Can touchscreens replace teachers? Chinese children's character learning from a touchscreen-based app, video, or face-to-face instruction

Given the increasing prevalence of touchscreen devices that are intended for educational purposes, this study explored children's transfer of learning from touchscreen media compared with video and offline face-to-face learning. A total of 76 5- and 6-year-old Chinese kindergarten children (M = 68.21 months, SD = 3.57, range = 62-76; 30 boys and 46 girls) were randomly assigned to learn eight Chinese characters using a touchscreen-based app, using a video, or through face-to-face interaction. Learning was measured via the recall task scores, recognition task scores, recall efficiency, and recognition efficiency. The results revealed that children's recall and recognition task scores improved when learning took place using the touchscreen or face-to-face interaction. Children's recall efficiency and recognition efficiency were strongest in the face-to-face condition, followed by the touchscreen condition and then the video condition. The effects of instructional format on children's recall and recognition scores and recall efficiency were moderated by age; younger children's recall and recognition scores in the face-to-face condition and the touchscreen condition were significantly higher than in the video condition, yet older children's recall and recognition scores did not differ between conditions. However, for recall efficiency, younger children's recall efficiency in the face-to-face condition and the touchscreen condition was significantly higher than in the video condition; older children's recall efficiency in the face-to-face condition was higher than in both the touchscreen condition and the video condition. In conclusion, both face-to-face interaction and a touchscreen-based app were helpful ways for children to learn Chinese characters compared with video, but face-to-face learning showed advantages over touchscreen learning in recall efficiency for older children.

Education in Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: Design and Feasibility Study of the LapBot Safe Chole Mobile Game

BACKGROUND

 Major bile duct injuries during laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC), often stemming from errors in surgical judgment and visual misperception of critical anatomy, significantly impact morbidity, mortality, disability, and health care costs.

OBJECTIVE

 To enhance safe LC learning, we developed an educational mobile game, LapBot Safe Chole, which uses an artificial intelligence (AI) model to provide real-time coaching and feedback, improving intraoperative decision-making.

METHODS

 LapBot Safe Chole offers a free, accessible simulated learning experience with real-time AI feedback. Players engage with intraoperative LC scenarios (short video clips) and identify ideal dissection zones. After the response, users receive an accuracy score from a validated AI algorithm. The game consists of 5 levels of increasing difficulty based on the Parkland grading scale for cholecystitis.

RESULTS

 Beta testing (n=29) showed score improvements with each round, with attendings and senior trainees achieving top scores faster than junior residents. Learning curves and progression distinguished candidates, with a significant association between user level and scores (P=.003). Players found LapBot enjoyable and educational.

CONCLUSIONS

 LapBot Safe Chole effectively integrates safe LC principles into a fun, accessible, and educational game using AI-generated feedback. Initial beta testing supports the validity of the assessment scores and suggests high adoption and engagement potential among surgical trainees.

Home Learning Environment and Screen Time Differentially Mediate the Relationship Between Socioeconomic Status and Preschoolers' Learning and Behavioural Profiles

Environmental variables related to the home context, including home literacy and numeracy, screen exposure and Socioeconomic Status (SES) are potential risks or protective factors for children's academic achievements and behaviour. The present multi-informant study aims to contribute to this issue by investigating SES's direct and indirect relationships in early learning (i.e., literacy, numeracy, and cognitive) and behavioural skills within a large sample of young children. One parent and one teacher for each of 1660 preschoolers filled out a questionnaire investigating SES, tablet and TV use, home learning activities, behavioural problems/strengths (parents' questionnaire), and children's learning skills and behaviour (teachers' questionnaire). Results of path analysis showed that tablet time and home learning environment mediate the effect of SES on early learning as assessed by teachers; as for the home learning environment, it was also a mediator of the relationship between SES and behavioural problems. Implications of these results for research in the field and educational policies are discussed.

"When you're hurt and you need serious help you call 999." Educating children about emergency services and appropriate use of 999: An evaluation study of the Blue Light Hub app

OBJECTIVES

In the face of unprecedented demand, the Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust developed 'Blue Light Hub': a new app to educate primary school-aged children about emergency services. Our overarching aim was to examine the effectiveness of the app.

DESIGN

Primary school-aged children from three schools in South Wales, UK, played with the app for 2 hours over 2 weeks in class time. Children completed quizzes to assess their knowledge and awareness of, and confidence in engaging with, emergency services before and after using the app.

PARTICIPANTS

Our evaluation focused on N=393 children who completed both the pre-test and post-test quizzes. On average, children were 8-9 years old (median school year, Year 4); 47.8% were male and 50.9% were female.

RESULTS

After using the app, there was a significant increase in the proportion of children who knew of appropriate actions to take in non-emergency scenarios, χ2(1) = 26.01, and could provide a question a call handler would ask them if they called 999, χ2(1) = 13.79. There was also an increase in the proportion of children who could identify an National Health Service (NHS) service that could help them if they were unwell, χ2(1) = 33.31, name different roles in the NHS, χ2(1) = 12.80 and knew how dialling 111 could help them χ2(1) = 90.05 (all p values<0.001).

CONCLUSION

To our knowledge, Blue Light Hub is the first app of its kind designed to educate primary school-aged children about emergency services. Our findings provide preliminary evidence that the app supports children's knowledge and awareness of emergency services.

A systematic review of mobile device use in the primary school classroom and impact on pupil literacy and numeracy attainment: A systematic review

Background

Investment in mobile devices to support primary or elementary education is increasing and must be informed by robust evidence to demonstrate impact. This systematic review of randomised controlled trials sought to identify the overall impact of mobile devices to support literacy and numeracy outcomes in mainstream primary classrooms.

Objectives

The aim of this systematic review was to understand how mobile devices are used in primary/elementary education around the world, and in particular, determine how activities undertaken using mobile devices in the primary classroom might impact literacy and numeracy attainment for the pupils involved. Within this context, mobile devices are defined as tablets (including iPads and other branded devices), smartphones (usually those with a touchscreen interface and internet connectivity) and handheld games consoles (again usually with touchscreen and internet-enabled). The interventions of interest were those aimed at improving literacy and/or numeracy for children aged 4-12 within the primary/elementary school (or equivalent) classroom.Specifically, the review aimed to answer the following research questions: -What is the effect of mobile device integration in the primary school classroom on children's literacy and numeracy outcomes?-Are there specific devices which are more effective in supporting literacy and numeracy? (Tablets, smartphones, or handheld games consoles)-Are there specific classroom integration activities which moderate effectiveness in supporting literacy and numeracy?-Are there specific groups of children for whom mobile devices are more effective in supporting literacy and numeracy? (Across age group and gender).-Do the benefits of mobile devices for learning last for any time beyond the study?-What is the quality of available evidence on the use of mobile devices in primary/elementary education, and where is further research needed in this regard? An Expert Advisory Group supported the review process at key stages to ensure relevance to current practice.

