COMPUTER SELF EFFICACY AND COMPUTER ANXIETY OF TRAINEE TEACHERS: ISSUE OF CONCERN Santoshi Halder 1 and Sudip Chaudhuri 2 1 University of Calcutta, Kolkata India, 2 Gandhi Centenary B. T. College, Habra, India santoshi_halder@yahoo.com, chaudhurisudip@yahoo.co.in Recent years have witnessed burgeoning interest in the use of computers as novel tools in the field of education. But practically speaking there is still the need for resolving the hidden psychological barriers of the teachers (computer anxiety, lack of computer self- efficacy etc) who are entrusted with the responsibility to use ICT in classroom. Computer self efficacy means one’s perception of their computer skills about computer use. Nowadays, computers are common tools in most schools, and are being used increasingly in all subject areas. Although some teachers are enthusiastic about using computers, others are more apprehensive. Motivated by this scenario, the present study was undertaken to explore the perception of secondary school teachers of West Bengal regarding their self efficacy in relation to computer use so that to understand their psychological barriers. Keywords: ICT, Teacher trainee, self efficacy, computer anxiety. INTRODUCTION Bandura (1986) defined self-efficacy as “people’s judgments of their capabilities to organize and execute courses of action required to attain designated types of performances. Compeau and Higgins (1995a) defined computer self-efficacy as “a judgment of one’s capability to use a computer”. Also, it is defined as self assessment regarding one’s computer skills (Compeau and Higgins, 1995b). Computers are common tools in most schools and are being used increasingly in all subject areas. Although some teachers are enthusiastic about using computers, others may be more apprehensive. Faculty use of technology is a critical issue in education; administrators and students are expecting faculty instruction to incorporate technology in classroom teaching-learning. Competition is demanding technologically proficient graduates for schools and colleges. Research indicates that computer self-efficacy (CSE) and computer anxiety may be crucial determinant of who uses technology and who does not. Research in the area of student teachers’ knowledge of and attitudes towards computers has been conducted in various contexts over the past decade or so. In studies conducted in the UK during 1987 and 1988 (Summers, 1988, 1990), a substantial minority of students (34% to 43%) admitted to negative feelings about computers. The majority had little or no experience of computer use but generally agreed that knowledge of computers was important for teachers. A comparative study conducted in Australia during 1989 yielded generally similar results (Wilson, 1990) although only 24% of students in that study reported negative feelings about computers. In a longitudinal study of computer literacy skills among students entering a US teacher education course between 1991 and 1997 (Sheffield, 1998), students were asked to rate themselves for several computer related skills. Based on these studies, it seems that student teachers regard computers as being somehow important and useful for their future careers. However, many of them appear to lack confidence in their own capacity to make effective use of computers. An observational study conducted by Diem (1989) found that, although the students had adequate technological knowledge, lack of attention to computer use in methods courses had left them unable to effectively integrate computers into their subject areas. If, as Oliver (1994) suggested, technical competence with computers is not sufficient to ensure teachers’ success with them in the classroom, it may be that the missing ingredient is belief in the capacity to use that competence. In other words, teacher educators need to attend to the development of teachers’ beliefs in their capacity to do what is required to succeed with computers. Gender-related differences toward the use of computers are well established. Males have traditionally dominated the use of computers and their applications in technological fields. Many researchers have attributed