Content area
Purpose of the study. The major purpose of this investigation was to prepare a recent chronological history and analysis of the objectives for teaching computer literacy in the secondary schools of the United States during the period 1980-2004 as reflected by objective statements in articles from selected professional periodicals.
Procedure. The 1980-2004 period was divided into two subperiods on the basis of major historical events. Selected professional periodicals were searched for statements of objectives of secondary-level computer literacy teaching. These statements were cataloged into Knowledge, Process, Attitude and Interest, or Cultural Awareness categories. The resulting data were classified within and across the two subperiods according to the frequency of occurrence, category, authorship, and year.
Findings. The major findings of this investigation included the following: (1) The number of articles relating to objectives for teaching secondary-level computer literacy increased during the time of the study. (2) The number of articles by miscellaneous authors increased more significantly than articles by authors in higher education and secondary education from Subperiod One through Subperiod Two. (3) Authors in the miscellaneous category produced the least articles and statements in Subperiod One, while producing the most articles and statements in Subperiod Two. (4) Authors in the secondary education category produced the most articles and statements in Subperiod One, while producing the least articles and statements in Subperiod Two. (5) Statements in the Knowledge category were most frequent in the two subperiods. (6) A steady decrease in the importance of philosophical, sociological, and political aspects occurred across the study.
Conclusions. Based on the findings of this investigation, the following conclusions were made: (1) The objectives for teaching secondary-level computer literacy were influenced by historical events, especially the launching of the Soviet satellite Sputnik I, the Cold War, the creation and marketing of the microcomputer chip, and the advent of the Internet. (2) The most important objectives for secondary-level computer literacy teaching were major facts, principles, or fundamentals, and processes, skills, and techniques. The focus on these objectives is probably in response to the educational acquisition of rapidly evolving computer technology. (3) This is the first time in the series of objective studies that this investigation parallels that authors outside the field of education have produced the most articles during a subperiod. Authors in the miscellaneous category were often affiliated with computer software companies. This is perhaps the result of industry efforts to sell products to educational systems.