New Primary Teacher Trainees and Computers: where are they starting from?

Abstract

This paper provides an autumn 1987 ‘snapshot’ of the experience and knowledge of computers reported by new first year students in a college of higher education concerned mainly with primary school teacher training. It also analyses feelings about computers elicited in response to a ‘gut reaction’ question. Of the total college intake of 121 students, 111 completed a questionnaire consisting of factual, five point self‐rating and free response items. Analysis of the results showed that (a) 74% of the students had very little or no previous experience of computers, (b) 72% rated their knowledge of computers as ‘none’ or “very little’, and (c) 40% started their college careers with negative feelings about computers while 30% reported positive feelings (the rest were neutral). Fourteen categories of reasons for negative feelings and seven for positive reasons were identified, and frequencies of occurrences in categories are reported. The free response item concerned with knowledge showed that most students had a very restricted view of the computer, and that the most prevalent conception was that of a machine which stores information. Some implications of the results for course design and teaching approaches are discussed.