Abstract
This study reviews published scientific literature on the use of tangible technologies in childhood education, in order to (a) identify the what tangible technologies have been used, (b) recognize the educational purposes and uses these technologies of, and (c) present a synthesis of the available empirical evidence on its educational effectiveness. After systematically searching in WoS, 288 relevant articles were located and analyzed using the Science Mapping Analysis Software Tool from 1968 to 2018. Then, 29 relevant papers of the last five years were included in the review study. For each article, we analyze the purpose of the study, the type of tangible technology used, the research method applied, the sample characteristics and the main results observed. The articles reviewed suggest that the main tangible technology used in childhood education is the tablet and literacy (basic and emergent) is the area most studied with promising results.
Highlights
Technologies are integrated into the daily lives of people and European households have mobile devices, tablets, game consoles, robots, etc
(1) What tangible technologies have been used in childhood education? (2) What has been the educational use of tangible technologies in childhood? (3) What pedagogical approach is behind of tangible technologies in childhood education?
In this paper we present a systematic review about tangible technologies in childhood education following the method proposed by Tsafnat [16]
Summary
Technologies are integrated into the daily lives of people and European households have mobile devices, tablets, game consoles, robots, etc. The ages of use of mobile devices are increasingly reduced, and young children are users of games and digital content. The proliferation of mobile devices and their use by children of all ages has opened the debate in families and school environments. In this sense, educators, having overcome the conception of technology as a danger to their development, agree with the scientific community that a responsible, educational, creative, and supervised use of mobile devices can be highly beneficial for the playful opportunities that offer and their potential for the cognitive, social, and emotional development of young children [6]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
