| The purpose of this study is to evaluate student preparedness in Educational Technology (ET) competency in core skills required to enter college and to consider skills employers require and how these skills match those that youth and adults are developing through their earlier school and college experiences. In addition, this research evaluates whether or not education and training programs prepare individuals to enter a rapidly changing workplace and whether or not all students receive the same technology resources (hardware, software and training). The survey is designed and constructed utilizing excerpts of surveys from questions utilized by Sormunen, Ray, Harris (2005); Ali & Elfessi (2005); Gupta & Houtz (2000); Young (2003), and Long (2003). Approximately 800 questionnaires were sent to 40 college professors at a four-year college on Long Island, New York, for distribution to students in their classes. One-hundred-and-thirty-four, 15% of the questionnaires were returned.; The study identified attitudes and perceptions of college students about their high school preparation and college usage. Students generally reported they were underprepared for the rigors of college technology use and that they were mostly self-motivated and self-taught. Of those who responded, males and students with science related major indicated a lack of respect for intellectual property, an ethical issue, and reported higher confidence in their Educational Technology ability than females while in high school and in college. In the case of Ethical use of Computers and General Computer use, females and non-science majors were more likely to report higher scores. It is clear in this study that students of color have less access and encouragement to use computers throughout high school and college. This study revealed the woefully inadequate efforts that high schools have made to prepare students to use technology in college. This study demonstrates that schools should change how they prepare the next generation for the Age of Information. |
