Affective monitoring of Internet learners: Perceived self-efficacy and success

Senior college students in a social psychology course gave weekly self-monitoring reports of their affective reactions to a course-integrated Internet hands-on training program. Six rating scales probed various affective dimensions including, experienced difficulty, negative emotions, value of skills, satisfaction with the Internet, hope of becoming good at using it, and how hard one tried. A sub-variety of affect known as self-efficacy judgments was measured on the first day. Subjects were asked to predict the likelihood of their becoming skilled at surfing the Internet, of finding it easy and fun, and of becoming a competent user of various Internet utilities (email, telnet, FTP, html). The one-third of the group with significantly lower scores on this self-efficacy scale dropped the course in die first three weeks. This finding replicates other studies showing that self-efficacy must reach a criterial level before learning can be successful. Repented measures ANOVA showed significant weekly changes in affect during the eight-week training period. Summative end of semester ratings (week 16) were consistent with the weekly formative ratings. Learning the Internet in a course-integrated setting appears to have its own affective dynamic that can be objectively indexed and investigated. The discussion considers training conditions that facilitate the resolution of normal affective resistance in learning online systems.