Hostname: page-component-55f67697df-jr75m Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-05-14T11:42:13.722Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Enhancing computer self-efficacy and attitudes in multi-ethnic older adults: a randomised controlled study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 February 2011

LUCIANA LAGANÁ ,
TAYLOR OLIVER ,
ANDREW AINSWORTH  and
MARC EDWARDS
LUCIANA LAGANÁ*
Affiliation:
Psychology, California State University Northridge, California, USA.
TAYLOR OLIVER
Affiliation:
Psychology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
ANDREW AINSWORTH
Affiliation:
Psychology, California State University Northridge, California, USA.
MARC EDWARDS
Affiliation:
Psychology, California State University Northridge, California, USA.
*
Address for correspondence: Luciana Laganá, Psychology, California State University Northridge (CSUN), 18111 Nordhoff St., 8255 PSY Northridge, CA 91330-8255, USA. E-mail: Luciana.Lagana@csun.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Several studies have documented the health-related benefits of older adults' use of computer technology, but before they can be realised, older individuals must be positively inclined and confident in their ability to engage in computer-based environments. To facilitate the assessment of computer technology attitudes, one aim of the longitudinal study reported in this article was to test and refine a new 22-item measure of computer technology attitudes designed specifically for older adults, as none such were available. Another aim was to replicate, on a much larger scale, the successful findings of a preliminary study that tested a computer technology training programme for older adults. Ninety-six older men and women, mainly from non-European-American backgrounds, were randomly assigned to the waitlist/control or the experimental group. The same six-week, one-on-one training was administered to the control subjects at the completion of their post-test. The revised (17-item) version of the Older Adults' Computer Technology Attitudes Scale (OACTAS) showed strong reliability: the results of a factor analysis were robust, and two analyses of covariance demonstrated that the training programme induced significant changes in attitudes and self-efficacy. Such results encourage the recruitment of older persons into training programmes aimed at increasing computer technology attitudes and self-efficacy.

Keywords

computer trainingcomputer attitudescomputer self-efficacyolder ethnic minorities
Type
Articles
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 31 , Issue 6 , August 2011 , pp. 911 - 933
Creative Commons
This is a work of the U.S. Government and is not subject to copyright protection in the United States.
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011. This is a work of the U.S. Government and is not subject to copyright protection in the United States.

