Close reading has long been heralded as a humanities-specific methodology with significant potential for SoTL. This essay fills a gap in SoTL literature with a full case study demonstrating what, exactly, close reading shows us about our data that social science-based quantitative and qualitative analyses may not. Close reading-based analysis of…

Few studies have examined children's understandings of feminist picture books, and thus their potential usefulness for disrupting dominant discourses and providing alternate storylines. This article draws on research conducted in Australia with a class of 6- and 7-year-olds, examining students' responses to four feminist picture books. The…

Women use technology to mediate numerous aspects of their professional and personal lives. Yet, few design and create these technologies given that women, especially women of color, are grossly underrepresented in computer science and engineering courses. Decisions about participation in STEM are frequently made prior to high school, and these…

This article reports on the research whose specific objective is to improve student retention in mathematics included in the first-year ICT study programme by means of improving teaching methods, with an emphasis on gender issues. Two principal reasons for this research are, first, the fact that first-year mathematics courses are often viewed as…

Gender differences in attitudes toward computers are examined. Subjects were 136 male and 185 female introductory psychology students. The following were assessed: self confidence; anxiety; beliefs about the impact of computers on society; general positive and negative beliefs; and effects of prior experience. (Author/AEF)

Describes the development and validation of the 30-item Computer User Self-Efficacy (CUSE) Scale, a copy of which is appended. Topics include social cognitive theory; experience and computer self-efficacy; gender differences; and the measurement of computer self-efficacy in student computer users and its relevance to learning in higher education.…

This study examined levels of techophobia, described as negative psychological reactions toward technology, in a sample of South African university students. Describes use of the NEO-Five Factor Inventory and reports results that show techophobia was inversely correlated with computer experience, weakly correlated with age, but not associated with…

Investigated undergraduate art history majors' image retrieval tasks and image query modes. Discusses gender differences; prior information retrieval experience; significant differences between the number of search terms users planned to use and the number they actually used; and implications for image indexing tools, image retrieval system…

Discusses a survey conducted to understand the gender imbalance and high level of female attrition in computer science. Suggests that factors influencing the rate of attrition are lack of previous experience with computers, gender-biased attitudes and behavior, interactions with other computer science students, and the nature of computer science…

Reports the results of a study of 65 United Kingdom primary school children that examined the effect of software type by comparing children's performance on a male stereotyped version of the software with a female stereotyped version. Topics include computer attitudes, computer experience, and software preferences. (Author/LRW)

Describes a study conducted at Seattle Pacific University that developed an attitude scale to measure student perceptions about online courses; explored relationships between student perceptions and demographic and other variables, including age, gender, online course experience, Internet experience, and computer skills; and investigated…

Discusses gender differences in the use of computers in education based on a review of the literature. Highlights include prior exposure to computers; access to home computers; influences from the socialization process, including sex stereotypes; and differences in learning processes, including innate perceptual differences. (19 references) (LRW)

Describes a study of undergraduates that focuses on real-time computer-mediated communication (CMC), specifically the Internet Relay Chat (IRC). Examines gender differences regarding online participation and language styles; discusses access to computers, how skills are conceived and valued, and socialization; and highlights attitudes and prior…

Investigated the attitudes to, and extent of, self-reported involvement in Internet-supported dishonest academic practices such as plagiarism among United Kingdom undergraduates. Discusses Internet experience, acceptability of cheating, assessment of risk, gender, frequency of Internet use, and maturity of students, and outlines responses that…

Describes a study that developed a predictive model of adult learners' satisfaction in a Web-based distance education course and their intent to participate in future courses. Examined computer self-efficacy, academic self-concept, age, gender, academic status, years of computer use, computer training, and participation in a workshop for a…