THE 12 TH EUROPEAN CONGRESS OF PSYCHOLOGY ISTAMBUL 2011 04/08 JULY Attitudes of old people towards ICT in Rural Senior Centers* Antonio González Vicente.

THE 12TH EUROPEAN CONGRESS OF PSYCHOLOGY

ISTAMBUL 201104/08 JULY

“Attitudes of old people towards ICT in Rural Senior Centers”*Antonio González

Vicente Viadel Mª Paz Ramírez (Colaboradora externa)

Cuenca County Council (Spain) Social Services Support Unit

* This work is part of the evaluation tool for the program: “Cuenc@enRed. Mayores” (County

Council Cuenca, Spain)

AGING AND LIFELONG LEARNIG

Theoretical approach:

Selective optimization with compensation and active aging (Baltes & Baltes, 1990; Fernández-Ballesteros, 2008). Active role into line with attitudes, needs and desires to maintain levels of functioning, regulate losses and social participation.

The e-quality theory of aging and cognitive learnig of technology (McConatha, 2002; Chaffin & Harlow, 2005). “As the availability of electronic resources for older adults increases, the quality of the aging experience wil be enhanced”

METHOD

• Participants.-Sample consisted of 218 older adults in the province of Cuenca (Spain).

Course “Cuenc@Network. Elderly .

- 50 hours of basic training skills about computer.

- 25 Centers for the Elderly (February-May 2011).

• Sample selection.-Attendance of older adults to the course during the first day and during the 20 hour of training.

• Procedure.- Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire consisting on 37 questions:

Socio-demografic variables (7)

Frecuency computer and Internet use (2)

Expectation of the course’ difficulty (1)

Attitudes towards computer (26)

[Jay & Willis, 1992; Cassidy, & Eachus, 2002; Laganà, 2008]

Attribution of self-confidence (1)

R E S U L T S

Variable Groups Percentaje

Center for the elderly Population + 54.8Population - 45.0

Gender Men 53.9Women 45.7

Age60-64 23.865-69 38.870-74 21.075-79 9.3+80 7.0

Occupation before retirement

Housewives 29.5Primary sector 10.6

Secondary sector 15.0Tertiary sector 44.9

Academic background

No studies 12.6Primary 76.2Medium 7.8Superior 2.9

Economic levelHight 0.0

Average 44.7Low 45.7

Very low 9.6

Marital statusSingle 6.8

Married 70.8Widow 16.9

Separated 5.5

Characteristics of the sample

Use of computer (How long do you usually use the computer?)

0 10 20 30 40 50

Nothing

Little

Quite

Much

46,1

39,6

12,4

1,8

Internet conection (Do you normally connect to the Internet?)

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Never

Almost never

Occasionally

Almost all day

54,8

11,4

22,4

11,4

Attitudes scale of older adults toward computers

Factor and item analysis: scale was unidimensional

Reliability coefficient and factor loadings: 26-item scale was refined to 25-items.

Internal reliability: Cronbach’s alpha= 0.68

Construct validity: positive correlations with the use of computer and internet conection (r=0.22, r=0.25)

Correlation matrix between variables (N=218)

**p<0.01 (Bilateral)

1 2 3 4 5

1. Use of computer -

2. Access to the Internet .698** -

3. Expectation of the course’ difficulty

-.304** -.242** -

4. Attribution of self-confidence -.077 .076 .045 -

5. Actitude toward the computer .228** .257** -.328** .223** -

T of Student (t=-8.85; p<0.0001)

Significant differences between attitudes toward computers before the start of the course (M=52.74) and after 20 hours of training (M=59.51).

T of Student

Significant differences between gender (t=-2.39; p<0.05) and place of origin (t=2.03; p<0.05) with respect to consideration as a self-confident person. Men: More self-confident

Sample populations<2500 inhabitants: More self-confident

Anovas

No significant differences in other variables

CONCLUSION Positive relationship between attitudes toward the

computer, use of computer and Internet access.

Positive relationship between attitudes toward computer and self-confidence.

Attitudes toward computer have changed after 20 hours of training in basic computer skills:

Direct experience with computer on older adults led to: More positive attitudes toward computers.

Main categories obtained through a content analysis:“Why are you interested in learnig to use a

computer?”.

-I like learning, -To learn more, -To be up-to-date, -To communicate, -To entertain.

DISCUSSION

This work is the result of an exploratory and preliminary study about the attitudes of older people toward computers.

The findings must be considered under certain methodological limitations. It is necessary:

To improve the validity and reliability of the attitude scale.

To undertake new research with diverse samples of elderly.

To design and evaluate educational programs for learning and ICT use among older.

To analyze the connections between attitudes toward the ICT, their use and the elderly’s quality of life.