Computer anxiety is one possible barrier to acquisition of computer skills. To rest whether an instructional intervention could decrease computer anxiety while training subjects in basic word-processing skills, instruction was developed according to the minimalist design principles of John Carroll and was compared with a commercially available instructional unit. The design of the experiment was a repeated measures control group with random assignment of subjects. Two instructional sessions were held, separated by 1 month. Subjects were pre- and posttested with respect to computer anxiety during each instructional session. Subjects worked on two similar word-processing tasks, a practice and a transfer task, during the first instructional session and on another similar word-processing task during the second instructional session. Subjects' performances on the word-processing tasks were scored according to a performance checklist. For the experimental group, there was a statistically significant decrease in computer anxiety immediately following the first instructional treatment. For the control group, there was also a decrease in computer anxiety, but this occurred over the I-month experimental time-frame. Both experimental and control treatments were equally effective in training subjects to perform the word-processing tasks. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd
