Understanding and Evaluating Measures of Computer Ability

Abstract

Most researchers and educators evaluating computer ability or literacy have used a construct approach. A prototypical measure assesses programming ability, application software skill, and computer awareness. This kind of measure is often viewed as a final product rather than as a pedagogical tool. In this article, it is argued that the fundamental basis of computer ability measures should be altered in order to address a rapidly evolving computer software market and take advantage of significant advances made in instruction and cognitive science. A more fundamentally useful metric of computer ability can be developed using a process-oriented methodology. This new metric, comprised of actual learning activities, helps provide a comprehensive and coherent understanding of how a person interacts with a computer. Metaphors and constraints based on an extensive core of intelligence assessment research are used to illustrate how theorists have looked at computer ability and to provide guidelines for developing more useful ability measures. A microgenetic approach is offered as one promising example of a process-oriented method that could produce a richer metric of computer ability for researchers and educators.

Keywords:

• computer literacy
• computer utilization
• measurement