Search Methods

The search strategy was designed to retrieve both published and unpublished literature, and incorporated relevant journal and other databases with a focus on education and social sciences. Robust electronic database searches were undertaken (12 databases, including APA PsychInfo, Web of Science, ERIC, British Education Index and others, and relevant government and other websites), as well as a hand-search of relevant journals and conference proceedings. Contact was also made with prominent authors in the field to identify any ongoing or unpublished research. All searches and author contact took place between October and November 2020. The review team acknowledges that new studies will likely have emerged since and are not captured at this time. A further update to the review in the future is important and would build on the evidence reflected here.

Selection Criteria

The review included children within mainstream primary/elementary/kindergarten education settings in any country (aged 4-12), and interventions or activities initiated within the primary school classroom (or global equivalent) that used mobile devices (including tablets, smartphones, or hand-held gaming devices) to intentionally support literacy or numeracy learning. In terms of study design, only Randomised Controlled Trials were included in the review.

Data Collection and Analysis

A total of 668 references were identified through a robust search strategy including published and unpublished literature. Following duplicate screening, 18 relevant studies, including 11,126 participants, 14 unique interventions, and 46 relevant outcome measures were synthesised using Robust Variance Estimation and a random effects meta-analysis model. Risk of Bias assessment was undertaken by three reviewers using the ROB2 tool to assess the quality of studies, with 13 studies rated as having some concerns, and 5 as having high risk of bias. Qualitative data was also extracted and analysed in relation to the types of interventions included to allow a comparison of the key elements of each.

Main Results

A positive, statistically significant combined effect was found (Cohen's d = 0.24, CI 0.0707 to 0.409, p < 0.01), demonstrating that in the studies and interventions included, children undertaking maths or literacy interventions using mobile devices achieved higher numeracy or literacy outcomes than those using an alternative device (e.g., a laptop or desktop computer) or no device (class activities as usual). However these results should be interpreted with caution given the risk of bias assessment noted above (5 studies rated high risk of bias and 13 rated as having some concerns). As the interventions and classroom circumstances differed quite widely, further research is needed to understand any potential impact more fully.Sensitivity analysis aimed to identify moderating factors including age or gender, screen size, frequency/dosage of intervention exposure, and programme implementation features/activities (based on Puentedura's [2009] SAMR model of technology integration). There were too few studies identified to support quantitative analysis of sufficient power to draw robust conclusions on moderating factors, and insufficient data to determine impact beyond immediate post-test period. Sensitivty analysis was also undertaken to exclude the five studies identified as having a high risk of bias, to identify any impact they may have on overall findings.

Authors' Conclusions

Overall, this review demonstrates that for the specific interventions and studies included, mobile device use in the classroom led to a significant, positive effect on literacy and numeracy outcomes for the children involved, bringing positive implications for their continued use in primary education. However given the concerns on risk of bias assessment reported above, the differing circumstances, interventions and treatment conditions and intensities, the findings must be interpreted with caution. The review also supports the need for further robust research to better understand what works, under what circumstances, and for whom, in the use of mobile devices to support learning.

Study protocol for Hear Me Read (HMR): A prospective clinical trial assessing a digital storybook intervention for young children who are deaf or hard of hearing

Since the early 2000's, digital reading applications have enhanced the language and literacy skills of typically hearing young children; however, no digital storybook intervention currently exists to scaffold the early language and literacy skills of their peers who are deaf or hard of hearing. To address this gap, our research team developed a novel digital storybook intervention called Hear Me Read with the aim of enhancing the therapeutic, language, and literacy benefits of speech-language therapy. This prospective clinical trial (registered at clinicaltrials.gov, NCT#: 05245799) aims to determine the efficacy of adding Hear Me Read to in-person speech-language therapy for children aged three to five years who are deaf or hard of hearing. Fifty caregivers, their child, and their child's treating speech-language pathologist participate in the trial for 12 months. In the first six months, children attend standard-of-care speech-language therapy sessions. In the second six months, children continue to attend standard-of-care speech-language therapy sessions and use the Hear Me Read application, via a study supplied iPad. The primary outcome of this trial is that, compared to in-person speech-language therapy alone, in-person speech-language therapy with Hear Me Read will improve vocabulary, speech, and language outcomes in children aged three to five years who are deaf or hard of hearing. The secondary outcome is that, compared to in-person speech-language therapy alone, in-person speech-language therapy with Hear Me Read will improve literacy outcomes in children aged three to five years who are deaf or hard of hearing. The goal of this intervention is to help children who are deaf or hard of hearing achieve their vocabulary, speech, language, and literacy goals through interactive digital storybook reading.

Enhancing computational thinking in early childhood education through ScratchJr integration

A plethora of programming platforms purports to teach preschool-aged children computational thinking (CT) and coding skills. However, the empirical evidence to support their effectiveness is still in its early stages. A three-week didactic intervention using ScratchJr was conducted to investigate its effectiveness in fostering CT and rudimentary coding skills in a cohort of preschool children (N = 34, aged 4-6 years). While the initial performance mean of the control group (M = 7.07, SD = 2.58) exhibits a statistically significant elevation t (22.64 = 2.23, p = 0.036) vis-à-vis the experimental group (M = 5.35, SD = 1.58), t (22.64) = 2.23, p = 0.0 the terminal performance means of both groups converge closely. However, meticulous data analysis unveils a statistically notable enhancement among preschool participants exposed to the educational intervention involving ScratchJr. Notably, both instructional modalities appear commensurate in nurturing elementary computational tenets, namely modularity and control structures. The experimental cohort outperforms the control group with statistical significance in comprehending potent ideational constructs encompassing representation, algorithms, and hardware/software interplay. Conversely, the control group performs better in grasping the debugging concept than their experimental counterparts. The outcomes lend substantive credence to the efficacy of the distinct programming milieu offered by ScratchJr, underscoring its effectiveness in cultivating CT and coding proficiencies within the preschool demographic.

Fostering retention of word learning: The number of training sessions children retrieve words positively relates to post-training retention

During vocabulary instruction, it is important to teach words until their representations are robust enough to be retained. For adults, the number of training sessions a target item is successfully retrieved during training predicts the likelihood of post-training retention. To assess this relationship in children, we reanalyzed data from Gordon et al. (2021b, 2022). Four- to six-year-old children completed six training days with word form-object pairs and were tested one month later. Results indicate that the number of training sessions that a word form was retrieved was positively related to post-training retention. We discuss implications for vocabulary instruction and interventions.

Examining Profiles of U.S. Children's Screen Time and Associations with Academic Skills

Children's screen time (ST) increased in recent years, but investigations of the content and context (e.g., parental presence, and device type) of ST in predicting early academic skills remains understudied. In this study of 127 four- and five-year-olds, we examined whether the educational content and contextual information about children's ST from time diary interviews at age 4 predicted direct assessments of academic skills at age five. Cluster analyses detected three unique groups: Cluster One was "lowest ST and highest non-educational TV, with little parental presence," Cluster Two was "moderate ST and highest educational mobile devices, with moderate parental presence," and Cluster Three was "highest total ST and moderate educational ST and high parental presence." Children in Cluster Two scored significantly higher in literacy skills at age five than peers in Cluster One and Cluster Three. Children in Cluster One scored significantly higher in spatial skills compared to those in Cluster Three. No significant associations were detected between children's ST and number skills. Findings suggest that educational content and contextual features of ST combine in meaningful ways and appear to better predict children's literacy and spatial skills compared to variable-centered approaches. Methodological implications of this research and future directions are discussed.

