Children’s Digital Games in Early Childhood Settings: How Developmentally Appropriate Are They?

Abstract

Abstract: Children are growing up in a media-rich digital environment where they are immersed in new technologies in unprecedented ways. Digital games are one of these technologies, and young children play a wide range of digital games. Research studies suggest that digital games support children’s learning and development. The paper aims to assess digital games used by children aged 5 to 8 in Jordan in terms of their appropriateness for children. A random sample of 35 digital games used by K–3 Jordanian children was selected to explore to what extent these digital games are developmentally appropriate for children. The researcher developed a developmental scale that consisted of 12 criteria. The results indicated that digital games used by children showed a moderate level of appropriateness. Moreover, the results revealed domains related to “clear instruction,” “social interaction,” and “technical design” to be the most appropriate, while domains related to “nonviolence,” “real-work model,” and “age appropriateness” were found to be the least developmentally appropriate. Furthermore, there were significant differences in the appropriateness of children’s digital games across age groups. These findings are discussed, and implications are set accordingly.