Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Thesis Format

Monograph

Degree

Master of Education

Program

Education

Supervisor

DeCoito, Isha

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic forced significant educational process changes, shifting the emphasis from traditional in-person instruction to online learning. This study analyzes the impact of the Khan Academy Kids learning application on elementary students' anxiety and problem-solving skills in the aftermath of the pandemic. The study explores the efficacy of digital games, essential crisis-related knowledge and skills, as well as the usefulness of various digital learning strategies for elementary school students.

A mixed-method research approach was used to answer the research questions. The Constructivist Learning Theory and Scaffolding Theory of Learning were used as conceptual frameworks in the research. The study found the Khan Academy Kid app enhances students' engagement, teamwork, and problem-solving abilities. Results imply that adaptability, problem-solving skills, resilience, and emotional stability are vital in a crisis. Although the platform may reduce anxiety and positively impact student engagement, it struggles to address complex forms of anxiety, underscoring a need for enhanced anxiety management solutions.

Summary for Lay Audience

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the education landscape underwent a seismic shift, particularly for elementary school students. Virtual classrooms quickly took the place of traditional ones. This study was designed to explore how Khan Academy Kids, a digital learning application, could impact elementary students' anxiety levels and enhance their problem-solving skills in this new educational terrain.

The study used a mixed-method approach to research, including observations, surveys, and teacher interviews to gain insights. It incorporated two educational theories as guiding frameworks: the scaffolding theory, which emphasizes the role of a more experienced individual providing support to facilitate learner progress and the utilization of prior knowledge while acquiring new information and concepts, and the constructivist learning theory, which highlights learning as an active process where students construct new knowledge based on their existing knowledge.

Based on the results, Khan Academy Kids was identified as an effective tool for engaging students. Its interactive, game-based structure contributed positively to students’ problem-solving skills and collaborative abilities. Students were more likely to understand ideas because of the application's simulation of a dynamic learning environment. However, the application's effect on students' anxiety levels was more complex and warrants further research.

The complexity of the Khan Academy Kids application's effects on students' anxiety levels can be largely attributed to its self-paced learning and immediate feedback features. These elements foster confidence and independence among students.

Thus, Khan Academy Kids exhibits its potential to decrease anxieties that are directly linked to the learning process. Given separation anxiety is linked to emotional ties and factors that exist outside of the environment of education, the Khan Academy Kids application effectiveness was limited in this particular field. This demonstrates the complexity of anxiety and the need for comprehensive strategies that address different facets of students' psychological well-being.

In conclusion, in a post-pandemic environment, Khan Academy Kids shows potential as a useful educational tool for building problem-solving abilities and lowering particular types of anxiety among elementary students.

Download

Share

COinS