Fraction Ball impact on student and teacher math talk and behavior

We assessed the impacts of Fraction Ball-a novel suite of games combining the benefits of embodied guided play for math learning-on the math language production and behavior of students and teachers. In the Pilot Experiment, 69 fifth and sixth graders were randomly assigned to play four different Fraction Ball games or attend normal physical education class. The Efficacy Experiment was implemented to test improvements made through co-design with teachers with 160 fourth through sixth graders. Researchers observed and coded for use of math language and behavior. Playing Fraction Ball resulted in consistent increases of students' and teachers' use of fraction (SDs = 0.98-2.42) and decimal (SDs = 0.65-1.64) language and number line arithmetic, but not in whole number, spatial language, counting, instructional gesturing, questioning, and planning. We present evidence of the math language production in physical education and value added by Fraction Ball to support rational number language and arithmetic through group collaboration.

Mathlete: an adaptive assistive technology tool for children with dyscalculia

PURPOSE

The use of technology in teaching and learning process for children is gaining importance. Children with specific learning disabilities have shown positive results with assistive technology tools. Dyscalculia is a specific learning disability in which an individual faces problem in mathematical skills. Around 3-7% of the world population is affected with it. The aim of the current research study is to determine the effectiveness of an assistive technology tool, Mathlete on children with dyscalculia's early numeracy skills. Such assistive technology tools can serve as a boon for these children.

METHOD

A total of 40 children with dyscalculia (Mage = 6.8 years) were a part of the study. The group of 40 children were randomly divided into two groups: experiment group using mathlete for improving their learning (30 children) and a control group using only traditional teaching for learning (10 children). The children were screened for dyscalculia using the screening module of mathlete.

RESULTS

The two groups showed no significant difference in terms of their socio-economic status, gender and parents education level. Children in the experiment group showed improvement from pre-test to post-test after using mathlete. Also, there was significant difference in learning of both the groups, children in experiment group could understand the concepts better than the ones in control group.

CONCLUSION

Mathlete helped improve the mathematical learning of children with dyscalculia from pre-test to post-test.

A hop, skip and a jump towards evaluating social interaction and learning through play at a child and adolescent inpatient treatment program

BACKGROUND

The number of inpatient mental health facilities for children and adolescents in the United States is growing rapidly. While undergoing inpatient treatment, children and adolescents can benefit from innovative play opportunities designed to foster social interaction and learning.

METHODS

The Playful Learning Landscapes (PLL) initiative is a group of projects designed to transform everyday spaces into opportunities for playful learning. As a part of this initiative, two designs-Lifesize Ruler and Jumping Feet-were installed in an inpatient mental health facility for children and adolescents in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States.

RESULTS

Results of pre-installation and post-installation naturalistic observations suggested that social interactions, the use of STEM-related language and 21st century skills, including confidence, increased after interacting with the installations.

CONCLUSIONS

While previous research on PLL projects has demonstrated the efficacy of transforming public spaces into places for playful learning, this research provides support that, even in private, targeted settings, using a trauma-informed approach, children and adolescents, can reap the benefits of playful learning.

Clustering and Switching in Semantic Verbal Fluency: Their Development and Relationship with Word Productivity in Typically Developing Greek-Speaking Children and Adolescents

Performance in semantic verbal fluency (SVF) tasks, mainly measured by the number of words of a particular semantic category produced within a limited time, is a widely accepted measure of cognitive functioning used in the neuropsychological assessment of children and adults. Two strategic processes, Clustering and Switching (C&S) have been proposed to underlie fluency processes and affect performance in the task. However, few studies have reported on the development of those cognitive strategies and their relationship with word productivity in typically developing children. Even fewer studies have covered a broad developmental period from preschool to adolescence or measured the effect of contextual factors in this relationship. Based on a sample of 472 typically developing Greek-speaking children aged 4;0 to 16;11 years, we investigated the development of SVF performance and reported on the degree to which it is affected by C&S strategies, children's sex, and level of parental education. Results revealed a large effect of age on word productivity and on the use of C&S strategies. Two switching factors (number of clusters and number of switches) and two clustering factors (mean cluster size and a novel measure, maximum cluster size), appeared to be significantly associated with word productivity, with the largest effect being attributed to the two switching factors. C&S factors, together with children's age and parental education, predicted 91.7% of the variance in the SVF score. Children's sex was not found to have a significant effect on either word productivity or C&S strategies. Results are discussed for their theoretical implications on the strategic processes underlying word production in typically developing children.

Case Report: A playful digital-analogical rehabilitative intervention to enhance working memory capacity and executive functions in a pre-school child with autism

Background

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is often associated with deficits in Working Memory Capacity (WMC) and Executive Functions (EFs), as early as the first years of life. Research has shown that, even young children with ASD, WMC and EF deficits can be effectively addressed through interventions employing digital and/or analogical tools. Early intervention is important because executive dysfunction can negatively impact on the quality of life, both of children and their families. However, very few studies have been carried out involving intervention with pre-schoolers with ASD. To fill this gap, we developed an intervention that promotes pre-schoolers' WMC and EFs by employing both digital apps and analogical playful activities. This study reports on the feasibility of this intervention, which was carried out in a rehabilitative context.

Methods

A male pre-schooler diagnosed with ASD was engaged in a total of 17 intervention sessions, all held in a clinical context, over a nine-week period. Outcomes were measured using a battery of pre- and post-treatment tasks focusing on WMC, EFs and receptive language. The clinician who administered the intervention made written observations and noted any improvements in the child's performance emerging from the digital and analogical activities.

Results

The pre- and post-test scores for the cognitive tasks revealed qualitative improvements in the following cognitive domains: (a) WMC in the language receptive domain; (b) updating in WMC; (c) inhibition, specifically concerning control of motor response; (d) receptive vocabulary. Furthermore, when monitoring the child's performance, the clinician noted improvement in almost all the playful activities. Particularly notable improvements were observed in interaction with the apps, which the child appeared to find very motivating.

Conclusion

This study supports feasibility of a playful digital-analogical intervention conducted by a clinician in a rehabilitation context to promote cognitive abilities in pre-schoolers with ASD. Further studies are needed to establish whether the intervention's effectiveness can be generalized to a broad sample of children with ASD.

