This Learnovate Centre (http://www.learnovatecentre.org) presentation was delivered at the iGBL 2013 symposium on June 6th 2013. The presenter was Neil Peirce and the presentation was based on a research report published by the centre. The full report is available at: http://www.learnovatecentre.org/research-report-digital-game-based-learning-for-early-childhood/
9. www.learnovatecentre.org
Play in Early Childhood
• Adult play
– Entertainment, enjoyment, escapism, fitness, etc.
• Early childhood play(NCCA, 2004)
– Develop imagination and creativity
– Develop an ability to manage emotions
– Develop as thinkers
– Develop physically
– Develop language
– Learn to use symbols
• Including literary and numerical systems
– Develop social skills, and to develop morally and
spiritually
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Games
• “A game is a system in which players engage
in an , defined by , that
results in a .”
(Salen & Zimmerman, 2003)
• Developmental Appropriateness
– Cognitive
– Psychomotor
– Socio-emotional
– Psychosexual
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Cognitive Development
• Preoperational sub-stage
– Use language to help develop concepts
– Egocentric view of the world
– Need extensive experience to understand complex relational
terms
– Can classify objects based on a single evident feature, e.g.
colour, material
– There is difficulty with understanding multi-dimensional
differences, e.g. green circles and green triangles are not the
same just because they are green
– They are able to collect items based on a criterion (even a
shifting one)
– They can arrange objects in a series yet cannot draw
inferences between non-adjacent objects
– They have limited transitive inference, e.g. if A > B and B >
C then A > C
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Cognitive Development
• Intuitive sub-stage
– Ability to form classes or categories of objects (not
necessarily aware of them)
– Understand logical relationships of increasing complexity
– Able to work with the idea of a number
– By age 7 they are able to react to symbol systems and to
overcome their intuitive impressions
– The principle of conservation is understood
– Increased ability to express thoughts and ideas verbally
– Imagination enables imitation of actions and symbols
– There is a transition from self-satisfying behaviour to
fundamental socialised behaviours
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Example Games
Team Umizoomi Math: Zoom into Numbers
by MTV Networks
Count Me To Sheep by Sesame Workshop
Checkout Cookie by Sesame Workshop
Letter Factory Game by LeapFrog Enterprises
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Socio-emotional Development
• Children learn through action and interaction with others
• Parents/guardians play a key role in supporting their children’s early
learning
• Effective communication between parents and child-
minders/practitioners enhances children’s learning
• The play environment—whether outdoor or indoor—warrants careful
consideration to support both relationships and play as key contexts for
learning
Erikson's Stages of Personality (Erikson, 1980)
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Psychosexual Development
• Sigmund Freud
– Phallic stage / reproductive issues
– Body / Gender awareness
• Oedipus complex among boys
– Resolved through self-exploration and input
from parents
– Limited relevance to digital game-based
learning
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Appropriate Gaming Strategies
• Simple interfaces
• Limited symbols requiring interpretation (no text)
• A role for the parent in games
• Language to discuss problems
• Each child develops at their own pace
• Egocentric nature limits alternate perspectives
• Competition has limited relevance
• Fine-motor skills still developing
• Short periods of play necessary (eye development)
• Body, directional, temporal, spatial awareness still developing
• Many more in the report…
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Evidence of Learning Effectiveness
• Limited research exists for this age group
• SoA Survey
– 4 leading journals and conferences
– 995 papers surveyed
– 3% (16 papers) directly relevant to early childhood learning
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Trans. on
Edutainment
Sim and
Gaming
ECGBL DIGITEL Overall
Percentageofpapersbysector
Publication Source
Breakdown of sector-specific research papers
(excl. theoretical and technical papers) Other
Military
Corporate
Fourth Level
Third Level
Secondary
Primary
Early
Childhood
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Evidence of Learning Effectiveness
• Phonological
Awareness
– Benefits to
reading and
writing skills in
primary school
Representation of the Phonological Structure
of the Word ‘basket’. (Gillon, 2004)
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Evidence of Learning Effectiveness
• Differentiation of Thematic and Taxonomic
Relationships
Example Game for Hierarchical Taxonomic
Classification (Sung et al., 2008)
Progressive Stages of Taxonomic Learning
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Evidence of Learning Effectiveness
• Memory Enhancement
Strategies
– (Oyen & Bebko, 1996)
• Motor Skills and Coordination
– Tangible Toys (Marco et al., 2009)
• Mathematical Development
– Spatial and geometric competencies and
concepts
– Numeric and quantitative concepts
– (Sarama & Clements, 2004)
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Ethical Considerations
• Cognitive
– Limited evidence of learning effectiveness
• Psychomotor
– Hindered psychomotor skills due to non-physical play
– Health risks due to increased sedentary activity
– Risks of prolonged use of digital displays
– Challenges of adult centric ergonomics of devices
• Socio-emotional
– Reduced social and inter-generational play
– Reduced conversation and use of language
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Also in the Report…
• Cost-effectiveness
– Market size
– Market competitiveness
– Development costs
AppStore Education Section (Shuler, Levine, & Ree, 2012)
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Summary
• Developmental appropriateness is a key
design factor for this age group
– Considerable differences even within 3-6 year olds
• Limited research and evaluation
– Anecdotal evidence common amongst commercial
games
– Proven benefits in certain domains
• Ethical considerations
• Need for further research in this fast growing
market
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The report is available at:
http://www.learnovatecentre.org/research
-report-digital-game-based-learning-for-
early-childhood/
neil.peirce@scss.tcd.ie
Questions?
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References
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