Measurement of attitude toward educational use of the Internet in an English composition course with a comparison of traditional -aged and non-traditional-aged students

Abstract

Technological advances have forever changed the way educators view the process of writing, including the way students learn, how they feel about the way they are learning, and their subsequent behaviors. Numerous studies have indicated that using computers to write changes the way students write, what they write, and the quantity and quality of that writing. However, studies disagreed about how these changes occur, whether they are positive or negative (or neither), and what psychological dynamics, such as attitude, are involved, to what degree, and how they relate to each other. Affect in general and specifically toward computers has been studied, with several computer attitude scales developed during the 1980s and 1990s. However, these scales did not measure attitude nor subsequent behaviors toward complex computer applications, such as the Internet; moreover, none existed for use in English composition. This study measured attitudes toward educational use of the Internet (ATEUI), along with selected behavioral correlates, among English composition students to examine the relationships between attitude and behavior, age, sex, and academic rank. Further, the students were categorized by age to determine any differences between those who were traditional aged (<25) and those who were non-traditional aged (≥25). iii Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to my mother, Ruth Allen Duran, who convinced me at an early age that education is the way out of poverty. I wish you were here to share this achievement with me and the rest of our family. While one writes a dissertation, it seems a solitary business, and in fact, that is often the case. However, no one reaches the final goal without a host of people supporting the writer in one way or another and, more often, in many ways. I would like to acknowledge the many people who have supported me as I pursued the doctoral degree, especially during the writing of this document. First, I thank Björn Söderberg for his moral and financial support. Without him, I am certain I would never have reached this point in my education. Next, I thank my committee members who are without doubt among the very best, and perhaps most patient, teachers-anywhere. The value of your guidance, knowledge, and expertise is immeasurable. I thank you for working with me and teaching me. As a group and individually, you have every right to feel superior and perhaps to flaunt that superiority; however, I can honestly say that your professionalism is equal to, if not surpassed by, your humility. I am fortunate to have known and worked with such a select group of educators. As anyone who knows me realizes, I am very proud of my family. We grew up in poverty; resources were scarce. I don't really feel that this degree is "my" degree at all; rather, I feel that it is my family's degree, a symbol of one's ability to beat tremendous odds and to succeed in this country. So, to my parents, Virgil and Ruth Duran, my siblings-Richard, David, Jerry, Kathryn, Dennis, Ginger, Mike, and Teresa-this is for you ...