Screen media exposure and young children's vocabulary learning and development: A meta-analysis

This meta-analysis synthesizes research on media use in early childhood (0-6 years), word-learning, and vocabulary size. Multi-level analyses included 266 effect sizes from 63 studies (Ntotal  = 11,413) published between 1988-2022. Among samples with information about race/ethnicity (51%) and sex/gender (73%), most were majority White/Non-Hispanic and between 40%-60% female. Analyses revealed a small overall positive relation between screen media exposure and vocabulary (r = .23). Experimental studies yielded a small-to-medium effect (r = .30), with stronger effects for e-books than TV/video or games/apps, and non-significant effects for video chat. In correlational studies, there was no overall association between vocabulary size and naturalistic media exposure (r = .07), with the exception of naturalistic exposure to educational media (r = .17).

Defining the Science of Learning: A scoping review

BACKGROUND

Interest in research on the Science of Learning continues to grow. However, ambiguity about what this field is can negatively impact communication and collaboration and may inadequately inform educational training programs or funding initiatives that are not sufficiently inclusive in focus.

METHODS

The present scoping review aimed to synthesize a working definition of the Science of Learning using Web of Science and ProQuest database searches.

RESULTS

In total, 43 unique definitions were identified across 50 documents including journal articles, theses, conference papers, and book chapters. Definitions of the Science of Learning differed considerably when describing the fields thought to contribute to research on this topic.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on findings, we propose a working definition of the Science of Learning for discussion and further refinement: the scientific study of the underlying bases of learning with the goal of describing, understanding, or improving learning across developmental stages and diverse contexts.

Vocabulary interventions for second language (L2) learners up to six years of age

BACKGROUND

Second language (L2) learners are a heterogeneous group. Their L2 skills are highly varied due to internal factors (e.g. cognitive development) and external factors (e.g. cultural and linguistic contexts). As a group, their L2 vocabulary skills appear to be lower than their monolingual peers. This pattern tends to persist over time and may have negative consequences for social interaction and inclusion, learning, and academic achievement.

OBJECTIVES

To examine the immediate and long-term effects of second language (L2) vocabulary interventions targeting L2 learners up to six years of age on vocabulary and social-emotional well-being. To examine the associations between L2 vocabulary interventions and the general characteristics of L2 learners (e.g. age, L2 exposure, and L1 skills).

SEARCH METHODS

We used standard, extensive Cochrane search methods. The latest search date was December 2022.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the effects of vocabulary interventions for L2 learners up to six years of age with standard care.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

We used standard methodological procedures expected by Cochrane. Our primary outcomes were 1. receptive and 2. expressive L2 vocabulary (both proximal and distal), and 3. mean length of utterance (MLU; which is a measure of potential adverse effects). Our secondary outcomes were 4. L2 narrative skills, 5. L1 receptive vocabulary (both proximal and distal), 6. L1 expressive vocabulary (both proximal and distal), 7. L1 listening comprehension, 8. L2 grammatical knowledge, 9. L2 reading comprehension (long-term), and 10. socio-emotional well-being (measured with Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire).

MAIN RESULTS

We found 12 studies involving 1943 participants. Two studies were conducted in Norway, seven in the USA, and single studies conducted in Canada, China, and the Netherlands. Ten studies were conducted in preschool settings, with a preschool teacher being the most common delivery agent for the intervention. The interventions were mainly organised as small-group sessions, with three or four children per group. The mean dosage per week was 80 minutes and ranged from 24 to 120 minutes. The studies commonly applied shared book reading (reading aloud with the children), with target words embedded in the books. Standard care differed based on the setting and local conditions in each country or (pre)school. In some studies, the comparison groups received vocabulary instruction in preschool groups. Compared to standard care, the effect of L2 vocabulary interventions varied across outcome measures. For vocabulary measures including words that were taught in the intervention (proximal outcome measures), the intervention effects were large for both receptive L2 vocabulary (i.e. understanding of words; standardised mean difference (SMD) 0.97, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.64 to 1.30; 4 studies, 1973 participants; very low-certainty evidence) and expressive L2 vocabulary (i.e. expressing or producing words; SMD 0.86, 95% CI 0.56 to 1.17; 6 studies, 1121 participants; very low-certainty evidence). However, due to some concerns in the overall risk of bias assessment, substantial heterogeneity, and wide CIs, we have limited confidence in these results. For language measures that did not include taught vocabulary (distal outcome measures), the intervention effects were small for receptive vocabulary (SMD 0.29, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.55; 6 studies, 1074 participants; low-certainty evidence) and probably made little to no difference to expressive vocabulary (SMD 0.10, 95% CI -0.02 to 0.23; 7 studies, 960 participants; moderate-certainty evidence). There was little to no intervention effect on L2 listening comprehension (SMD 0.19, 95% CI -0.31 to 0.68; 2 studies, 294 participants; very low-certainty evidence), but the evidence was uncertain, and the interventions probably increased L2 narrative skills slightly (SMD 0.37, 95% CI 0.14 to 0.59; 2 studies, 487 participants; moderate-certainty evidence). Only one study reported data on MLU, and we were unable to examine the effect of intervention on this outcome. The level of certainty of the evidence was downgraded mainly due to inconsistency and imprecision. We were unable to draw conclusions about socio-emotional well-being, or conduct the planned subgroup analyses to examine the second objective, due to lack of data.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

Findings from this review suggest that, compared to standard care, vocabulary interventions may benefit children's L2 vocabulary learning but have little to no effect on their listening comprehension, though the evidence is uncertain. Vocabulary interventions probably improve the children's storytelling skills slightly. Due to the limited number of studies that met our inclusion criteria and the very low- to moderate-certainty evidence as a result of inconsistency and imprecision, implications for practice should be considered with caution. This review highlights the need for more high-quality trials (e.g. RCTs) of vocabulary interventions for L2 learners, particularly studies of learners outside the USA.

Investigating the contributions of active, playful learning to student interest and educational outcomes

A growing body of evidence from the science of learning demonstrates the educational effectiveness of active, playful learning. Connections are emerging between this pedagogy and the broad set of skills that it promotes in learners, but potential mechanisms behind these relations remain unexplored. This paper offers a commentary based on the science of learning and interest development literature, suggesting that interest may mediate the relation between active, playful learning and student outcomes. This theory is established by identifying principles of active, playful learning that predict interest development and associations between learner interest and key skills for success in the classroom and beyond. Future research should investigate the dynamic relation between active, playful learning, interest, and student achievement over time and across phases of interest while taking a broader set of student outcomes into account.

Open pilot trial of an interactive digital application for campus sexual violence prevention

Digital applications, or "serious games" for health address learning goals in a cognitively active, interactive manner, with the potential for widespread dissemination. This study used a mixed methods approach to develop and conduct a formative evaluation of a digital application for sexual assault prevention. Make a change is a digital application that uses the principles of games for health to foster learning, engagement, and skill-building around risk and protective factors for sexual victimization, sexual aggression, and bystander intervention. The digital application includes four narrative chapters, six embedded activities, as well as a user-derived change plan in which individuals establish goals for behavior change following program completion. This multisite study at a 2- and a 4-year college utilized student interviews (n = 14), stakeholder interviews (n = 10), and focus groups with students (n = 40) to inform intervention development. A total of 41 college students then participated in an open trial and completed self-report surveys (pre, post, and 1-month follow-up) to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, utility, and preliminary outcomes. Most of the sample reported enjoyment, usefulness, and perceived competence after completing the application. Data evidenced a trend to reduce the frequency of heavy drinking, and perceptions of social norms evidenced change over time. Findings support the feasibility and effectiveness of this novel format for the delivery of sexual assault prevention programming.

