early experiences with technology through other courses in the teacher education program may alleviate students’ concerns related to discomfort with computers. For example, faculty could require students to use a word processor for projects, or provide hands-on learning activities that integrate the use of technology into the course requirements.

This study focused on only a few factors that had potential impact on preservice teachers’ computer literacy skills in word processing, database, and spreadsheet applications. Additional factors, such as access to a personal computer at home or work, high school experience, and other computer coursework should be studied to determine their relationship with computer literacy. The impact of gender on all of these factors should be explored. Furthermore, such computer literacy topics as knowledge of hardware and operating system software and use of a mouse may be examined. Finally, a pre- and post- test research design may provide information about the impact that technology courses have on all of these factors.

Conclusion

From these data, it appears that preservice teachers have little knowledge about educational technology when they enter the teacher education programs. When they enter the teaching profession, they may be expected to know at least as much about technology as their students, or risk losing their credibility. For instance, according to a recent survey (Hurteau,

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1990), the top ten computer skills needed by new teachers are word processing, computer in curriculum, introduction to computers, subject area training, teacher utilities, database management, desktop publishing, graphics, spreadsheets, and minor hardware maintenance.

Teacher education programs face many challenges in preparing their students to meet these expectations within the constraints of the present curriculum. Technology is changing rapidly, and although prices are decreasing, the cost of technology still imposes significant demands on university budgets. In addition, proposed changes in accreditation guidelines may require resources, equipment, and faculty development.

Creative and systematic problem-solving strategies involving the whole university, not just colleges of education, may lead to institutional solutions to these challenges. For example, an undergraduate computer literacy competency as a general education requirement would free the teacher education program (and other disciplines as well) from having to focus on basic computer literacy, enabling them to concentrate on advanced educational computing.

If the role of teacher education programs is to produce teachers who are able to use the new computer technologies, we must take our preservice teachers from where they are when they enter and advance them to where the technological society needs them to be.

References

Beaver, J . F. (1990). A profile of undergraduate educational technology (in)competence: Are we preparing today’s education graduates for teaching in the 1990s? (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 332 985)

Brosnan, P. (1990). An assessment of teachers’ computer skills (Doctoral dissertation, State University of New York at Buffalo, 1989). Dissertation Abstracts International, 50, 1912A.

Cardinale, L. A. (1992, November). Female preservice teachers ’ prior experience with computing. Paper presented at the annual Conference of Research on Women in Education, Norfolk, VA.

Unpublished master’s thesis, State University of New York College at Oswego, Oswego, NY.

McAulay, K . J. (1993). Computer use among college undergrads. Journal of College Student Development, 34, 230-23 I .

Office of Technology Assessment. (1988). Power on! New tools for teaching and learning. (OTA-SET-379). Washington, DC: U . S . Government Printing Office.

Office of Technology Assessment. (1995). Teachers and technology: Making the connection. (OTA-EHR-616). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

U.S. News & World Report. (1992). America’s best colleges. September 28, 1993, p. 96- 98.

Hurteau, J . (1990). Perceived needs of computer training for educators in New York State.

Caryl J. Sheffield is an Associate Professor in the Elementary/Early Childhood Education Department at California University of Pennsylvania. Her research interests include instructional technology and teacher education.

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