Factors affecting the motivation of high school students to learn to use computers were examined in this study. The subjects were 160 students enrolled in a large city high school, 89 females and 71 males who represented five ethnic groups--White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, and American Indian. The majority of subjects had prior computer coursework or other computer-related experience. A Computer Attribution Scale and a Computer Attitude Scale were developed to examine the use and study of computers in this population by modifying the Mathematics Attribution Scale of Fennema, Wolleat, and Pedro, and the Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitude Scale, respectively. Two separate path analyses were performed on the data in the current study, one model using the variable "coursework" and the other using the variable "proficiency" as the sole endogenous variables. In both cases, eight attribute variables and four attitude variables served as precursor or exogenous variables. All calculations were completed using the SPSS-X Regression procedure. Findings indicated that both models showed redundancy, and two reduced models were developed through theory trimming; for the variable "coursework," the reduced model showed an excellent fit to the data, but for the variable "proficiency," three of the retained paths were positive and one path was negative. Two major conclusions of the study are that early exposure to computers should take place in a high success environment, and that it should stress both the enjoyment and utility that one may experience with computers. One table and four figures are provided. (24 references) (CGD)