[Blindmath] Off topic: Seeking ideas to measure computer literacyamong Blind students of a Pakistani University.

[Debbie Willis]

Greetings, Faiz-
I think your idea to study computer literacy among blind students is an excellent idea.

I think you need to define "computer literacy" so that you know what you want to ask, and so the respondents know exactly what information you are needing from them.

Do you want to ask anything about "How many years have you been using computers?" "How much time per week do you use a computer?" "What classes or training have you received in using a computer?"  I think with this type of background info you will be able to make conclusions such as "students who have been using computers for at least two years are more likely to be computer literate...."

Be sure to include a cover letter with your questionnaire so that students know the purpose and importance of the study, and how the info/results will be used, and whether or not you plan to keep their individual responses confidential.

Once you have a near final draft of the questionnaire, it is very good practice to have a few people complete it...so you see if they complete it in such a way that it gives you the information you are needing, and to see if there is anything you understand about the questions but that does not seem to be clear to the respondents.

Best Wishes,
Debbie

-----Original Message-----
From: blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Faiz Rasool
Sent: Thursday, November 11, 2010 8:06 AM
To: Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics
Subject: [Blindmath] Off topic: Seeking ideas to measure computer literacyamong Blind students of a Pakistani University.

Hi All:

Apologies for an off-topic post.

I'm planning to study computer literacy among Blind students studying in University of Karachi. I want to develop a measure in form of a questionnaire to assess it. I am not aware of any existing questionnaire that has been specifically designed to measure computer literacy of Blind University students. 

I've sent this email to this list for two reasons: Firstly I  would like to share my ideas  on how I plan to design the questionnaire and get some comments. Secondly many of the members on this list have conducted or are presently conducting researches so I guess I can receive valuable feedback. 

reason for trying to conduct this research:

I want to study computer literacy in University of Karachi because I've observed that it is quite low. As a result  Blind students are not able to search the internet for information, type assignments and use email for communication. So they rely on help of fellow students. 

How I plan to design a questionnaire:

I want to include some questions on the knowledge of using word processors e.g. WordPad and Microsoft Word, of browsing the web, of using their screen reader and of operating system being used. 

Should I include questions on any other aspect of computer use? Have I,  in your opinion, ignored something which is important when studying computer  literacy   among Blind students?

Any feedback is most appreciated. Because this is an off-topic post so I'm happy if any member replies me off-list.

Regards,
Faiz.
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