Abstract: This study analyzes computer self-efficacy for two independent samples of students enrolled in an introduction to information systems course in 1996 and 2006. We administered two validated and frequently employed measures of general computer self-efficacy to each group of students and collected demographic and computer-use data. Our findings demonstrate that the 2006 students reported significantly more computer experience, used computers much more frequently, and took significantly more core courses that require computer use than their 1996 counterparts. This experience, however, did not translate into significantly higher computer self-efficacy scores, and female students in both groups had significantly lower scores than male students. Even more surprising, after controlling for gender, class level, computer experience, and frequency of computer use, we observed that computer self-efficacy was significantly lower for the 2006 students than the 1996 students. This article discusses the implications of these findings for information systems educators.

Keywords: Computer self-efficacy, Computer experience, Computer use, Gender

Download this article: JISE - Volume 19 Number 4, Page 445.pdf

Recommended Citation: Karsten, R. & Schmidt, D. (2008). Business Student Computer Self-Efficacy: Ten Years Later. Journal of Information Systems Education, 19(4), 445-454.