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Baltes, P. B. and Lindenberger, U. 1997. Emergence of a powerful connection between sensory and cognitive functions across the adult life span: a new window to the study of cognitive aging? Psychology and Aging, 12, 1, 12–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bandura, A. 1977. Self-efficacy: toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84, 2, 191–215.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Buse, C. E. 2010. E-scaping the ageing body? Computer technologies and embodiment in later life. Ageing & Society, 30, 987–1009.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Campbell, R. J. and Nolfi, D. A. 2005. Teaching elderly adults to use the Internet to access health care information: before–after study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 7, 2. Available online at http://www.jmir.org [Accessed 26 October 2009].CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cassidy, S. and Eachus, P. 2002. Development of the Computer User Self-Efficacy (CUSE) Scale: investigating the relationship between computer self-efficacy, gender and experience with computers. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 26, 2, 169–89.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Charness, N. and Bosman, E. A. 1992. Human factors and aging. In Craik, F. I. M. and Salthouse, T. A. (eds), The Handbook of Aging and Cognition. Erlbaum, Hillsdale, New Jersey, 495–545.Google Scholar
Charness, N., Schumann, C. and Boritz, G. 1992. Training older adults in word processing: effects of age, training technique, and computer anxiety. International Journal of Technology and Aging, 5, 1, 79–105.Google Scholar
Cohen, C. 2001. Guiding seniors. Internet, 64, 2, 50–3.Google ScholarPubMed
Craik, F. I. and Jennings, J. M. 1992. Human memory. In Craik, F. I. M. and Salthouse, T. A. (eds), The Handbook of Aging and Cognition. Erlbaum, Hillsdale, New Jersey, 51–10.Google Scholar
Crossley, N. 2007. Researching embodiment by way of body techniques. Sociological Review, 55, 1, 80–94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Czaja, S. J. and Lee, C. C. 2008. Information technology and older adults. In Sears, A. and Jacko, J. A. (eds), The Human–Computer Interaction Handbook. Taylor & Francis, New York, 777–92.Google Scholar
Czaja, S. J., Sharit, J. S. and Nair, S. N. 2008. Usability of the Medicare health web site. Journal of the American Medical Association, 300, 7, 790–92.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
DeOllos, I. and Morris, D. C. 1999. The Internet as an information resource for older adults. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 28, 2, 107–20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dickinson, A. and Hill, R. L. 2007. Keeping in touch: talking to older people about computers and communication. Educational Gerontology, 33, 8, 613–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dugan, E. and Kivett, V. R. 1994. The importance of emotional and social isolation to loneliness among very old rural adults. The Gerontologist, 34, 3, 340–46.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Eilers, M. L. 1989. Older adults and computer education: ‘not to have the world a closed door’. International Journal of Technology and Aging, 2, 1, 56–76.Google Scholar
Fabrigar, L. R., Wegener, D. T., MacCallum, R. C. and Strahan, E. J. 1999. Evaluating the use of exploratory factor analysis in psychological research. Psychological Methods, 4, 3, 272–99.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fishbein, M. and Ajzen, I. 1975. Belief, Attitude, Intention and Behavior: An Introduction to Theory and Research. Addison-Wesley, Reading, Massachusetts.Google Scholar
Harris, R. W. 1999. Attitudes towards end-user computing: a structural equation model. Behaviour and Information Technology, 18, 2, 109–25.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hayles, N. K. 1999. How We Became Posthuman: Virtual Bodies in Cybernetics, Literature, and Informatics. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hill, R., Beyon-Davis, P. and Williams, M. D. 2008. Older people and Internet engagement: acknowledging social moderators of internet adoption, access and use. Information Technology and People, 21, 3, 244–66.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Iida, A. 2000. Quality of social support and psychological adjustment among the elderly: patterns of exchanging social support in family-dominant and non-family-dominant elderly. Japanese Journal of Health Psychology, 13, 2, 29–40.Google Scholar
Jaeger, B. 2005. Introduction. In Jaeger, B. (ed.), Young Technologies in Old Hands: An International View on Senior Citizens Utilization of ICT. DJOF Publishing, Copenhagen, 9–23.Google Scholar
Jay, G. M. 1989. The influence of direct computer experience on older adults' computer attitudes, skill, and continued use. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania.Google Scholar
Jay, G. M. and Willis, S. L. 1992. Influence of direct computer experience on older adults' attitudes toward computers. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 47, 4, P250–57.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Karavidas, M., Lim, N. K. and Katsikas, S. L. 2004. The effects of computers on older adult users. Computers in Human Behavior, 21, 5, 697–11.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kelley, C. L., Morrell, R. W., Park, D. C. and Mayhorn, C. B. 1999. Predictors of electronic bulletin board system use in older adults. Educational Gerontology, 25, 1, 19–35.Google Scholar
Laganá, L. 2008. Enhancing the attitudes and self-efficacy of older adults towards computers and the Internet: results of a pilot study. Educational Gerontology, 34, 9, 831–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Laganá, L. and Shanks, S. 2002. Mutual biases underlying the problematic relationship between older adults and mental health providers: any solution in sight? International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 55, 3, 271–95.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Loyd, B. H. and Loyd, D. E. 1985. The reliability and validity of an instrument for the assessment of computer attitudes. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 45, 4, 903–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McGuire, W. J. 1985. Attitudes and attitude change. In Lindzey, G. and Aronson, L. (eds), The Handbook of Social Psychology, volume 3, Addison-Welsey, New York, 136–314.Google Scholar
McNeely, E. 1991. Computer-assisted instruction and the older-adult learner. Educational Gerontology, 17, 1, 229–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morrell, R. W., Dailey, S. R., Feldman, C., Mayhorn, C. B. and Echt, K. V. 2002. Older Adults and Information Technology: A Compendium of Scientific Research and Web Site Accessibility Guidelines. National Institute on Aging, Washington DC.Google Scholar
Morrell, R. W. and Echt, K. V. 1997. Designing instructions for computer use by older adults. In Fisk, A. D. and Rogers, W. A. (eds), Handbook of Human Factors and the Older Adult. Academic, New York, 335–61.Google Scholar
Regan, D. T. and Fazio, R. 1977. On the consistency between attitudes and behavior: look to the method of attitude formation. Journal of Experimental and Social Psychology, 13, 1, 28–45.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Richardson, M., Weaver, K. and Zorn, T. E. 2005. ‘Getting on’: older New Zealanders' perceptions of computing. New Media and Society, 7, 2, 54–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Richter, T., Naumann, J. and Groeben, N. 2000. Attitudes toward the computer: construct validation of an instrument with scales differentiated by content. Computers in Human Behavior, 16, 5, 473–91.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Salthouse, T. A. 1996. The processing-speed theory of adult age differences in cognition. Psychological Review, 103, 3, 403–28.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schlag, P. A. 2007. Older adults' experiences with computer technology. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia.Google Scholar
Selwyn, N., Gorard, S., Furlong, J. and Maddon, L. 2003. Older adults' use of information and communications technology in everyday life. Ageing & Society, 23, 5, 561–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Slegers, K., van Boxtel, M. and Jolles, J. 2008. Effects of computer training and Internet usage on the well-being and quality of life of older adults: a randomized, controlled study. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 63, 3, P176–84.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Slegers, K., van Boxtel, M. and Jolles, J. 2009. The efficiency of using everyday technological devices by older adults: the role of cognitive functions. Ageing & Society, 29, 2, 309–25.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tabachnick, B. G. and Fidell, L. S. 2007. Using Multivariate Statistics. Fifth edition, Pearson/Allyn and Bacon, Boston, Massachusetts.Google Scholar
Torkzadeh, G. and Van Dyke, T. P. 2002. Effects of training on Internet self-efficacy and computer user attitudes. Computers in Human Behavior, 18, 5, 479–94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
US Census Bureau 2009. Current Population Survey. Bureau of Commerce, Washington DC. Available online at http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/cpstables [Accessed 24 October 2009].Google Scholar
Wacquant, L. 2004. Body and Soul. Oxford University Press, Oxford.Google Scholar
White, H., McConnell, E. M., Clipp, E., Branch, L. G., Sloane, R., Pieper, C. and Box, T. L. 2002. A randomized controlled trial of the psychological impact of providing internet training and access to older adults. Aging and Mental Health, 6, 3, 213–21.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wood, E., Willoughby, T., Rushing, A., Bechtel, L. and Gilbert, J. 2005. Use of computer input devices by older adults. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 24, 5, 419–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wu, Y. T. and Tsai, C. C. 2006. University students' Internet attitudes and Internet self-efficacy: a study at three universities in Taiwan. CyberPsychology and Behavior, 9, 4, 441–50.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zacks, R. T. and Hasher, L. 1994. Directed ignoring: inhibitory regulation of working memory. In Dagenbach, D. and Carr, T. H. (eds), Inhibitory Processes in Attention, Memory, and Language. Academic, New York, 241–64.Google Scholar
Zhang, Y. 2007. Development and validation of an Internet Use Attitude Scale. Computers and Education, 49, 2, 243–53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar