278 research outputs found

    Young Children’s Use of Mobile Technology: Impacts on Self-Regulation and Aggression

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    The present study tested the displacement hypothesis, which proposed that mobile technology use disrupts important daily activities and social interactions that are important for the development of young children’s self-regulation skills (Gentile et al., 2012). As a result of this displacement, children are more likely to become dysregulated and aggressive. Participants were 174 caregivers (n = 157 mothers) who reported on their children aged 2 to 5 years old (n = 100 male). All participants completed self-report questionnaires assessing their own technology use, interference in the parent-child relationship due to mobile technology, and the use of mobile technology as a parenting tool. Caregivers also reported on their children’s use of mobile technology, participation in the environment, self-regulation, aggressive behaviour, and temperament. A subset of 15 caregivers (n = 14 mothers) also answered open-ended interview questions about their attitudes, perceptions, and experiences regarding mobile technology use in the family. The analyses revealed that mobile technology use by both caregivers and children negatively impacted young children’s self-regulation and aggressive behaviour. Greater use of mobile technology was found to displace daily activities and social interactions, leading to greater dysregulation and aggression. Results also demonstrated that greater use of mobile technology as parenting tools mediated the relation between greater mobile technology use and children’s aggressive behaviour. A thematic analysis of caregivers’ interviews revealed that caregivers have many strategies to monitor their children’s media activity, concerns about the negative impacts of mobile technology, and tensions about using these devices in the family. The novelty of these findings address gaps in the literature by identifying various ways in which mobile technology can interfere with young children’s daily lives in a way that is detrimental for the development of their self-regulation and aggressive behaviour

    A review of the evidence on the use of ICT in the Early Years Foundation Stage

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    This report reviewed existing evidence on the potential of technology to support the development of educational policy and practice in the context of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Reference is made to the use of ICT by young children from aged birth to five years and its potential impacts, positive and negative on their cognitive, social, emotional educational, visual and physical development

    Finding resilience through music for neurodivergent children

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    This research paper presents a collaborative effort to design a music-making tool that seamlessly blends enjoyment with accessibility, specifically tailored to meet the needs of children with diverse abilities including those who are neurodiverse and have varying musical abilities. The study's primary objective is to provide support to children who encounter challenges in learning traditional musical instruments or who have sensory processing issues and learn their experience of using this tool. Additionally, the research explores the potential role of music therapy in this context, with a focus on how the designed tool can serve as an ideal platform for fostering creativity and self-regulation among children. Qualitative research methods, namely participatory design and cooperative inquiry, were employed to develop and refine different aspects of the music-making tool iteratively. Active involvement and feedback from the primary participants, comprising children with diverse abilities and a music therapist, played a central role throughout the tool's development process. The findings indicate that children responded positively to the technology, revealing diverse applications in music education, therapy, and play. Furthermore, this study identified valuable opportunities for immediate improvements in the robot's design to enhance its overall usability and effectiveness in catering to the needs of its users. The collaborative design approach and the integration of music therapy perspectives demonstrate significant potential for advancing inclusive music education, play and therapeutic interventions for children with diverse abilities

    People do not always know best: Preschoolers’ trust in social robots versus humans

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    The main goal of my thesis was to investigate how 3- and 5-year-old children learn from robots versus humans using a selective trust paradigm. Children’s conceptualization of robots was also investigated. By using robots, which lack many of the social characteristics human informants possess by default, these studies sought to test young children’s reliance on epistemic characteristics conservatively. In Study 1, a competent humanoid robot, Nao, and an incompetent human, Ina, were presented to children. Both informants labelled familiar objects, like a ball, with Nao labelling them correctly and Ina labelling them incorrectly. Next, both informants labelled novel items with nonsense labels. Children were then asked what the novel item was called. Children were also asked what should go inside robots, something biological or something mechanical. Study 2 followed the same paradigm as Study 1, with the only change being the robot used, now the non-humanoid Cozmo. Eliminating the human-like appearance of the robot made for an even more conservative test than in Study 1. Both studies 1 and 2 found that 3-year-old children learned novel words equally from the robot and the human, regardless of the robot’s morphology. The 3-year-old children were also confused about both robot’s internal properties, attributing mechanical and biological insides to the robots equally. In contrast, the 5-year-olds in both studies preferred to learn from the accurate robot over the inaccurate human. The 5-year-olds also learned from both robots despite understanding that the robot is different from themselves; they attributed mechanical insides to both Nao and Cozmo over biological insides. Study 3 further investigated 3-year-olds ambivalence regarding their trust judgements, that is, who they choose to learn from. Instead of word learning, the robot demonstrated competence through pointing. The robot would accurately point at a toy inside a transparent box, and the human would point at an empty box. Next, both informants pointed at opaque boxes and the child was asked where the toy was located. Neither informant demonstrated the ability to speak, as speech is a salient social characteristic. 3-year-olds were still at chance, equally endorsing the robot and the human’s pointing. This suggests that goal-directedness and autonomous movement may be the most important characteristics used to signal agency for young children. The 3-year-olds were also still unsure about the robot’s biology, whereas they correctly identified the human as biological. This suggests that robots are confusing for children due to their dual nature as animate and yet not alive. This thesis shows that by the age of 5, children are willing and able to learn from a robot. These studies further add to the selective trust literature and have implications for educational settings

