Gender Differences in Computer Attitudes and the Choice of Technology-Related Occupations in a Sample of Secondary Students in Spain

Autor/inn/en	Sainz, Milagros; Lopez-Saez, Mercedes
Titel	Gender Differences in Computer Attitudes and the Choice of Technology-Related Occupations in a Sample of Secondary Students in Spain
Quelle	In: Computers & Education, 54 (2010) 2, S.578-587 (10 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0360-1315
DOI	10.1016/j.compedu.2009.09.007
Schlagwörter	Social Class; Females; Rural Areas; Foreign Countries; Gender Differences; Secondary School Students; Career Choice; Predictor Variables; Intention; Student Characteristics; Student Attitudes; Correlation; Computer Science Education; Information Technology; Computer Attitudes; Spain + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Social classes; Soziale Klasse; Weibliches Geschlecht; Rural area; Ländlicher Raum; Ausland; Geschlechterkonflikt; Sekundarschüler; Prädiktor; Schülerverhalten; Korrelation; Computer science lessons; Informatikunterricht; Informationstechnologie; Spanien
Abstract	The dearth of women in technology and ICT-related fields continues to be a topic of interest for both the scientific community and decision-makers. Research on attitudes towards computers proves that women display more negative computer attitudes than men and also make less intense use of technology and computers than their male counterparts. For this reason, the main aims of this study are threefold. Firstly, to analyze the existence of gender differences in three dimensions of computer attitudes in a group of 550 secondary students in Spain (mean of age = 15 years old; SD = 1.73). Secondly, to study the moderating influence of a group of contextual variables on those gender differences in computer attitudes. And thirdly, to examine the predictive role of computer attitudes on the intention to pursue technology-related occupations. Some of the analyses of variance carried out show more positive computer attitudes in boys than in girls. These differences are more salient among students coming from rural areas and the upper social class, who are also enrolled in the domain of technology in secondary education, and whose mothers have no occupation outside the home. Finally, simple logistic regressions were carried out in order to prove that all dimensions of computer attitudes predict the enrollment intentions to pursue technology-related occupations. Nonetheless, gender only moderates the relationship between the cognitive dimension of computer attitudes and the enrollment intentions to pursue technology-related occupations. (Contains 1 figure and 7 tables.) (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10