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Internet Usage (internet + usage)
Selected AbstractsComputer Self-Efficacy and Motivation to Learn in a Self-Directed Online CourseDECISION SCIENCES JOURNAL OF INNOVATIVE EDUCATION, Issue 1 2009Marcia J. Simmering ABSTRACT Despite the increased use of new learning technologies, there is still much to be learned about the role of learner characteristics in online learning. The purpose of this study was to examine how subjects' characteristics normally associated with effective training (i.e., initial motivation to learn and self-efficacy) related to learning in a self-directed online course. From an analysis of 190 respondents, computer and Internet usage prior to the start of class were positively related to individuals' computer self-efficacy and computer self-efficacy was positively related to learning. However, contrary to expectations, computer self-efficacy was not related to initial motivation to learn and motivation to learn was not related to learning in the class. Post hoc analysis of qualitative data enabled a rich explanation of the findings, including an evaluation of the unexpected relationships among the variables of interest and the nature of self-directed courses in virtual learning environments. [source] Holiday users of the Internet , ease of use, functionality and noveltyINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TOURISM RESEARCH, Issue 4 2008Chris Ryan Abstract This study is based upon a sample of 517 international visitors to New Zealand. It suggests that Internet usage is based upon perceived usefulness and ease of system use. Of additional importance is user confidence about system security. Functional issues of purchasing seem to take priority over information search as users become more familiar with web pages. An additional finding is that entertainment needs are arguably better met by other Internet functions than those provided by destination web pages. Novelty on the Net is perhaps sought from specific sources, and not from the Net generally. Implications are discussed for both measurement and marketing. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Determinants of Intercountry Internet Diffusion RatesAMERICAN JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS AND SOCIOLOGY, Issue 2 2009Phanindra V. Wunnava This article employs cross-sectional data from 100 countries to analyze the main determinants of intercountry Internet diffusion rates. We set up an empirical model based on strong theoretical foundations, in which we regress Internet usage on variables that capture social, economic, and political differences between these countries. Our results support past findings that economic strength, infrastructure, and knowledge of the English language positively affect Internet connectivity. In addition to these indicators, the openness of a country, tertiary enrollment, and income equality are found to also have a significant positive effect on Internet diffusion. [source] Causal relationship between Internet use and social capital in JapanASIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2008Kakuko Miyata Based on longitudinal data collected from a random sample panel survey, the present study found that different types of Internet usage are differentially related to social networks. The more social ties people have, the more likely they are to use personal computer (PC) email, and the use of PC email increases social ties. The results also show that the more supportive ties people have, the more they tend to use mobile phone email; however, it does not prove the use of mobile phone email increases supportive ties. However, participation in an online community is not related social networks. These findings suggest that PC email may increase the size of personal social networks, whereas mobile phone email is useful in maintaining existing strong ties which provide social support. [source] The relationship between self-reported health status and the increasing likelihood of South Australians seeking Internet health informationAUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 4 2010Nova Reinfeld-Kirkman Abstract Objective: To determine the proportion of South Australians seeking health information on the Internet and the relationship between searches for health information and self-reported health status. Methods: Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 3,034 South Australians in 2008 using a clustered, multi-stage, self-weighting area sample. Results: Compared to 2001, rates of Internet usage were 48% higher and Internet health seeking increased by 57%. All participant categories, except those in school or younger than 25, showed an increase in use of the Internet and online health information seeking. In multiple logistic regression, poorer self-reported physical and mental health were associated with greater likelihood of Internet health information searches but also less use of the Internet. Conclusions: South Australians' use of the Internet as a source of health information has risen between 2001 and 2008, even among groups that historically made little use of the Internet to search for health information. In Australia, health information on the Internet may be appropriately targeted towards groups who have previously been under-serviced in this medium. [source] Proposed diagnostic criteria for internet addictionADDICTION, Issue 3 2010Ran Tao ABSTRACT Objective The objective of this study was to develop diagnostic criteria for internet addiction disorder (IAD) and to evaluate the validity of our proposed diagnostic criteria for discriminating non-dependent from dependent internet use in the general population. Methods This study was conducted in three stages: the developmental stage (110 subjects in the survey group; 408 subjects in the training group), where items of the proposed diagnostic criteria were developed and tested; the validation stage (n = 405), where the proposed criteria were evaluated for criterion-related validity; and the clinical stage (n = 150), where the criteria and the global clinical impression of IAD were evaluated by more than one psychiatrist to determine inter-rater reliability. Results The proposed internet addiction diagnostic criteria consisted of symptom criterion (seven clinical symptoms of IAD), clinically significant impairment criterion (functional and psychosocial impairments), course criterion (duration of addiction lasting at least 3 months, with at least 6 hours of non-essential internet usage per day) and exclusion criterion (exclusion of dependency attributed to psychotic disorders). A diagnostic score of 2 + 1, where the first two symptoms (preoccupation and withdrawal symptoms) and at least one of the five other symptoms (tolerance, lack of control, continued excessive use despite knowledge of negative effects/affects, loss of interests excluding internet, and use of the internet to escape or relieve a dysphoric mood) was established. Inter-rater reliability was 98%. Conclusion Our findings suggest that the proposed diagnostic criteria may be useful for the standardization of diagnostic criteria for IAD. [source] The effect of information and communication technologies on urban structureECONOMIC POLICY, Issue 54 2008Yannis M. Ioannides SUMMARY Cities This paper examines the effects of information and communication technologies (ICT) on urban structure. Improvements in ICT may lead to changes in urban structure, for example, because they reduce the costs of communicating ideas from a distance. Hence, they may weaken local agglomeration forces and thus provide incentives for economic activity to relocate to smaller urban centres. We use international data on city size distributions in different countries and on country-level characteristics to test the effect of ICT. We find robust evidence that increases in the number of telephone lines per capita encourage the spatial dispersion of population in that they lead to a more concentrated distribution of city sizes. So far the evidence on internet usage is more speculative, although it goes in the same direction. We argue that the internet is likely to have similar, or even larger, effects on urban structures once its use has spread more thoroughly through different economies. , Yannis M. Ioannides, Henry G. Overman, Esteban Rossi-Hansberg and Kurt Schmidheiny [source] | |||||||||||||