ERIC Number: EJ772713
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007
Pages: 22
Abstractor: Author
Reference Count: 66
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0735-6331
Being the Same Isn't Enough: Impact of Male and Female Mentors on Computer Self-Efficacy of College Students in IT-Related Fields
Goh, Debbie; Ogan, Christine; Ahuja, Manju; Herring, Susan C.; Robinson, Jean C.
Journal of Educational Computing Research, v37 n1 p19-40 2007
This study investigates the relationship between computer self-efficacy, mentoring, and the gender of mentors and students. The decline of women in IT-related programs of U.S. universities has led scholars to suggest that making more female faculty mentors available could raise female students' computer self-efficacy. This could address women's computational reticence and encourage more women to enter and remain in the programs. A survey of students from IT-related programs in five U.S. universities shows that extent of mentoring received, gender of students, and time students spent on computers as teenagers were significant predictors of computer self-efficacy. Extent of mentoring, gender of students, and gender of mentors have significant main effects on computer self-efficacy. Students with male mentors reported significantly higher computer self-efficacy while students with female mentors reported lower computer self-efficacy. Female students with no mentors reported the lowest level of computer self-efficacy. (Contains 6 tables and 1 footnote.)
Descriptors: Gender Differences, Surveys, Mentors, Self Efficacy, Information Technology, College Students, College Faculty, Sex, Higher Education
Baywood Publishing Company, Inc. 26 Austin Avenue, P.O. Box 337, Amityville, NY 11701. Tel: 800-638-7819; Tel: 631-691-1270; Fax: 631-691-1770; e-mail: info@baywood.com; Web site: http://baywood.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers: N/A

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