Language in educational apps for pre-schoolers. A comparison of grammatical constructions and psycholinguistic features in apps, books and child directed speech

Language in touchscreen apps could be useful as an additional source of children's language input, alongside child directed speech (CDS) and books. Here we performed the first analysis of language in apps, as compared with books and CDS. We analysed language in 18 of the most popular educational apps targeting pre-schoolers and compared their language content to children's books and CDS with respect to types of constructions and psycholinguistic features of words. We found that apps contained lower frequency words and had lower lexical diversity compared to CDS, and shorter utterances compared to books. Apps may thus provide an enriched supplementary form of input for young children, due to containing less frequent words. However, apps do not expose children to a high proportion of questions and complex sentences, both of which are crucial for supporting child's development of structurally rich constructions.

A randomized controlled trial on the digital socio-emotional competence training Zirkus Empathico for preschoolers

In this randomized controlled trial (RCT), the digital socio-emotional competence training Zirkus Empathico was tested in 74 Central European children (5.1 (0.9) years; 34 females) within a longitudinal design (three time points: T1 = pre-training; T2 = immediately following 6-week training, T3 = 3-month follow-up). The pre-registered primary outcome was empathy, secondary outcomes included emotion recognition, prosocial behavior, and behavioral problem reduction; furthermore, children's neural sensitivity to facial expressions quantified with event-related potentials. Compared to controls (N = 38), Zirkus Empathico participants (N = 36) showed increases in empathy (d = 0.28 [-0.17, 0.76]), emotion recognition (d = 0.57 [0.01, 1.06]), prosocial behavior (d = 0.51 [0.05, 0.99]) and reduced behavioral problems (d = 0.54 [0.08, 1.03]). They also showed larger P3 amplitudes to happy vs. angry and neutral facial expressions post-training. Thus, Zirkus Empathico may be a promising digital training for social competence in preschoolers.

Viewing and playing fantastical events does not affect children's cognitive flexibility and prefrontal activation

Media exposure, such as viewing fantastical content, can have negative, immediate, and long-term effects on children's executive function. A recent study showed that watching fantastical content on a tablet can impair children's inhibitory control and prefrontal activation during the performance of a task. However, the same effect was not observed when children played fantastical games on a tablet. We aimed to replicate and extend this research by examining whether the same effects are observed during a cognitive flexibility task. In this study, preschool children (N = 32, 15 girls, Mean age in months (SD) = 60.6 (10)) viewed or played fantastical content on a tablet and performed a Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS) task before or after the media exposure. We assessed children's behavioral performance and prefrontal activation, as measured by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), and found no behavioral or neural changes after exposure. Our analyses using the Bayes factor supported the null hypothesis that children's cognitive flexibility is unaffected by watching or playing fantastical content.

Exploring factors influencing young children's learning from storybooks: Interactive and multimedia features

Electronic storybooks are increasingly popular with preschoolers. The purpose of our research was to investigate the effects of interactive and multimedia features in electronic storybooks on preschoolers' learning. We assigned 4- to 6-year-old children to different reading conditions in two experiments. Children were required to complete tests for learning outcomes and answer questions about the reading experience. In Experiment 1, children in the interactive (self-paced) group needed to turn the pages by a button on the page, whereas the pages were turned automatically in the non-interactive (system-controlled) group. We found that children in the system-controlled condition performed better in inference making than children in the self-paced condition. In Experiment 2, we used a 2 (Animation: present or non-present) × 2 (Background Music: present or non-present) between-participants design. We found that children's scores of learning and interest in groups with animations were higher than those in groups without animations. This research suggests that electronic books with animations congruent with the learning content promote learning for both adults and young children. Thus, we offer suggestions for designers of electronic books. Moreover, the study provides implications for educators and parents, and we suggest that multi-featured electronic storybooks for preschoolers should be carefully selected.

Latent factors on the design and adoption of gamified apps in primary education

The main objective of this research is to determine the perception of teachers about the elements that increases the educational effectiveness of gamified apps in primary education. A methodology based on an importance-performance analysis was daeveloped, using a structural equations model to calcuate the degree of importance of each variable. The sample was formed of 212 Spanish teachers with experience using educational apps in the teaching-learning process. Six categories were identified as precursors of educational effectiveness: (1) curriculum connection, (2) feedback and operational experience, (3) assessment and learning analytics, (4) sustainability (Protection Personal data), (5) equal access and (6) flow. These six categories enhance the three traditional areas of gamification intervention: cognitive, emotional and social. In this sense, the design and adoption of an educational gamified app should: (1) establish a clear link between the game and curricular content and competence development; (2) promote self-regulated learning through individual and collaborative activities; (3) offer adapted learning by integrating differentiated personalized learning pathways; (4) integrate learning analytics that can be consulted by teacher, student and family; (5) comply with data protection regulation and promote a safe, sustainable and ethical use of the information generated; (6) take into account different levels of functional diversity. When the gamified app design incorporates these attributes, primary education teachers perceive that such resources can be integrated effectively into the teaching-learning processes.

Internet-based parenting intervention: A systematic review

Digital technology has become an essential part of people's lives, and the Internet's innovation made it easier for humans to carry out activities. This systematic review aims to examine parenting with a specific internet-based intervention designed to help them gain information about child-rearing. Specifically, it analyses: 1) how the internet-based parenting intervention is studied, 2) how was the study of an internet-based parenting intervention done, and 3) what themes emerged from the systematic review. The finding suggests that most internet-based parenting interventions use transmitting information techniques visually, as the content is displayed through exciting and informative content. Four themes emerged from the thematic analysis: technology-assisted parenting programs, parenting interventions as support for mothers, professional support online, and improved parenting skills. Positive responses from parents as users show that this online parenting intervention can meet their needs and has the potential to continue to be developed. The literature is quite limited regarding assessing internet-based parenting intervention in early childhood education and developmental psychology. Because of that, further research to develop internet-based parenting interventions becomes essential to give parenting professional support.

Agency in Educational Technology: Interdisciplinary Perspectives and Implications for Learning Design

Advancing learners’ agency is a key educational goal. The advent of personalized EdTech, which automatically tailor learning environments to individual learners, gives renewed relevance to the topic. EdTech researchers and practitioners are confronted with the same basic question: What is the right amount of agency to give to learners during their interactions with EdTech? This question is even more relevant for younger learners. Our aim in this paper is twofold: First, we outline and synthesize the ways in which agency is conceptualized in three key learning disciplines (philosophy, education, and psychology). We show that there are different types and levels of agency and various prerequisites for the effective exercise of agency and that these undergo developmental change. Second, we provide guiding principles for how agency can be designed for in EdTech for children. We propose an agency personalization loop in which the level of agency provided by the EdTech is assigned in an adaptive manner to strike a balance between allowing children to freely choose learning content and assigning optimal content to them. Finally, we highlight some examples from practice.

Ecological contexts associated with early childhood curiosity: Neighborhood safety, home and parenting quality, and socioeconomic status

Introduction

Curiosity is an important social-emotional process underlying early learning. Our previous work found a positive association between higher curiosity and higher academic achievement at kindergarten, with a greater magnitude of benefit for children with socioeconomic disadvantage. Because characteristics of the early caregiving and physical environment impact the processes that underlie early learning, we sought to examine early environmental experiences associated with early childhood curiosity, in hopes of identifying modifiable contexts that may promote its expression.

Methods

Using data from a nationally representative sample of 4,750 children from the United States, this study examined the association of multi-level ecological contexts (i.e., neighborhood safety, parenting quality, home environment, and center-based preschool enrollment) on early childhood curiosity at kindergarten, and tested for moderation by socioeconomic status.

Results

In adjusted, stratified models, children from lower-resourced environments (characterized by the lowest-SES tertile) manifested higher curiosity if they experienced more positive parenting, higher quality home environments, and if they lived in "very safe" neighborhoods.

Discussion

We discuss the ecological contexts (i.e., parenting, home, and neighborhood environments) that are promotive of early childhood curiosity, with an emphasis on the role of the neighborhood safety and the "neighborhood built environment" as important modifiable contexts to foster early childhood curiosity in lower-resourced families.

Time to Play in Javanese Preschool Children-An Examination of Screen Time and Playtime before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This comparative-descriptive multi-national research examined the screen time and playtime of preschool children aged 1-6 years before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Parents reported on the play and screen habits of preschool-aged children on the weekday and weekends using a questionnaire on the lifestyle habits of their children. Results indicated a significant difference in screen time and playtime on the weekday and weekend before the pandemic (screen time: 1.91 ± 2.40 vs. 2.16 ± 2.60 h; playtime: 3.55 ± 2.49 vs. 4.11 ± 2.58 h, both p < 0.05), but during the COVID-19 pandemic, only the weekday-weekend difference in screen time was significantly different (screen time: 2.87 ± 3.15 vs. 3.26 ± 3.18 h, p < 0.05; playtime: 3.25 ± 3.41 vs. 3.48 ± 2.41, p > 0.05). Before- and during-COVID-19 comparisons showed that the average daily screen time increased by 150% from 2.04 h to 3.06 h (p < 0.05), while the average play time decreased by 12.3% (3.83 to 3.36 h, p < 0.05). Based upon international guidelines for movement behaviours of young children, special attention and actions are needed to manage the excessive daily screen time and preserve the average daily playtime of Javanese preschool children. These results present useful benchmarking data for parents, teachers, and health authorities to initiate ameliorative interventions to better balance children's screen time and playtime as Indonesia emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic to a COVID-19 endemic.

Cultivating Visualization Literacy for Children Through Curiosity and Play

Fostering data visualization literacy (DVL) as part of childhood education could lead to a more data literate society. However, most work in DVL for children relies on a more formal educational context (i.e., a teacher-led approach) that limits children's engagement with data to classroom-based environments and, consequently, children's ability to ask questions about and explore data on topics they find personally meaningful. We explore how a curiosity-driven, child-led approach can provide more agency to children when they are authoring data visualizations. This paper explores how informal learning with crafting physicalizations through play and curiosity may foster increased literacy and engagement with data. Employing a constructionist approach, we designed a do-it-yourself toolkit made out of everyday materials (e.g., paper, cardboard, mirrors) that enables children to create, customize, and personalize three different interactive visualizations (bar, line, pie). We used the toolkit as a design probe in a series of in-person workshops with 5 children (6 to 11-year-olds) and interviews with 5 educators. Our observations reveal that the toolkit helped children creatively engage and interact with visualizations. Children with prior knowledge of data visualization reported the toolkit serving as more of an authoring tool that they envision using in their daily lives, while children with little to no experience found the toolkit as an engaging introduction to data visualization. Our study demonstrates the potential of using the constructionist approach to cultivate children's DVL through curiosity and play.

Classification and evaluation of educational apps for early childhood: Security matters

This study explored certain popular educational apps' vital characteristics and potential profiles (n1 = 50) for kindergarten kids. The profile analysis involved a categorization ascended from an evaluation process conducted by pre-service early childhood teachers' (n2 = 295) at the University of Crete, Greece, using a new instrument, validated in the present research, the ETEA-2 scale. The categorization criteria were the five dimensions of the ETEA-2: Learning, Suitability, Usability, Security, and Parental Control. The classification based on Latent Class Analysis led to three apps' profiles: Cluster/profile 1 includes apps that have high values in Learning, Usability, Suitability, and medium Parental Control and Security; Cluster/Profile 2 includes apps with medium Learning, Usability, Suitability, but low Parental Control and High Security; Cluster/Profile 3 includes apps with medium Learning, Usability, Suitability, but low Parental Control and low Security. This profile scheme is an indicative categorization summarizing the crucial features that popular apps possess and can help parents and/or educators' decision-making on choosing the desirable application for their kids. Moreover, from an independent evaluation of these specific fifty apps sought on the internet, the members of Cluster2/Profile 2 were the most popular and preferable, as suggested by the number of downloads. This profile is distinguished for the security dimension.

Deaf Children's Engagement with American Sign Language-English Bilingual Storybook Apps

Design features of American Sign Language (ASL)-English bilingual storybook apps on the tablet computers, based on learning research, are intended to facilitate independent and interactive learning of English print literacy and of ASL skill among young learners. In 2013, the Science of Learning Center on Visual Language and Visual Learning introduced the first in a series of storybook apps for the iPad based on literacy and reading research. The current study, employing a sample of signing deaf children examined children's self-motivated engagement with the various design features presented in the earliest of the apps, The Baobab, and analyzed the relationships of engagement with ASL skill and age of first exposure to ASL, ASL narrative ability, and grade-appropriate English reading ability. Results indicated a robust level of engagement with the app, and a relationship between app pages specifically targeting reading and early exposure and skill levels in ASL. No evidence of relationships between narrative and vocabulary skills and app reading engagement was found. Topics for future research, and strategies for app improvement are discussed.

First evaluation of an app to optimize and organize the processes and assessments in dental clinical courses

BACKGROUND

Digital teaching and learning tools, such as computer/mobile apps, are becoming an important factor in modern university education. The objective of our study was to introduce, analyze, and assess an organization and dual assessment app for clinical courses in dental medicine.

