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Advances in information technology (IT) are among the most powerful forces bearing on the economy (Castells, 2011). IT applications continue to impact medicine, finance, manufacturing, and numerous other sectors of society. Companies that use IT often make complementary innovations in their organizations and in the services they offer. Both IT and IT-enabled organizational change are important components of the skill-biased technical change (Bresnahan, et al., 2002). Knowledge of advanced computing has the potential to prepare students to apply and innovate upon 21st-century technologies (Oh, 2003).
Several information systems studies have identified attitude as one of the strongest factors influencing successful IT use in any organization (Beaudry & Pinsonneault, 2010). Successful use of IT in a business depends not only on the technology itself, but also on the levels of skills and expertise of the employees using the technology (Holt & Crocker, 2000). However, these authors noted that though the skills of an individual can be improved by proper training, the attitudes of a user towards the technology will affect his/her willingness to learn about the technology, the decision to use the technology, and the actual uses to which the technology is put. The challenge of meeting the demand for skilled and willing IT professionals is addressed by examining factors that affect choice of post-secondary major and retention in computing related fields. It is therefore important to pay attention to relevant attitudes toward IT that obtain in young adults as they complete secondary education and enter into post-secondary education.
The importance of attitude in this endeavor is underscored by a consideration of the nature of attitudes. Attitude is often used to understand and predict people's reaction to an object or change and how behavior can be influenced (Fishbein & Ajzen, 2010). Perhaps the most influential definition has been one given by Allport (1935): “An attitude is a mental and neural state of readiness, organized through experience, exerting a directive or dynamic influence upon the individual's response to all objects and situations with which it is related” (p. 810).
The most recent Taulbee survey of top-ranked North American computing, engineering, and technology programs suggests that women may account for just 15% of the undergraduate student body, and a miniscule 0.4% of first-year women college students list computing as a probable major (Misa, 2010). Numerous research studies have uncovered reasons women in particular have not chosen computing: negative stereotypes, an unattractive/hostile culture, misperceptions of the discipline, lack of role models and/or mentoring support, and low confidence (Beyer et al., 2003; Katz et al., 2006). In relation to gender differences in computer-related attitudes in general, research has shown that male students have more positive attitudes towards computers ─ including greater liking, than female students (AiJabri, 1996; Bebetsos & Antoniou, 2009; Tsai, Lin, & Tsai, 2001). Therefore, the shortage of skilled IT professionals is may be due in part to negative attitudes toward IT in young adult females, and efforts to improve those attitudes are much needed.