SELF-EFFICACY AND COMPUTERS

This article is a review of the literature on self-efficacy in the microcomputer environment. Self-efficacy theory, introduced by Bandura (1977), is based upon the principal assumption that psychological assessments serve as a means of creating and strengthening expectations of personal efficacy. Perceived self-efficacy can have directive influence on choice of activities and can affect coping efforts once they are initiated. While numerous studies have been conducted involving self-efficacy, only a handful have focused on self-efficacy and computers. Because computer technology is viewed as relatively new, it is increasingly important to understand what educators' self-beliefs are concerning their ability to use the computer in an instructional setting or for programming. Knowledge of an individual's computer efficacy would allow pre-training intervention designed to reduce computer anxiety and resistance to change.