Supporting Children's Learning Research Articles

The Development of Digital Technology to Support Learning in Children with Disabilities

This study was conducted with the following objectives: 1) to develop digital technology that supports learning in children with disabilities; 2) to test the effectiveness of digital technology used in children’s learning. The sample selected to study the current context of and needs of digital technology consisted of a group of 46 teachers and parents. The sample group of children with disabilities who participated in the digital technology experiment comprised three children. The sample group who took part in the experiment in fieldwork comprised 45 children from nine types of disabilities; these were purposively sampled. The research instruments consisted of 1) ten easy-books with single vowels in Thai; 2) ninety individual implementation plans; 3) computer software to promote the reading of ten stories; 4) an evaluation form for children with disabilities’ reading ability in Thai vocabulary in Prathom level 1; 5) a survey form for the current context of and the needs for digital technology to promote the children’s learning; 6) an interview form for the current context of and the needs for digital technology to promote the children’s learning. The data were analysed with the statistics of mean, standard deviation (SD) and efficiency assessment, using the E1/E2 formula with the 80/80 criteria. The research found that the effectiveness assessment value of digital technology to promote the children’s learning was found at the rate of 86/90, which was higher than the standard rate.

Furniture Design as a Means to Support Children's Learning Interest and Motivation

This study aims to analyze the effect of furniture design on children's motivation and interest in learning. The type of research method was comparative descriptive, where fact-finding was conducted, as well as cause and effect relationships, are sought. The subjects of this study were 10 kindergarten schools in Coblong, Bandung. Random sampling was also conducted with a sample size of 50 students. The research analysis used statistics to determine whether there is an influence of predetermined variables, and the research instrument used was a questionnaire for these variables. This study discusses several variables, which are the indicators of assessment to determine the relationship between furniture design and interest in learning, including two variables, namely furniture design (X) and interest, and children's learning motivation (Y). Furniture design variables include color combinations, imaginative furniture, and product quality. Meanwhile, the variables of interest and motivation to learn include children's attitudes in learning activities, persistence in learning, children's learning interests, and children's independence in doing assignments. The variables that we analyzed are the furniture design variable. This variable is intended to find out the influence of the shape of the furniture product and the interest variable. Children's learning motivation is intended to find out how the response or the final result of the product's influence on interest and motivation of children learning.

Robot education peers in a situated primary school study: Personalisation promotes child learning.

The benefit of social robots to support child learning in an educational context over an extended period of time is evaluated. Specifically, the effect of personalisation and adaptation of robot social behaviour is assessed. Two autonomous robots were embedded within two matched classrooms of a primary school for a continuous two week period without experimenter supervision to act as learning companions for the children for familiar and novel subjects. Results suggest that while children in both personalised and non-personalised conditions learned, there was increased child learning of a novel subject exhibited when interacting with a robot that personalised its behaviours, with indications that this benefit extended to other class-based performance. Additional evidence was obtained suggesting that there is increased acceptance of the personalised robot peer over a non-personalised version. These results provide the first evidence in support of peer-robot behavioural personalisation having a positive influence on learning when embedded in a learning environment for an extended period of time.

Promoting parent academic expectations predicts improved school outcomes for low-income children entering kindergarten

This study explored patterns of change in the REDI (Research-based Developmentally Informed) Parent program (REDI-P), designed to help parents support child learning at the transition into kindergarten. Participants were 200 prekindergarten children attending Head Start (55% European-American, 26% African American, 19% Latino, 56% male, Mage=4.45years, SD=0.29) and their primary caregivers, who were randomized to a 16-session home-visiting intervention (REDI-P) or a control group. Extending beyond a prior study documenting intervention effects on parenting behaviors and child kindergarten outcomes, this study assessed the impact of REDI-P on parent academic expectations, and then explored the degree to which intervention gains in three areas of parenting (parent-child interactive reading, parent-child conversations, parent academic expectations) predicted child outcomes in kindergarten (controlling for baseline values and a set of child and family characteristics). Results showed that REDI-P promoted significant gains in parent academic expectations, which in turn mediated intervention gains in child emergent literacy skills and self-directed learning. Results suggest a need to attend to the beliefs parents hold about their child's academic potential, as well as their behavioral support for child learning, when designing interventions to enhance the school success of children in low-income families.

How do teachers build strong relationships? A study of teaching practices to support child learning and social–emotional competence

How do teachers build strong relationships? A study of teaching practices to support child learning and social–emotional competence

Early Childhood Teachers' Views towards using Constructivist Internet-Based Environments to Support Children's Learning Activities: A Mixed-Methods Study

AS ONLINE TECHNOLOGY HAS become increasingly pervasive in children's lives, this study explores: (1) early childhood teachers' views and preferences for use among the various functions of a Constructivist Internet-Based Environment (CIBE) in early childhood settings; and (2) whether early childhood teachers' technology-related knowledge (ECTTK) can predict their preferences. By employing a mixed-methods study with 168 pre-K teachers in Singapore, our findings indicate that: (1) the five functions of CIBE cater to the different curriculum activities, including thematic-based learning, instruction of content knowledge, group project work, children's free play and science learning; and (2) teachers' general technological knowledge, technological content knowledge, and technological pedagogical knowledge are able to predict their preferences for using a CIBE. We discuss these findings and make suggestions regarding ways to optimise the adoption of a CIBE to cater to a broad spectrum of early school learning activities.

