Master of Arts (Instructional Design & Technology)

This research explores Singapore parents’ use of the digital gadgets, specifically, smartphones and tablets with their young children. The purpose is to examine the motivation and perception influencing parents’ choice of use, in order to discern potentials and implications of devices usage with young children for early childhood learning. Parents have the option of adopting a range of medium with their children, both digital and non-digital. Therefore, it remains a question why and how parents are using smartphones and tablets, specifically for the gratifications of the learning needs for their children. Parents with young children (aged 0 – 5) were interviewed. Using the uses and gratification model, this study examined parents’ motivation of use, expectations, and the needs being gratified. The technology acceptance model was also adopted to understand the attitude of parents towards smartphones and tablets that influence their usage of devices with young children. Finally, implications of using these devices with young children are discussed. Findings have indicated that parents’ use of smartphones and tablets for their children’s learning is shaped by their attitude towards the devices over motivation for use or the experience of using the devices itself. While the devices have shown potential to help developing disposition to learning and adding to the richness of the literacy environment at home, parents practise narrow use of smartphones and tablets as learning tools and their focus is not aligned with early childhood learning principles, which may cause regression in young children’s development. Furthermore, their ignorance of pedagogical affordances of the smartphones and tablets limits the potential of children’s interaction with such devices, rendering opportunities being wasted. Findings also suggested that parents’ use of smartphones and tablets risks oversimplifying the learning processes. It is indicated that much more work need to be done in guiding the use of devices by parents. It is recommended that further studies should be made in formulating guidelines that will guide parents and learning designers in designing smartphones and tablets activities that are aligned to early childhood education principles.