Personal Attributes Contributing to Computer Anxiety and Computer Self-efficacy among Distance Learners

In distance learning, an internet-based learning has been developed as a learning platform for courses, and a distance learner’s acquisition depends on his/her personal characteristics. Thus the present study was planned to investigate personal attributes of distance learners that may contribute to their levels of computer anxiety and computer self-efficacy. Five hundred distance learners completed Computer Anxiety Rating Scale and Computer Self-Efficacy Scale along with a personal variables sheet. Results indicated that (1) Computer anxiety is negatively associated with computer self-efficacy; (2) Female and older distance learners reported high computer anxiety and low self-efficacy; and (3)Computer anxiety and self-efficacy regressed upon work experience, computer handling experience, and total number of hours expended for computer work. Identifying these factors may help in designing and implementing learning environments that may better fit the students’ needs at distance learning institutes. Though the findings have implications for educational setup, the study should be replicated with mixed-method to analyze the qualitative data as well.