University students’ differences on attitudes towards computer use. Comparison with students’ attitudes towards physical activity

Abstract

The aim of this study was to discover the differences on attitudes of Greek Physical Education students towards the subject of computers, in comparison with their involvement in physical activities (PA). The sample consisted of 165 freshmen students, 93 males and 72 females. They completed the “Computer Attitude Scale” questionnaire (Selwyn, 1997) of 21 items which consist four factors (affect, perceived usefulness, perceived control and behavioural) Additionally, each student received a diary where s/he should write down his/her daily physical activities (Samouel & Lee, 2001) for 26 days. The diary was related to the computer usage and the occupation with physical activity. The results indicated gender differences on two factors, “affect” and “perceived usefulness”. No gender differences were indicated on PA. The students spent more of their free time on computer usage than doing a PA. Overall, the study supported previous results on gender differences and indicated that students turn into computer usage rather than enjoying other activities.