METHODS

This was a survey-based study of dental students from the clinical study phase (4th/5th year; 8th/10th semester) of a department of prosthetic dentistry at a German university hospital about the benefits of a novel web-based and mobile app for organization and dual assessment of dental clinical courses. A total of eight questions were answered in an anonymous online survey. Data were analyzed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, followed by an exploratory data analysis (α < 0.05).

RESULTS

The app was given an average grade of 2.4, whereby 56.9% of the respondents rated the app with a grade of 2 (2 = good). In all, 94.6% of the study participants had not experienced any technical problems when using the app. Concerning the assessment, teaching doctor assessment (51.5 [IQR: 44.0]) was rated significantly better (p = 0.002) than self-assessment (39.5 [IQR: 32.8]).

CONCLUSIONS

This investigation evaluated a newly introduced app to optimize dental clinical course workflows and assessment. The organizational feature was rated as good, while the daily self- and teaching doctor assessments were evaluated as less important. The results outline how the use of app technologies can provide an infrastructure for managing organization and daily assessments in dental education.

Preschoolers' attention to and learning from on-screen characters that vary by effort and efficiency: An eye-tracking study

Prior findings are mixed regarding the extent to which children understand others' effort in early childhood. Especially, little is known about how character effort impacts children's selective attention and learning. This study examined preschoolers' visual attention to and learning from two on-screen characters: One character exerting high effort with low efficiency and another character exerting low effort with high efficiency in solving problems successfully. Children between 3.5 and 6.5 years of age (N = 70) watched a video of the two on-screen characters successfully solving problems. Children's eye movements were recorded during viewing. Each of the two on-screen characters consistently displayed either high effort/low efficiency or low effort/high efficiency to solve four problems (familiarization). For the final problem (testing), the two characters exerted the same level of effort as each other and used unique solutions to solve the problem. Children then solved the final problem themselves using real objects. Children could selectively use either character's solution demonstrated in the video. Lastly, children explicitly judged how good the characters were at solving problems. Younger children were more likely to use the solution demonstrated by the character with high effort/low efficiency, whereas older children were more likely to use the solution provided by another character with low effort/high efficiency. Younger children allocated more attention to the high effort/low efficiency character than the low effort/high efficiency character, but this pattern was modified by age such that children's gaze to the low effort/high efficiency character increased with age. Children's explicit credibility judgments did not differ by character or child age. The findings are discussed with respect to preschoolers' understanding of effort and implications for children's learning from screen media.

App-based learning for kindergarten children at home (Learning4Kids): Study protocol for cohort 2 and the school assessments

BACKGROUND

Children's early literacy and mathematical competencies are very important predictors for their later success in school and their educational attainment in general. However, not all children are able to develop to their full potential and some are at risk of failing to reach sufficient competence levels. The project "App-based learning for kindergarten children at home" (Learning4Kids) is designed as a longitudinal intervention study that tests the potential impact of a computer tablet-based intervention for kindergarten children and their families before school entry. Here, the focus lies on both, potential short-term and long-term influences on children's competencies development in kindergarten and school.

METHODS/DESIGN

Learning4Kids uses a multi-method intervention approach and draws on expertise from different fields such as psychology, education, informatics, and didactics. It combines child test assessments with parental, educator, and teacher surveys and checklists, interviews as well as observations in the families to measure child competencies and their behaviour, and to assess family characteristics. The participating children and their families will be visited and assessed altogether seven times, starting in the second-last year of kindergarten until children are at the end of Grade 2. In cohort 1, 190 families participated in this project, whereas in cohort 2 another 310 families joined the Learning4Kids project. For the school assessments, standardized and curriculum-based tests will be used to assess children's mathematical and literacy competencies. In addition, cognitive and non-cognitive child abilities will be assessed.

DISCUSSION

Learning4Kids offers substantive advances for the scientific fields of psychology and education, and also provides implications for policy and practice in the long term. Improving young children's learning trajectories and analysing these trajectories from kindergarten to primary school is both a social and economic imperative as it contributes to greater individual success and thus to societal prosperity.

Bored, Distracted, and Confused: Emotions That Promote Creativity and Learning in a 28-Month-Old Child Using an iPad

Digital technology is increasingly becoming a part of daily life, including the lives of children. Portable digital devices are omnipresent and integrated into activities that did not previously require them. The related skills are often referred to as 21st-century skills, constituting a new type of literacy: digital literacy. These devices and skills bring unique, innovative elements to the learning experience; yet, we do not know the extent to which behavior, emotion, and socialization are affected by such experience. For preschool-aged children, interactions with digital devices and games for the purposes of learning can lead to a state of confusion and boredom, an emotional driving force that may generate mind-wandering and exploration, which, in turn, may facilitate learning. Our interdisciplinary observational case study examined the behavioral patterns linked to digital game-based learning (DGBL) by observing how a child's mind-wandering contributed to iPad use when they were allowed to freely engage with the device and explore independently during the learning process. Building on a previous case study of a 28-month-old boy, "Ryan", we evaluated the effects of bouts of mind-wandering as he played various DGBL applications (apps) by examining the length of time that Ryan exhibited relevant affective and behavioral states, iPad manipulations, and social interaction during the playtime. Ryan's interactions with the iPad were video recorded for five weeks, and the video footage was coded using a detailed rubric. The results indicated that negative emotions, such as boredom, distraction, and confusion, if coupled with attentiveness and persistence, led to positive mind-wandering and positive learning outcomes. However, when boredom was coupled with frustration, it led to negative mind-wandering and a lack of learning outcomes. In conclusion, our study presents evidence that DGBL apps may improve learning by capitalizing on positive and avoiding negative mind-wandering.

Mother-child synchrony is high across child executive function levels for both physical and digital spatial play

PURPOSE

Play is a powerful influence on children's learning and parents can provide opportunities to learn specific content by scaffolding children's play. Parent-child synchrony (i.e., harmony, reciprocity and responsiveness in interactions) is a component of parent-child interactions that is not well characterized in studies of play.

PROCEDURES

We tested whether children's executive function relates to mother-child synchrony during physical and digital play in sixty mother-child dyads.

MAIN FINDINGS

Mother-child synchrony did not relate to children's executive function or differ by play type (physical, digital), though during digital play mother-child synchrony was higher for girls relative to boys.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest that mother-child synchrony is not influenced by children's executive function and physical and digital play can be similarly beneficial in offering the opportunity for responsive, reciprocal, dynamic interactions. The sex difference suggests that further factors should be explored as influences of play synchrony.

How young children's play is shaped through common iPad applications: a study of 2 and 4-5 year-olds

Digital devices such as iPads are prevalent in children's play from an early age. How this shapes young children's play is an area of considerable debate without any clear consensus on how different forms of play are brought into the iPad interaction. In this study, we examined 98 play activities of children in two preschool settings, featuring 2 and 4-5-year-olds, their play with iPads and non-digital artefacts. Three analytical approaches were used: an index built on a digital play framework [Bird, Jo, and Susan Edwards. 2015. "Children Learning to Use Technologies Through Play: A Digital Play Framework." British Journal of Educational Technology 46 (6): 1149-1160. doi:10.1111/bjet.12191 ], a quantitative description of the index, and a qualitative interaction analysis of children's play. Results show how play with iPads is characterised as less ludic than play with other artefacts, and diverges from the age-typical norms of play. We discuss what these results might mean for children's play in contemporary early childhood settings and for children's learning.

