| The Problem. The purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes of Iranian academicians toward the general use of computers and to describe the development of computer use in Iran. The intention was to search for any relationship between attitudes toward general use of computers and personal factors such as age, education, place of education, subject area of teaching, years of experience in teaching, and computer exposure or experience.; Research questions were stated concerning differences in attitudes of respondents toward the general use of computers and selected personal factors concerning the respondents. In addition, interviews were conducted to assess the value of computers to academicians.; Method. To meet the objectives of the study, the survey method of research was employed. Questionnaires and personal interviews were utilized as a method of data collection for this research. In addition, related literature was reviewed to describe the development of computer use in Iran. The study was conducted with a sample of Iranian academicians. A total of 152 academicians were given questionnaires which were designed to measure their attitudes toward the general use of computers. Of 134 questionnaires collected, 125 were considered to be usable. The data analysis was accomplished through the use of a computer system and statistical programs.; Personal interviews conducted with academicians focused on the opinions of academicians regarding the general use of computers and the related problems of computer use in Iran.; Results. Analyses of data revealed that the factors of age, subject area of teaching, years of experience in teaching, and background in computer education courses were indicative of differences in attitudes of academicians toward the general use of computers. Older academicians showed less favorable attitudes toward the general use of computers than younger academicians.; Differences in department of teaching were indicative of differences in attitudes of academicians toward the general use of computers. Academicians in engineering departments had a much more favorable attitude toward the general use of computers than did those in business and liberal arts departments.; Academicians with less experience in teaching (fewer than five years) had a more favorable attitude toward the general use of computers than did those with more teaching experience (five or more years).; Having taken or not taken computer education courses was indicative of differences in attitudes of academicians toward the general use of computers. Academicians who had taken computer courses had a more favorable attitude toward the general use of computers than did those who had not taken computer courses.; The factors of level of formal education, place of education, and computer exposure or experience such as having seen a computer, having read a book on computers, having used computerized printouts or having written computer programs were not indicative of either favorable or unfavorable attitudes toward the general use of computers. These factors were independent of scores made by the academicians on the computer attitude scale.; The result of the interviews with academicians revealed that the majority of academicians believed that Iran needed computers to achieve modernization, to yield timely statistics and accurate information, to provide better service to the people, to accelerate the rate of economic and social progress, and to increase work efficiency. The academicians cited problems such as insufficient skilled humanpower for efficient use of computers, limited service facilities, and inappropriate use of computer time. |
