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. 2011 Aug;31(6):911-933.
doi: 10.1017/S0144686X10001340.

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

Luciana Laganà  1 , Taylor Oliver  2 , Andrew Ainsworth  1 , Marc Edwards  1
Affiliations

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

Luciana Laganà et al. Ageing Soc. 2011 Aug.

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 paper 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 (Laganà 2008). 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 attitudes; computer self-efficacy; computer training; older ethnic minorities.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Computer technology attitudes: mean scores for both groups
Figure 2
Figure 2. Computer self-efficacy: mean scores for both groups
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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