Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Thesis Format

Integrated Article

Degree

Master of Arts

Program

Education

Supervisor

Kim, Mi S.

Abstract

Digital technologies have brought about a remarkable shift in early childhood learning. Among different technological devices, touchscreens have attracted special interest among young children given their intuitiveness and interactive features. However, the existing empirical findings regarding the effect of this technology on young children’s learning are not consistent. Touchscreen technologies have been also postulated to have the potential for transforming learning experiences. However, there is a dearth of research explicating if the transformative potentials of touchscreens are benefited in early learning and examining the factors/conditions contributing to the improvement of young children's learning with touchscreens. To address these gaps in the literature, the present research was performed using an integrated format, consisting of an already published systematic review on the effect of touchscreens on early learning and a meta-analysis/systematic review. This research targeted four relevant objectives: 1) to provide comprehensive up-to-date evidence of the pooled effect of touchscreen technology on early childhood learning, 2) to investigate the effect of factors/conditions acting as potential moderators on young children's learning with touchscreens, 3) to provide an up-to-date systematic review of how touchscreens are integrated into early childhood education based on the SAMR framework, and 4) to explore if the touchscreen integration levels (i.e., transformative and enhancement levels of SAMR) vary the effect of learning with these devices. The meta-analysis estimated the overall effect of touchscreen devices on the learning performance of 2- to 8-year-old children and examined the moderators of this effect, based on 59 effect sizes derived from 57 empirical articles. The overall analysis was indicative of a significant touchscreen learning effect (d=0.48), demonstrating the beneficial effect of learning with touchscreens for young children. Furthermore, the moderator analysis revealed that learning domain, adult’s feedback, and technology integration level significantly moderated the impact of touchscreens on early learning outcomes. Research implications give different stakeholders, such as instructional designers, educators, and teachers, insights into the impact of touchscreens on early learning under different conditions to benefit from these educational tools for improving early learning.

Summary for Lay Audience

Digital technologies have remarkably shifted childhood environments and learning experiences. Among different technological devices, touchscreens have attracted special interest among young children because of their intuitiveness and interactive features. The present research consists of an already published systematic review (on the effect of touchscreens on early learning) and a meta-analysis/systematic review. This research targeted four relevant objectives: 1) to provide comprehensive up-to-date evidence of the pooled effect of touchscreen technology on early childhood learning, 2) to investigate the effect of factors/conditions acting as potential moderators on young children's learning with touchscreens, 3) to provide an up-to-date systematic review of how touchscreens are integrated into early childhood education based on the SAMR framework, and 4) to explore if the touchscreen integration levels (i.e., transformative and enhancement levels of SAMR) vary the effect of learning with these devices. The meta-analysis estimated the overall effect of touchscreen devices on the learning performance of 2- to 8-year-old children and examined the moderators of this effect, based on 59 effect sizes derived from 57 empirical articles. The overall analysis demonstrated the beneficial effect of learning with touchscreens for young children (d=0.48). Furthermore, the moderator analysis revealed that learning domain, adult’s feedback, and technology integration level significantly affected children’s learning with touchscreens. This research can give teachers/educators and policy makers insights into the impact of touchscreens on early childhood learning under different conditions.

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