Computer self-efficacy, gender, and educational background in South Africa

Research has demonstrated possible factors for low participation by women, including self-efficacy. This paper considers computer self-efficacy and its relationship to gender and educational background. Self-efficacy is based on self-perception and is defined as the belief an individual has about their ability to perform a particular task. Self-efficacy is important as it influences the choice of activities by an individual, the amount of effort they will expend on a task and how long they will persevere in stressful situations to complete the task. Self-efficacy beliefs about computing may be a factor in whether people choose to get involved in computing. Therefore, self-efficacy is linked to participation rates and hence important to consider in our attempts to understand why people choose to become involved in information technology.