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head: COMPUTER ANXIETY IN ADOLESCENTS WITH SPECIFIC

Computer Anxiety in Adolescents with Specific Language Impairment: A Critical Review Chris Law University of British Columbia

COMPUTER ANXIETY IN ADOLESCENTS WITH SPECIFIC Conti-Ramsden, G., Durkin, K., & Walker, A. J. (2010). Computer anxiety: A comparison of

adolescents with and without a history of specific language impairment (SLI). Computers & Education, 54, 136-145.

In Canada, between 2% and 12% of children and youth experience issues related to anxiety, with younger children less than 11 years of age representing the lower percentage and older children between 10 and 15 years of age, representing the higher percentage (Canadas National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth in Tramonte & Willms, 2010). Females attending Canadian middle and high schools report experiencing more anxiety than their male peers (Tramonte & Willms, 2010). Interestingly, Tramonte and Willms (2010) describe Csikszentmihalyis theory of flow, which posits that when an individuals skill level and the level of challenge inherent in a task are in balance, the individual will experience flow and be considered to be thoroughly engaged in the activity. Alternatively, if a student is not in flow, he or she will often experience anxiety or boredom in the classroom. Unfortunately, these authors report that less than half of Canadian students experience flow. That means most of our children experience uncomfortable feelings of anxiety for most or part of every school day. Our children can suffer from a variety of specific anxiety disorders, including, social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia, posttraumatic stress disorder, and separation anxiety disorder (Anxiety BC: Anxiety in Children, 2013). Additionally, Conti-Ramsden, Durkin, and Walker (2010) have written a study describing computer anxiety in adolescents. The feelings and thoughts that often accompany these disorders can make it very difficult for students to function effectively at school. This can be especially true for students who also suffer from various developmental delays or language and

COMPUTER ANXIETY IN ADOLESCENTS WITH SPECIFIC

communication challenges. This critical review addresses a study by Conti-Ramsden et al. (2010) that examines students suffering from specific language impairments (SLI) and computer anxiety. Conti-Ramsden et al. (2010) describe computer anxiety as an individuals feelings of unease, apprehension and fear about computer use. The purpose of their study was to compare computer anxiety in teens with SLI and their typically developing (TD) peers with regard to using a computer for educational purposes at home. They were also interested in whether gender would be a factor as well as adolescent perspectives on computer use, importance, and enjoyment and how these perspectives and attitudes might predict computer anxiety. The authors were interested in computer anxiety and students with SLI due to the significant level of language competence necessary for functional computer use for educational purposes. Much of the user interface requires strong language skills, especially when completing homework assignments. Conti-Ramsden et al. hypothesized that students with weaker language skills might experience higher levels of anxiety when using a computer to complete homework compared to TD peers. There were 55 adolescents between the ages of 16 and 18 years of age with a history of SLI and 72 TD adolescents, aged 16 to 17 years of age, participating in this study. The SLI group had 38 male and 17 female participants whereas the TD group had 41 male and 31 female participants. Interestingly, Conti-Ramsden et al. (2010) report that about 7% of students enter kindergarten with SLI but that number decreases to 3% by adolescence, perhaps allowing for different levels of maturation. The authors describe their criteria for SLI as having a Performance IQ (PIQ) of 80 or more and at least one standardized language test score greater than 1SD below the population mean at one of the longitudinal assessment stages, no sensoryneural hearing loss, English as a first language, and no record of a medical condition likely to affect language. Both groups had to be enrolled in full-time education and had to have a

COMPUTER ANXIETY IN ADOLESCENTS WITH SPECIFIC computer at home with which they could do homework. TD students were matched to the SLI group on socio-economic status (SES) by maternal education and household income. Conti-Ramsden et al. (2010) report that participants were individually assessed and interviewed and had to respond verbally to questions. Ethical approval was obtained from the University of Manchester and informed written consent was obtained for all participants.

