Impact of a verbal persuasion treatment on teacher education students' attitudes and self-efficacy for computer technology

Teacher preparation programs are responsible for preparing future teachers to use technology to support instruction in the P-12 classroom. Educational technologists agree that effective implementation of technology in the classroom by teachers requires that they have positive attitudes toward technology and confidence in their capabilities to use technology. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a verbal persuasion treatment, based upon Bandura's theory of self-efficacy, specifically designed to improve preservice teachers' attitudes and self-efficacy for educational technology. This study also examined the effect of computer ability on attitudes and self-efficacy for computer technology.; Participants were 108 preservice teachers enrolled in an elementary education technology course at a large mid-western university. The constructs of outcome expectancy, self-efficacy expectations, attitudes toward technology and computer ability were measured to address the hypotheses under investigation. A pretest/posttest generalized randomized block design was used to test the hypotheses. The blocking variable was level of computer ability.; Participants were divided into two groups based upon their level of computer ability, then randomly assigned by ability level into either the treatment or control group. All participants in the study received modeling and hands-on technology activities. The treatment group received eight verbal persuasion messages via electronic mail. The messages consisted of statements encouraging students to believe that they were capable of implementing educational technology into their own teaching practices. Members of the treatment group were also persuaded to believe that they were capable of persevering when confronted with difficult technology situations. Participants in the control group received general course-related messages via electronic mail without any verbal persuasion statements.; Results from the descriptive analysis procedures suggest that, in this sample, the treatment group had greater gain scores on the outcome expectancy, self-efficacy, and attitudes toward technology measures than did those students in the control group. The high and low-ability treatment groups had greater gain scores than the same ability control group levels. Findings from the inferential analysis procedures were inconclusive.