    Staying engaged in child-robot interaction:A quantitative approach to studying preschoolers’ engagement with robots and tasks during second-language tutoring

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    Inleiding Covid-19 heeft laten zien dat onze traditionele manier van lesgeven steeds meer afhankelijk is van digitale hulpmiddelen. In de afgelopen jaren (2020-2021) hebben leerkrachten kinderen online les moeten geven en hebben ouders hun kinderen moeten begeleiden bij hun lesactiviteiten. Digitale instrumenten die het onderwijs kunnen ondersteunen zoals sociale robots, zouden uiterst nuttig zijn geweest voor leerkrachten. Robots die, in tegenstelling tot tablets, hun lichaam kunnen gebruiken om zich vergelijkbaar te gedragen als leerkrachten. Bijvoorbeeld door te gebaren tijdens het praten, waardoor kinderen zich beter kunnen concentreren wat een voordeel oplevert voor hun leerprestaties. Bovendien stellen robots, meer dan tablets, kinderen in staat tot een sociale interactie, wat vooral belangrijk is bij het leren van een tweede taal (L2). Hierover ging mijn promotietraject wat onderdeel was van het Horizon 2020 L2TOR project1, waarin zes verschillende universiteiten en twee bedrijven samenwerkten en onderzochten of een robot aan kleuters woorden uit een tweede taal kon leren. Een van de belangrijkste vragen in dit project was hoe we gedrag van de robot konden ontwikkelen dat kinderen betrokken (engaged) houdt. Betrokkenheid van kinderen is belangrijk zodat zij tijdens langere tijdsperiodes met de robot aan de slag willen. Om deze vraag te beantwoorden, heb ik meerdere studies uitgevoerd om het effect van de robot op de betrokkenheid van kinderen met de robot te onderzoeken, alsmede onderzoek te doen naar de perceptie die de kinderen van de robot hadden. 1Het L2TOR project leverde een grote bijdrage binnen het mens-robot interactie veld in de beweging richting publieke wetenschap. Alle L2TOR publicaties, de project deliverables, broncode en data zijn openbaar gemaakt via de website www.l2tor.eu en via www.github.nl/l2tor en de meeste studies werden vooraf geregistreerd

    A review of the evidence on the use of Ict in the Early Years Foundation Stage

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    Perspectives of Teachers on the Use of Technology Within the Preschool Experience

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    Due to the increased use of technology in people’s lives, digital media literacy has become increasingly more important in young children’s early experiences. When used appropriately, children discover how to use digital media in ways that enhance their learning, preparing them for the positive benefits of technology use across their lifetime. The problem investigated in this study is that preschool teachers reported they did not use technology within the preschool experience. The purpose of this study was to explore teachers’ perspectives on technology use within the preschool experience. The conceptual framework for this qualitative study was developmentally appropriate practice. The research question addressed how teachers describe their use of technology within the preschool experience. Nine participants were purposefully selected from licensed early childhood programs that represented diverse settings. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with nine teachers. Data were analyzed using inductive coding. Results revealed that most teachers use technology within the preschool experience, though teacher philosophy and access to technology influenced the degree to which technology was used. Most teachers expressed how they integrated technology into children’s play, which enhanced and extended children’s engagement in culturally and contextually relevant experiences. This study has implications for positive social change through increased access to technology, and additional professional development opportunities
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