Correlates of computer literacy among adult learners

This study focused on adult students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate business courses and studied factors relevant to the acquisition of personal computer literacy: (1) to determine whether undergraduate and graduate learners differ in computer literacy; (2) to discover if learning style preference, as measured by Kolb's LSI, makes a difference in computer literacy; (3) to discover if learning style preference, as measured by Kolb's LSI, makes a difference in computer self-efficacy; (4) to explore the role self-directed learning (SDL) has in personal computer literacy; and (5) to determine the correlation between computer self-efficacy (CSE) and computer literacy, as measured by the Personal Computer Competency Inventory (PCCI). The principal objective of this study was to test a set of hypotheses related to individual differences in the learning process associated with acquisition of computer literacy and to develop questions and recommendations for further research. This study found that: (1) Business course graduate students exhibited greater computer literacy than did undergraduate students enrolled in business courses, (p < .01); (2) Business course students with an abstract learning style exhibited a higher relative level of computer literacy and computer self-efficacy than those with a concrete learning style; those with an active learning style did not exhibit a higher relative level of computer literacy and computer self-efficacy than those with a reflective learning style; (3) High self-directed learners (≥70%) exhibited greater computer literacy than did low self-directed learners (<70%); (4) There was a significant correlation between computer self-efficacy and computer literacy, (p < .05); and (5) The synergistic relationship among Computer Self-efficacy, Self Directed Learning, Kolb's Learning Style, and the acquisition of computer literacy was portrayed in a Synthesized Theory Learning Model of Computer Literacy (See figures 15 and 16). This model is posited as portraying the synergistic synthesis of three independent variables, namely, Kolb's Learning Style, Self-Directed Learning, and Computer Self-Efficacy. The model depicts a self-generating, spontaneous, autopoietic synthesis of the theoretical constructs in the acquisition of computer literacy. Theoretical implication and practical implications: Kolb's Learning Style, when reinforced with the metacognitive processes of self-directed learning and high computer self-efficacy may facilitate the acquisition of greater computer literacy. This may serve to engender the implementation of better-defined, more enlightened pedagogical practices to enhance the achievement of adult student computer literacy.