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Pre-schoolers’ use of technology and digital media in Singapore: Entertainment indulgence and/or learning engagement?
Citation
Tay, L. Y., Thaslim Begum Aiyood, Chua, T. B. K., Kalaivani Ramachandran, & Chia, M. Y. H. (2021). Pre-schoolers’ use of technology and digital media in Singapore: Entertainment indulgence and/or learning engagement? Educational Media International, 58(1), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/09523987.2021.1908498
Author
Tay, Lee Yong
•
Thaslim Begum Mohamed Aiyoob
•
Chua, Terence Buan Kiong
•
Kalaivani Ramachandran
•
Abstract
The proliferation of information and communication technology (ICT) has changed the way we live and this also has implications on how it is used for learning and entertainment. However, technology and digital media are more often seen as gateways to entertainment and the attraction is a very strong one. This is true for adults and children including pre-schoolers. This online survey research investigated parents’ attitudes and concerns towards their pre-schoolers’ use of technology and digital media in Singapore. More specifically, this survey research explored parents’ attitudes towards the ‘what’ and ‘why’ questions of pre-schoolers’ use of technology and digital media at home; what technological devices were more commonly used, what digital media activities were pre-schoolers mostly engaged in (i.e., learning or entertainment) and why technology and digital media were used. Parents were also surveyed if they were concerned about some perceived effects of their pre-schooler’s digital media use. Although parents rated and ranked improving their pre-schoolers’ skills and knowledge as the highest in terms of importance of digital media use, the findings of the survey reflected that the amount of time their pre-schoolers use technology and digital media for entertainment is significantly more than that for learning.
Keywords
Date Issued
2021
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Journal
Educational Media International
Dataset
https://doi.org/10.25340/R4/P8OHGR
Project
OER 29/19 MC
Grant ID
Education Research Funding Programme (ERFP)
Funding Agency
Ministry of Education, Singapore