Conceptions of computers among students in China and Sweden

摘要

This article examines the conceptions Chinese and Swedish psychology and computer science students have of computers. The results show differences in conceptions between the countries, but not between study areas. The Chinese students were somewhat more optimistic about the effect of computers on society than were the Swedish students. However, this result was not consistent for all relevant items in the questionnaire. Other results show that humans and computers appeared more similar for the Chinese students than for the Swedish students. The results are discussed in general theoretical terms as well as from a practical perspective concerning how the differences found may affect the computer implementation process.