Exploring Play and Creativity in Pre-Schoolers' use of Apps
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Sheffield
Department Name: Education
Abstract
The proposed project is a collaboration between the Universities of Sheffield and Edinburgh, the BBC (CBeebies), children's media industry partners, the companies Foundling Bird and Dubit, and Monteney Primary School in Sheffield. The project has been co-constructed amongst these partners in order to address a gap in knowledge with regard to preschool children's (aged from birth to five) use of tablet apps. The aim of the project is to develop understanding about preschool children's use of tablet apps and identify the ways in which the use of apps may promote play and creativity, and to use this information to inform future app development and future purchases of apps by parents/ caregivers and early years settings/ schools.
The project has four distinct but interrelated phases. In the first phase of the project, a survey of 2000 parents of children from birth to 5 will be undertaken by Dubit. Little is known about the most frequently used tablet apps by young children in the UK and the survey will provide information about the extent of children's use of tablet apps, the type of apps used and parents' motivation for buying specific apps. In Phase 2 of the study, six case studies will be undertaken of families with children aged from birth to 5 who use tablet apps. The case studies will develop understanding about parents' motivation for purchasing specific apps and children's responses to a range of apps in terms of their promotion of play and creativity. Four visits will be made to each family in which parents will be interviewed about their children's use of tablet apps and children will be observed using their favourite apps. In the third phase of the project, workshop sessions will be undertaken in a Foundation Stage 1 class and a Foundation Stage 2 class involving children aged three to five, in which children will be observed using a range of apps. The extent to which the apps promote play and creativity will be reviewed. The apps that will be the focus for Phase 3 of the study will be identified as the top six named favourites of children, as recorded in the Phase 1 survey. In addition, children will also be observed using four augmented reality apps identified as being of interest by the research team. In Phase 4, we will analyse the apps used in Phase 3 in order to identify which features were successful in promoting play and creativity
The project will have a range of impacts. The information developed regarding this range of apps will be of value for the children's media industry partners involved in the project. The project will inform future development of apps by the children's media industry. In addition, the project will inform educational provision for apps in the early years through the development of a set of criteria for choosing apps and guidelines for practice. Finally, the project will provide guidance for parents and caregivers in terms of selecting apps to be used with young children and in using them to support play and creativity.
The project has four distinct but interrelated phases. In the first phase of the project, a survey of 2000 parents of children from birth to 5 will be undertaken by Dubit. Little is known about the most frequently used tablet apps by young children in the UK and the survey will provide information about the extent of children's use of tablet apps, the type of apps used and parents' motivation for buying specific apps. In Phase 2 of the study, six case studies will be undertaken of families with children aged from birth to 5 who use tablet apps. The case studies will develop understanding about parents' motivation for purchasing specific apps and children's responses to a range of apps in terms of their promotion of play and creativity. Four visits will be made to each family in which parents will be interviewed about their children's use of tablet apps and children will be observed using their favourite apps. In the third phase of the project, workshop sessions will be undertaken in a Foundation Stage 1 class and a Foundation Stage 2 class involving children aged three to five, in which children will be observed using a range of apps. The extent to which the apps promote play and creativity will be reviewed. The apps that will be the focus for Phase 3 of the study will be identified as the top six named favourites of children, as recorded in the Phase 1 survey. In addition, children will also be observed using four augmented reality apps identified as being of interest by the research team. In Phase 4, we will analyse the apps used in Phase 3 in order to identify which features were successful in promoting play and creativity
The project will have a range of impacts. The information developed regarding this range of apps will be of value for the children's media industry partners involved in the project. The project will inform future development of apps by the children's media industry. In addition, the project will inform educational provision for apps in the early years through the development of a set of criteria for choosing apps and guidelines for practice. Finally, the project will provide guidance for parents and caregivers in terms of selecting apps to be used with young children and in using them to support play and creativity.
Planned Impact
The project will benefit a range of audiences, including: (i) the media industry partners involved in the bid; (ii) the children's media industry more widely; (iii) parents and caregivers of pre-school children; (vi) young children; (v) teachers and early years practitioners working with pre-school children; (vi) policy makers. The benefits each of these groups will gain are outlined below.