The Development of a Parental Questionnaire (QQ-MediaSEED) on Bilingual Children's Quantity and Quality of Digital Media Use at Home

The quantity and quality of children's digital screen media exposure is an emerging area of early childhood studies because of its strong social relevance, and this has been particularly true since the COVID-19 pandemic. The few existing parental questionnaires on children's digital screen media exposure mainly focus on monolingual children's media habits and address either the quantity or quality of children's media exposure. Inspired by the existing instruments, the current study introduces a new parental questionnaire to comprehensively assess the duration, frequency, content, design, and use of bilingual children's digital screen media exposure at home, before and since the COVID-19 pandemic. Focus group discussions and the first wave of our data collection on 141 3-6 years old Singaporean bilingual children indicate good face validity and internal consistency of the parental questionnaire. Our results reveal substantial differences in children's quantity and quality of daily digital screen media exposure, as well as the discrepancies in their digital media habits between English and their mother tongue languages, before and since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Engagement and Outcomes Associated with Contextual Annotation Features of a Digital Health Solution

BACKGROUND

Digital health solutions targeting diabetes self-care are popular and promising, but important questions remain about how these tools can most effectively help patients. Consistent with evidence of the salutary effects of note-taking in education, features that enable annotation of structured data entry might enhance the meaningfulness of the interaction, thereby promoting persistent use and benefits of a digital health solution.

METHOD

To examine the potential benefits of note-taking, we explored how patients with type 2 diabetes used annotation features of a digital health solution and assessed the relationship between annotation and persistence in engagement as well as improvements in glycated hemoglobin (A1C). Secondary data from 3142 users of the BlueStar digital health solution collected between December 2013 and June 2017 were analyzed, with a subgroup of 372 reporting A1C lab values.

RESULTS

About a third of patients recorded annotations while using the platform. Annotation themes largely reflected self-management behaviors (diet, physical activity, medication adherence) and well-being (mood, health status). Early use of contextual annotations was associated with greater engagement over time and with greater improvements in A1C.

CONCLUSIONS

Our research provides preliminary evidence of the benefits of annotation features in a digital health solution. Future research is needed to assess the causal impact of note-taking and the moderating role of thematic content reflected in notes.

Developing a Conceptual Model for the Causal Effects of Outdoor Play in Preschools Using PLS-SEM

This study attempts to establish the causal effects of outdoor play through a conceptual model consisting of six latent constructs. Seventy Penang preschool operators took part in a questionnaire survey conducted from June to July 2021. All of the 70 respondents agreed that outdoor play is important for children’s development even though only 62 respondents implemented outdoor play yards in their preschools. Raw data from these 62 respondents were used to develop the conceptual model by PLS-SEM. Measurement models were assessed by checking the indicator reliability, internal consistency reliability, convergent validity and discriminant validity. The structural model was assessed by checking the SRMR and NFI. The measurement models are found to be acceptable with AVE > 0.50 for all of the constructs and all of the 34 indicators have loadings > 0.50. However, there are 16 indicators with difference between loadings < 0.10, and the structural model does not have a good fit with SRMR > 0.10 and NFI < 0.90. Lack of discriminant validity could be remedied by removing eight indicators with difference between loadings < 0.10. Model fit could be improved with larger sample size since bootstrapping with 1000 iterations yielded SRMR = 0.098 at 95% for the saturated model. Seven significant paths were found among the six constructs in the final conceptual model.

From Moral Panic to Systemic Change: Making Child-Centered Design the Default

Academic scholarship and public discourse about children's digital media use often invokes concepts such as 'screen time' that place the locus of responsibility on individual users and families rather than on designers creating digital environments. In this vision article, we argue that research, design, and policy frameworks that assume individual responsibility contribute to intensive parenting messaging about children's media use, are less likely than systemic approaches to achieve population-level change, and produce inequities in children's access to positive, child-centered media. Platforms (e.g., app marketplaces, video streaming services) act as entry points for children's use of digital spaces, and thus are strong determinants of children's experiences. As such, platforms are an ideal point of intervention for systemic change and have the potential to create equitable and child-centered digital environments at an ecosystem level. We contend that policies that encourage platforms to establish child-centered design as the default user interface will both create better experiences for children and relieve pressure on parents as gatekeepers. Finally, we review the types of research questions that could examine how to measure and optimize platforms for their impact on child wellbeing and outline steps researchers can take to provide evidence-based guidance to industry about designing ecosystems for children's best interests.

Exploring Preschool Data Collection and Analysis: A Pilot Study

Data collection and analysis (DCA) skills apply mathematical knowledge, such as counting, sorting, and classifying, to investigations of real-world questions. This pursuit lays the foundation for learners to develop flexible problem-solving skills with data. This pilot study tested a preschool intervention intended to support teachers in promoting young children’s DCA skills using a technology-integrated approach. A key component therein was a teacher-facing digital app that facilitated collaboration between preschool teachers and children to more easily collect data, create simple graphs, and use graphed data to engage in real-world questions and discussions. As part of a design-based research approach, this study tested the intervention’s developmental appropriateness and feasibility in four preschool classrooms (n = 5). Findings suggest that the intervention curriculum (i.e., investigations) and inclusion of the app supported teachers and children to answer data-focused questions by engaging in each step of the DCA process while applying numerous mathematics skills. Teachers reported that the app complemented curricular implementation and children demonstrated readiness to engage with, and benefit from, the investigations. Findings also indicated the developmental appropriateness and feasibility of applying this DCA approach in preschools and suggest further study of the approach.

Environmental citizenship behavior and sustainability apps: an empirical investigation

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the moderating effect of sustainability app on environmental citizenship behavior on the basis of norm-activation model.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire survey, which comprises five variables (i.e. awareness of consequences, ascription of responsibility, personal norms, environmental citizenship behavior in a private sphere and environmental citizenship behavior in a public sphere) measured through 16 items, was conducted in the USA by using Amazon Mechanical Turk. With 549 valid respondents’ answers in hand, the collected data were analyzed applying a multi-group structural equation modelling technique with IBM SPSS AMOS 23 software program.

Findings

The results revealed that there is a positive and significant relationship between awareness of consequences, ascription of responsibility, personal norms and environmental citizenship behavior in both private and public sphere. Furthermore, this study attested that sustainability apps utilization has a moderating effect on the predictors of environmental citizenship behaviors.

Originality/value

Past studies have seldom examined the contribution of mobile apps to environmental sustainability. This paper enriches the extant academic literature in the field of technology for behavior change, and bears significant implications on how sustainability apps can be adopted by governments, policymakers, organizations and teacher educators to engage people and stimulate environmental citizenship behaviors.