Businesses and the economy as a whole rely increasingly on computing, but many potential users are not entirely confident of the technology. A research study published in January suggests that an individual’s computer self-efficacy is influenced by their competence in mathematics. I asked the author Assistant Professor of Management Information Systems Franklin Morris of The Military College of South Carolina whether or not such a finding wasn’t rather obvious…

“History teaches us that much has been learned by attempting to gain a better understanding of what appear to be obvious phenomena,” he told me. “One purpose of our research is to encourage all of us to question what appears obvious. In our study, there are at least two reasons our research breaks new ground. First, we explore the positive emotion, confidence, rather than the negative emotion, anxiety.

“Previous studies have explored anxiety. Our finding that there is a significant, positive relationship of both math and computer confidence with computer self-efficacy opens the door for new thinking about how confidence (and even interest) in math and science might be enhanced. Second, our research is new in the sense that we use a different analytic tool, structural equation modeling, to explore the specified relationships with computer self-efficacy. This is noteworthy because all of the previous studies we identified used correlational analysis with regression.”

The study involved a large sample of undergraduate upperclassmen, but surely such a sample would not reflect 99% of the population? Morris also had a response to that suggestion:

“We chose this group for our study because educational institutions offer a primary source of computer education opportunities for persons not yet in the job market,” he explained. Therefore, the use of a student population in this study makes the results especially relevant to the area of university education, which in turn, has a subsequent and direct impact on business practice.

“As we point out in our article, it becomes clear that enhancing computer self-efficacy among potential employees before they enter the workforce may result in savings of both time and money for businesses, while potentially increasing employee satisfaction. However, such benefits would not be limited to university students alone, but could be gained no matter where or when the enhancement of a person’s computer self-efficacy may occur. In fact, according to related research, addressing such concerns much earlier in life is preferable (e.g., well before the university level, beginning at the earliest stages of the education system and continuing throughout). ”

Finally, I wanted to know how these insights might help in the development of a solution to the problem, this is what Morris had to say:

“We certainly don’t pretend to have any quick answers to this dilemma; but, we think it is important to consider new approaches to finding a solution. For example, the focus of previous research on the effects of the negative emotion, anxiety, may be a symptom of the stigma that has traditionally been associated with math and science, even in the K-12 environment. By focusing on the effects of confidence in these relationships, we hope our study will offer a positive stance and encourage new thinking.

“Perhaps a change in mindset from simply reducing the negative to accentuating the positive can help move the US in a positive direction in terms of math and technology education. The challenge is to find ways to build student confidence in these areas, perhaps by focusing on ways for students to experience success, rather than simply focusing on math skills and/or overcoming failure. We must find ways of making the math and technology curriculum richer and more engaging.

“Again, we hope our study contributes to this discussion by highlighting the positive dimension and encouraging new thinking that questions what appears to be obvious and goes beyond the status quo.”

R. Franklin Morris, Jr., & Evelyn H. Thrasher (2010). Implications for e-commerce: the influence of math and computer confidence on computer self-efficacy International Journal of Electronic Marketing and Retailing, 3 (1), 15-37