(i)The first group to benefit from the project will be the children's media production companies involved directly in the project. CBeebies will gain important knowledge about the use of apps by their target audience, which will inform future content development and commissioning. Foundling Bird is currently producing a suite of new transmedia productions for pre-school children. As part of this work, they plan to develop a series of apps that enable children to extend their narrative engagement with television programmes. As such, they would find participation in the programme to be of value as it will enable them to work alongside academics who have expertise in children's learning and development through the use of technology and the combination of that knowledge with the expertise of Foundling Bird in product development should lead to some important insights into apps development for pre-school children. Similarly, Dubit is a company that works with a number of media industry partners on new developments. They are working with a range of companies on the development of apps, including augmented reality apps. Their collaboration in this project will enable them to develop important insights about the development of augmented reality apps, which will be of value because these apps are in the early stages of development. Therefore, the project will be of benefit to both of these companies in three key ways. First, they will use the understanding developed with regard to the affordances of apps that promote play and creativity in the creation of new products. Second, the partners will consider the application of approaches developed to the collection and analysis of data to their own future research processes. Finally, the companies will use the information developed about how parents choose apps for pre-school children to shape the marketing and promotional material they use for these products.
(ii)The wider children's media industry will benefit from the project through the information gained about the contributions that apps can make to children's play and creativity. The project will identify aspects of apps that promote play and creativity and those attributes of apps that mitigate against play and creativity. This information can inform future product development.
(iii)Parents and caregivers will be interested in the findings in terms of the learning benefits of apps. The research team will develop a set of principles for choosing apps for pre-school children. Parents and caregivers will benefit from employing these principles when purchasing apps for their children.
(iv) Young children will benefit from the project because the enhancement of apps through knowledge gained in the project will, in time, enhance their play experiences.
(v) The project will lead to important information about the way in which apps may or may not promote play and creativity and this knowledge will be of interest to teachers and early years practitioners. The use of tablets in earlier settings and schools is becoming a little more widespread and educators would find information about the types of apps that are of value for this age group to be useful in informing their purchases.
(vi) The project may be of interest to policy makers, in particular Ofcom, as they currently undertake annual surveys of children's media use, including children aged from 3 to 5. The findings of the project could inform future iterations of the media literacy survey.
The processes involved in achieving these impacts are outlined in 'Pathways to Impact'.
(i)The first group to benefit from the project will be the children's media production companies involved directly in the project. CBeebies will gain important knowledge about the use of apps by their target audience, which will inform future content development and commissioning. Foundling Bird is currently producing a suite of new transmedia productions for pre-school children. As part of this work, they plan to develop a series of apps that enable children to extend their narrative engagement with television programmes. As such, they would find participation in the programme to be of value as it will enable them to work alongside academics who have expertise in children's learning and development through the use of technology and the combination of that knowledge with the expertise of Foundling Bird in product development should lead to some important insights into apps development for pre-school children. Similarly, Dubit is a company that works with a number of media industry partners on new developments. They are working with a range of companies on the development of apps, including augmented reality apps. Their collaboration in this project will enable them to develop important insights about the development of augmented reality apps, which will be of value because these apps are in the early stages of development. Therefore, the project will be of benefit to both of these companies in three key ways. First, they will use the understanding developed with regard to the affordances of apps that promote play and creativity in the creation of new products. Second, the partners will consider the application of approaches developed to the collection and analysis of data to their own future research processes. Finally, the companies will use the information developed about how parents choose apps for pre-school children to shape the marketing and promotional material they use for these products.
(ii)The wider children's media industry will benefit from the project through the information gained about the contributions that apps can make to children's play and creativity. The project will identify aspects of apps that promote play and creativity and those attributes of apps that mitigate against play and creativity. This information can inform future product development.
(iii)Parents and caregivers will be interested in the findings in terms of the learning benefits of apps. The research team will develop a set of principles for choosing apps for pre-school children. Parents and caregivers will benefit from employing these principles when purchasing apps for their children.
(iv) Young children will benefit from the project because the enhancement of apps through knowledge gained in the project will, in time, enhance their play experiences.
(v) The project will lead to important information about the way in which apps may or may not promote play and creativity and this knowledge will be of interest to teachers and early years practitioners. The use of tablets in earlier settings and schools is becoming a little more widespread and educators would find information about the types of apps that are of value for this age group to be useful in informing their purchases.
