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ABSTRACT
Previous research has studied gender differences in people's perceptions and behaviors toward information technologies with mixed findings. In addition, the reasons causing these differences have been discussed but rarely empirically tested in the literature. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms through which gender affects the development of general computer self-efficacy (CSE) among college students. Results suggest that females feel less confident with computers because they have learned less and practiced less, and feel more anxious about using computers when compared with male counterparts. Implications from the research are also discussed.
Keywords: Gender, General Computer Self-Efficacy, Computer Knowledge, Computing Experiences, Computer Anxiety
1. INTRODUCTION
Over the decades, IS researchers have struggled to identify factors that cause people to accept and make effective use of information technologies (Compeau and Higgins, 1995; King and He, 2006). Several theories and approaches have been put forth to address this issue. For example, the early studies of Lucas (1975, 1978) provide evidence that individual or behavioral factors have large influences on IT adoption; Goodhue (1988) presents the Task-Technology Fit model to posit that information systems will enhance job performance only when there is correspondence between their functionality and the task requirements of users; Davis (1989) develops the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to explain the potential user's behavioral intention to use a technological innovation; Moore and Benbasat (1991) investigate people's perceptions of technology adoption based on Diffusion of Innovations; Compeau and Higgins (1995) adopt the Social Cognitive Theory and argue that one's computer behaviors are largely influenced by the person's perception of computer self-efficacy.
Whatever the theoretical perspective being selected, many researchers recommend incorporating individual characteristics into a research model either as control variables or as independent variables to study the cognitive, affective, and/or behavioral reactions of individuals to technology (Gefen and Straub, 1997; Venkatesh and Morris, 2000). Gender as a salient demographic factor has a profound influence on one's reactions to technology (Morris et al., 2005). However, evidence concerning the effect of gender is far from conclusive. Previous studies have found that females present higher levels of anxiety (Beyer, 2008; Bozionelos, 1996; Harrison et al., 1997; Igbaria and Chakrabarti, 1990) and lower levels of attitudes toward computers (Felter, 1985; Franz and Robey, 1986; Young, 2000); however, non-significant differences...