Nigerian Preservice Science Technology and Mathematics Teachers’ Computer self-efficacy: An Exploration based on Gender, Age, and Discipline of Study

Abstract

The global acceptance of information and communication technologies in education is not without barriers and one major barrier on the part of teacher educator implementation effort is preservice teachers’ perception of and capabilities for applying computer technology. Although the construct of computer self-efficacy has gained widespread investigation in the developed world, few researches have been conducted on this construct in Nigeria. The purpose of this study was to investigate preservice teachers’ level of computer self-efficacy and to determine the invariability of this construct with respect to the demographic variables of gender, age, and discipline of study. Using the slightly modified computer self-efficacy scale (Durndell, Haag & Laithwaite, 2000) in a cross-sectional survey involving a sample of preservice teachers at two universities (N=480), we found that preservice teachers reported high level of computer self-efficacy. Exploratory factor analysis of the survey data supported the multidimensional nature of the computer self-efficacy construct. A 2×3×2 multivariate analysis of variance showed that the construct of computer self-efficacy appeared invariant with respect to the demographic variables of discipline of study and age classification while gender remained a determining factor in preservice teachers’ aggregate computer self-efficacy even at the subscale levels of beginning and advanced skills.