Abstract
Formally equivalent subjective and objective versions of a prolog relational database resource were developed, and two experiments compared the effects of working with these on fourteen- to fifteen-year-old children's attitudes to computers. Both experiments involved a simulated project on pop records. In each experiment, use of a subjective (preference/opinion data) version of the resource was associated with greater attitudinal gains than use of an objective (public/verifiable data) version. With girls and boys equated on initial (relatively low) attitude scores, the effect of database type did not differ between sexes. In the second (repeated measures) experiment, a forced-choice behavioral measure confirmed a preference for the subjective version of the resource. Educational implications of the obtained effects are discussed.
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