TY - JOUR
T1 - A New Tool for Assessing Older Adults’ Wireless Network Proficiency
T2 - The Wireless Network Proficiency Questionnaire
AU - Roque, Nelson A.
AU - Boot, Walter R.
N1 - Funding Information:
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: N.A.R. was supported by National Institute on Aging Grant T32 AG049676 to The Pennsylvania State University. W.R.B. received support from the National Institute on Aging Project CREATE IV—Center for Research and Education on Aging and Technology Enhancement ( www.create-center.org , NIA P01 AG017211).
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2020.
PY - 2021/5
Y1 - 2021/5
N2 - Interacting with information communication technologies (ICTs) often requires proficiency with wireless networks. For older adults especially, lacking proficiency can lock them out of the many benefits afforded by these devices. In an older adult sample (N = 203), we assessed reliability and validated a set of tools to assess wireless network proficiency: the Wireless Network Proficiency Questionnaire (WNPQ; 19 questions) and a short-form (WNPQ-8; eight questions). The WNPQ and WNPQ-8 were found to be reliable and valid, positively related to computer proficiency (r =.63 for both) and mobile device proficiency (r =.75, r =.74), and negatively related to age (r = −.21, r = −.23). WNPQ scores predicted whether participants could report their Wi-Fi credentials (odd ratio = 1.17–1.73). We conclude that the WNPQ may serve as a useful tool for facilitating wireless network training and assessing proficiency in research.
AB - Interacting with information communication technologies (ICTs) often requires proficiency with wireless networks. For older adults especially, lacking proficiency can lock them out of the many benefits afforded by these devices. In an older adult sample (N = 203), we assessed reliability and validated a set of tools to assess wireless network proficiency: the Wireless Network Proficiency Questionnaire (WNPQ; 19 questions) and a short-form (WNPQ-8; eight questions). The WNPQ and WNPQ-8 were found to be reliable and valid, positively related to computer proficiency (r =.63 for both) and mobile device proficiency (r =.75, r =.74), and negatively related to age (r = −.21, r = −.23). WNPQ scores predicted whether participants could report their Wi-Fi credentials (odd ratio = 1.17–1.73). We conclude that the WNPQ may serve as a useful tool for facilitating wireless network training and assessing proficiency in research.
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U2 - 10.1177/0733464820935000
DO - 10.1177/0733464820935000
M3 - Article
C2 - 32623926
AN - SCOPUS:85087441659
SN - 0733-4648
VL - 40
SP - 541
EP - 546
JO - Journal of Applied Gerontology
JF - Journal of Applied Gerontology
IS - 5
ER -