Assessments on computer anxiety, computer importance and enjoyment, psycholinguistic ability, perceived ease of computer use, and general anxiety levels were completed. All assessments had good reliability and validity scores. Conti-Ramsden et al. (2010) reported results that indicated that teens with SLI were significantly more anxious than TD teens with regard to computer anxiety. They also found that female students were significantly more anxious than males with regard to computer anxiety. Both groups reported identical levels of computer enjoyment, however, teens with SLI rated the importance of computers significantly higher than TD peers. As might be expected, TD peers had significantly better psycholinguistic scores than youth with SLI and perhaps consequently, youth with SLI reported having more difficulty with educational computer applications like word processing and using Internet search engines compared to TD peers. Overall, the authors found that the participants in the SLI group reported that general anxiety levels, perceived ease of use, and actual language ability were correlated with and predictive of their level of computer anxiety. The only factor that predicted computer anxiety in TD youth was perceived ease of use (ContiRamsdent et al., 2010). Interestingly, though computer anxiety was higher in females than males, it still could not be predicted based on gender. It should be pointed out that Conti-Ramsden et al. (2010) present computer anxiety in the context of using a computer to complete academic work at home. They comment that their

COMPUTER ANXIETY IN ADOLESCENTS WITH SPECIFIC findings should be considered within this framework. This might account for their finding that despite having higher levels of computer anxiety, students with SLI still enjoy computers and believe that they are important to their education. This begs the question that perhaps it isnt the computers that cause the anxiety but rather the homework itself. The authors make no comment about anxiety levels of students when completing homework using low-tech materials like paper and pencil. An obvious opportunity for further research would involve comparing the using a computer for homework and using other non-technological modes of completing homework. Perhaps as well, that the use of computers for recreational purposes like video games and social media create a lasting positive attitude that overshadows the negatives of using them for homework. Conti-Ramsden et al. do point out that general anxiety levels are the biggest predictor of computer anxiety in students with SLI. This begs another question in that is there an actual

differentiation between computer anxiety and general anxiety. Is computer anxiety separate from general anxiety? The only factor that predicted computer anxiety in TD youth was ease of use. One might expect to imagine feelings of anxiety if tasked to complete an important homework assignment on a machine that appeared to be quite difficult to use. Considering that the young people that participated in this study are closer in age to the higher prevalence rates for anxiety that was reported in the introduction of this review (12%) one might expect a significant amount of difficulty meeting educational expectations, especially if they have SLI. This rings very true for the youth that I come into contact with while working in a pediatric mental health hospital. Very few patients that I work with have a history of scholastic success. Many have issues with anxiety, which contribute to avoidance of the situations that elicit the symptoms of anxiety, namely, school. Having to do any type of schoolwork on a computer or

COMPUTER ANXIETY IN ADOLESCENTS WITH SPECIFIC otherwise is often an exercise in frustration and is anxiety provoking. Many of the patients I see

undergo psycholinguistic assessments while admitted and often get diagnosed with some kind of communication or language challenges. Unfortunately, theyve already experienced many instances of failure and frustration with educational expectations and have not been given the support that could have limited or interrupted the process of developing an anxiety disorder, computer related or otherwise. If computer anxiety is actually something distinct from general anxiety then teachers and school counselors need to find ways to support all students, especially those with SLI, to interact with any and all technologies that have the potential to facilitate learning. The ubiquity of computers and technology in schools today is evidence that there is a belief among teachers and administrators of educational advantage and benefits that these tools bring to students. Just as important as supporting students to feel comfortable with using new technologies to further their education, teacher and administrator need to have the awareness of mental health and especially, how children and youth can be affected by mental health issues like anxiety. It sometimes gets assumed that any new technology will be adopted very easily by the youth of our society. According to Conti-Ramsden et al. (2010), not all students fit that assumption and will require other supports to be successful meeting academic expectations. Awareness, understanding and compassion will go a long way in supporting children and youth who suffer from mental health issues and other challenges.

COMPUTER ANXIETY IN ADOLESCENTS WITH SPECIFIC References Anxiety BC: Anxiety in Children. (2013). Retrieved March 30, 2013, from http://www.anxietybc.com/sites/default/files/AnxietyBC-RackCard-AiC1-8.5x11.pdf

Borkovec, T. D., Newman, M. G., Pincus, A., & Lytle, R. (2002). A component analysis of cognitive-behavioral therapy for generalized anxiety disorder and the role of interpersonal problems. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70, 288298. Clark, D. B., Smith, M. G., Neighbors, B. D., Skerlec, L. M., & Randall, J. (1994). Anxiety disorders in adolescence: characteristics, prevalence, and comorbidities. Clinical Psychology Review, 14, 113137. Conti-Ramsden, G., Durkin, K., & Walker, A. J. (2010). Computer anxiety: A comparison of adolescents with and without a history of specific language impairment (SLI). Computers & Education, 54, 136-145. Tremonte, L. & Willms, D. (2010). The prevalence of anxiety among middle and secondary school students in Canada. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 101, (Suppl. 3): S19-22.