Enhancing spatial skills of preschoolers from under‐resourced backgrounds: A comparison of digital app vs. concrete materials.
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| Title: | Enhancing spatial skills of preschoolers from under‐resourced backgrounds: A comparison of digital app vs. concrete materials. |
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| Authors: | Bower, Corinne A. (AUTHOR), Zimmermann, Laura (AUTHOR), Verdine, Brian N. (AUTHOR), Pritulsky, Calla (AUTHOR), Golinkoff, Roberta Michnick (AUTHOR), Hirsh‐Pasek, Kathy (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Developmental Science. Jan2022, Vol. 25 Issue 1, p1-9. 9p. |
| Subjects: | Mobile apps, Preschool children, Concrete, Control groups |
| Abstract: | Spatial skills support STEM learning and achievement. However, children from low‐socioeconomic (SES) backgrounds typically lag behind their middle‐ and high‐SES peers. We asked whether a digital educational app—designed to mirror an already successful, spatial assembly training program using concrete materials—would be as effective for facilitating spatial skills in under‐resourced preschoolers as the concrete materials. Three‐year‐olds (N = 61) from under‐resourced backgrounds were randomly assigned to a business‐as‐usual control group or to receive 5 weeks of spatial training using either concrete, tangible materials or a digital app on a tablet. The spatial puzzles used were an extension of items from the Test of Spatial Assembly (TOSA). Preschoolers were pretested and posttested on new two‐dimensional (2D) TOSA trials. Results indicate that both concrete and digital spatial training increased performance on the 2D‐TOSA compared to the control group. The two trainings did not statistically differ from one another suggesting that educational spatial apps may be one route to providing early foundational skills to children from under‐resourced backgrounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Developmental Science is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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