Mind the Emotional Gap: The Impact of Emotional Costs on Student Learning Outcomes
Communication and Information Technologies Annual
ISBN: 978-1-78560-381-5, eISBN: 978-1-78560-380-8
Publication date: 12 December 2015
Abstract
Purpose
This paper makes a significant contribution to the growing field of digital inequality research by developing an operational definition of emotional costs. To examine this understudied aspect of digital inequalities, we build on Van Dijk’s concept of mental access. We define emotional costs as anxiety toward using information and communication technologies instigated by a lack of prior technology experience and limited computer access.
Methodology/approach
We examined the influence of emotional costs on lower-income students’ technology efficacy, academic efficacy, and computer application proficiency in the context of a computing intervention. Specifically, we examined the relationship between home and school computer usage with self-perceived technology efficacy, computer application proficiency, and academic efficacy. Data from surveys of 972 students were analyzed in order to better understand the importance of technology access on our outcome variables. We also investigated the possible mediation effects of emotional costs on our outcome variables.
Findings
The results revealed that home computer usage was a determinant of students’ self-perceived technology efficacy while shared school access was not. After conducting mediation tests, the results further indicated that emotional costs mediate the effects of home computer usage on technology efficacy.
Originality/value
We conclude that emotional costs might help explain why access inequalities lead to skill inequalities in the context of computing interventions and offer a replicable operational definition for future studies.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgment
This work was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (DRL-1404467; Shelia R. Cotten, PI). The views expressed in this manuscript reflect those of the authors and not the National Science Foundation.
Citation
Huang, K.-T., Robinson, L. and Cotten, S.R. (2015), "Mind the Emotional Gap: The Impact of Emotional Costs on Student Learning Outcomes", Communication and Information Technologies Annual (Studies in Media and Communications, Vol. 10), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 121-144. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2050-206020150000010005
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2015 Emerald Group Publishing Limited