The relationship of preferred instructional application of microcomputers with selected teacher variables

This study investigated characteristics of teachers who use microcomputers for instruction. The general research question was: Which teacher characteristics are significant predictors of choice of preferred microcomputer application from among Computer Assisted Instruction, Computer Literacy, Computer Programming, and Word Processing? A sample of 91 computer knowledgeable teachers was partitioned into four groups based upon each teacher's preferred microcomputer application. Instruments utilized for the study included a questionnaire and an attitude instrument. The questionnaire developed for the study measured teacher characteristics in terms of professional background, computing background, and school environment, in addition to preferred microcomputer application, differentiated choice of microcomputer application for gifted, typical, and remedial student, and value ratings of microcomputer applications. Two factor scores were computed from the Attitude Towards Instructional Applications of Microcomputers instrument. These were interpreted to be an attitude towards the computer as a problem-solving tool and an attitude towards the computer used for individualizing instruction. [...]