Elementary-School Students’ Use of Digital Devices at Home to Support Learning Pre- and Post-COVID-19

Abstract

As access to digital devices has grown, children in the United States are increasingly making use of digital devices at home. This paper reports two studies with data from two samples, one collected in 2017 and one in 2022, documenting how families of elementary-aged children make use of digital devices at home to support their children’s learning in reading, writing, mathematics, and science. Of particular interest was whether parents have reported an increased use of digital devices since COVID-19. Data were collected both times via an online questionnaire, in which parents described their child’s access to devices, amount of use, subject-specific use, and their own confidence and beliefs about device use. Most children made use of digital devices to support learning, but the extent of use varied by subject. Children’s reported use of digital devices and parents’ confidence assisting their children’s learning with such devices reportedly increased from pre- to post-COVID. These findings can inform the efforts of researchers exploring the use of digital devices as a tool in the home learning environment and educators working with families already making use of these devices at home.

Building resilience beyond the COVID-19 pandemic: can it work through creative play with digital puzzles?

“…Our study outlines a new puzzle to promote resilience in the digital domain. As preschool teachers and parents utilize digital technology to enhance young children's learning capabilities (Iasha et al, 2018;Enochsson and Ribaeus, 2021;Sonnenschein et al, 2023), playing with the aid of digital technology is a significant part of early childhood education (Ethridge et al, 2022;Nurani et al, 2022). Innovation through play is essential in early childhood education (Fragkiadaki et al, 2021).…”

Combination of M-learning with Problem Based Learning: Teaching Activities for Mathematics Teachers

“…Several studies [25][26] have identified effective strategies for integrating Mlearning in mathematics education. One of the effective strategies involves the use of digital tools and applications that support collaborative learning and problem-solving activities.…”

Digital Tools for Children with Reading Difficulties

“…Consequently, it is not surprising that as early as 2009, 97% of students had access to a computer in their classroom (National Center for Education Statistics, 2013), reflecting the widespread integration of technology in educational settings. The use of digital devices and access to the internet at home have significantly increased over the past four decades, rising from 8% of families with children in 1984 to 95% of families with children aged 3 to 18 in 2017 (Sonnenschein et al, 2023). This surge has led to a substantial shift in how families interact with technology and the internet within their homes.…”

“…This availability offers individuals multiple options for engaging in digital reading. Last, but not least, research has shown that as children progress into the middle years of elementary school, they are likely to use digital devices more extensively for educational purposes (Sonnenschein et al, 2023).…”

“…Specifically, for the development of reading fluency, educators can utilize digital tools, software, and even the internet itself. Students are utilizing technological resources more and more for reading instruction, both outside the classroom (Sonnenschein et al, 2023) and within it (Akbar et al, 2015). When given a choice, students prefer to engage in these activities online or on their mobile devices rather than listening to the teacher or reading printed materials in the classroom, as suggested by Toste et al (2020).…”