Evaluating Interactive Installation for Media-Assisted Language Learning: Using Anikee as an Example

This study delineates the design of an exploratory study which investigates the potential of using an interactive installation, Anikee, as unorthodox pedagogical tool to support children learning of the target language. The purpose of this study is to implement instructional gaming and adopt an inductive approach to investigate user perceptions engendered from interact Anikee as a language learning tool. The researchers’ working hypothesis is that interactive installation could serve as a virtual context rich in social interactions which could be conducive to the emergent development of communicative competence. Qualitative data will be collected from interviews and a post-interaction questionnaire and will be transcribed and analyzed. Analysis of interview and textual data focuses on how user-generated perceptions could be accounted for based on Hahha and Wozniak (2001) motivation theory. Coding schemes reflecting participants’ motivational trends in playing the interactive installation to learn English will be generated by multiple researchers to ensure inter-rater reliability. These user-generated perceptions could illuminate the strengths and weaknesses of utilizing digital media for media-assisted language learning and also inform motivations in playing to learn, digital play-based learning research, and future digital media design.

Mobile Serious Game Using Augmented Reality for Supporting Children's Learning About Animals

This article introduces a new Serious Game with Augmented Reality for children and handicapped people. A platform based on a zoo has been virtually created. With this application, the users can increase their knowledge about a specific topic, in this case, animals. We have designed several 3D elements according to the theme, including a main scene that leads to the different scenes contained in the game. The user can interact with those elements and scenes through the mobile phone, thanks to the touch screen.

I Read I Play: A Web Based Application for Supporting Children's Learning Process

In latest years, there is a consisting trend in creating increasingly rich educational opportunities involving for children. Epistemology and technology act for an important set to determine innovative educational materials. Computers can engender a bridge over the educational distances for every child. Realizing a demand, a Web-based application has been developed with a creative reading approach in order to improve the child's reading-comprehension, narrative skills involving activities such as reading, writing, visual reading, relating, comprehension, criticizing, estimation and playing educational computer games. This study aims to offer to children many learning benefits such as motivation, engagement and fun in addition to providing many skills for instance logical thinking and problem solving as well as understanding of abstract concepts. This paper focuses on sharing implementation experiences of our application that expand a positive attitude for reading in children.

The roots of the early vocabulary in infants' learning from speech.

Psychologists have known for over 20 years that infants begin learning their language's speech sound categories during the first 12 months of life. This fact has dominated researchers' thinking about how language acquisition begins, although the relevance of this learning to the child's progress in language acquisition has never been clear. Recently, views of the role of infancy in language acquisition have begun to change, with a new focus on the development of the vocabulary. Infants' learning of speech sound categories, and infants' abilities to extract regularities in the speech stream, allow learning of the auditory forms of many words. These word forms then become the foundation of the early vocabulary, support children's learning of the language's phonological system, and contribute to the discovery of grammar.

Supporting Children's Learning – By Lyn Overall

Support for LearningVolume 23, Issue 1 p. 51-52 Supporting Children's Learning – By Lyn Overall Dr Christopher Arnold, Dr Christopher Arnold Senior Educational PsychologistSandwell Inclusion Support ServiceSearch for more papers by this author Dr Christopher Arnold, Dr Christopher Arnold Senior Educational PsychologistSandwell Inclusion Support ServiceSearch for more papers by this author First published: 22 February 2008 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9604.2007.00369_4.xRead the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Volume23, Issue1February 2008Pages 51-52 RelatedInformation

Can computers create relaxation? Designing ReacTickles© software with children on the autistic spectrum

People on the autistic spectrum are characterised as having difficulties with social and communicative functioning. They are understood to have unusual sensory experiences, in any modality, which means that their perception of the world is alarmingly different from non-autistic people. These experiences create confusion and anxiety, and for many autistic individuals their lives are dominated by fear. A body of research exists, however, to suggest that computers present an ideal medium for reducing the confusing, multi-sensory distractions of the real world and that given the right approach, there is a strong possibility that some aspects of computation could prove relaxing and therapeutic. This paper will document the participatory design and development methods of the ReacTickles© software, which, by encouraging exploration and experimentation from a simple, structured interface, aims to promote relaxation, encourage spontaneous play, and support learning for children on the autistic spectrum. The paper will reveal how the entire design process from concept development through to the varied and flexible evaluation strategies, has been informed by the distinct needs and characteristics of the target population.