(vi) The project may be of interest to policy makers, in particular Ofcom, as they currently undertake annual surveys of children's media use, including children aged from 3 to 5. The findings of the project could inform future iterations of the media literacy survey.
The processes involved in achieving these impacts are outlined in 'Pathways to Impact'.
Organisations
- University of Sheffield (Lead Research Organisation)
- Playbase Training (Collaboration)
- NHS Lothian (Collaboration)
- British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (Collaboration)
- Monteney Primary School (Project Partner)
- Dubit Limited (Project Partner)
- Foundling Bird (Project Partner)
- British Broadcasting Corporation (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
Publications
Marsh J
(2020)
Under threes' play with tablets
in Journal of Early Childhood Research
Marsh J
(2018)
Play and creativity in young children's use of apps.
in British Journal of Educational Technology.
Marsh J
(2017)
The Case of the iPad
Marsh J
(2015)
The SAGE Handbook of Early Childhood Research
Marsh J
(2018)
Play and creativity in young children's use of apps
in British Journal of Educational Technology
Marsh J
(2020)
Under threes' play with tablets
in Journal of Early Childhood Research
Marsh J
(2016)
Digital play: a new classification
in Early Years
Marsh Jackie
(2017)
The Internet of Toys: A Posthuman and Multimodal Analysis of Connected Play
in TEACHERS COLLEGE RECORD
| Description | This study, a collaboration between academics, the children's media industry and teachers, has identified the ways in which UK pre-schoolers (aged 0-5) use tablets in the home, and how far the apps they use foster, or limit, play and creativity. Under 5s have extensive access to tablets in the home and at the homes of grandparents, other family members and friends. Parents report children having limited access to tablets in early years settings. Twenty-five percent of under 3s and 37% of 3-5 year olds own their own tablets. Children use tablets on a typical day for 1 hour 19 minutes and on a typical weekend day for 1 hour 23 minutes. Parents report that for more than half of this time they support their child's use of the tablet; 35% of use is independent. Children develop a wide range of competences in their use of the tablet from their earliest years, with over half of under 3s (54%) and 76% of 3-5 year olds being able to swipe the screen to change 'pages'/ sites unassisted by others and 60% of 3-5 year-olds able to use a tablet independently to take photographs, with 44% of 3-5 year olds able to create videos on their own. There are differences in tablet use in relation to age, gender, ethnicity and socio-economic status. Girls are more likely than boys to use style creation, drawing, story and nurture apps; boys are more likely to use obstacle games apps and sports apps. Socio-economic status impacts on the number of purchased apps that children have access to, with families in social class group ABC1 purchasing more apps. Given that many free apps contain in-app advertisements and in-app purchases, this means that children in the families with lower economic capital are the ones most likely to encounter these features, which often have a negative impact on the quality of game play. The most popular apps used by under 5s (YouTube, CBeebies apps, Angry Birds, Peppa's Paintbox, Talking Tom (and similar), Temple Run, Minecraft, Disney apps, Candy Crush Saga and Toca Boca apps) differ in the extent to which they promote play and creativity. The apps that are the most successful at promoting play and creativity are designed specifically for this age group, and foster a range of types of play including object, imaginative and symbolic play. Creative thinking promoted by well-designed apps includes exploratory thinking, analysis, problem-solving and speculation. Augmented reality apps can offer open-ended opportunities for creative play and foster imaginative play that crosses virtual and physical domains. The study identified 12 features of apps that limit play and creativity and 41 features that foster play and creativity. These have been included in guidance developed for app designers. The study also identified ways in which apps can be designed to provide optimal experiences for children aged under 5 by considering the developmental needs of children at different ages. The project website (www.techandplay.org) provides reports on the study for the children's media industry, parents, early years practitioners, policy makers and researchers. |
| Exploitation Route | Children's media industry: Extensive guidance on how apps can be designed to promote play and creativity for the under 5's has been produced. The guidance will inform future app development for the under 5's and encourage more age-appropriate appropriate design. Parents: Guidance has been developed for parents on how to choose apps and how to manage children's tablet use in the home. The guidance will be of value to parents' organisations and early years settings in their work with parents. Early years practitioners: Guidance for early years practitioners on choosing and using apps to foster play and creativity has been developed. This will influence early years practice in relation to the use of tablets/ apps. Academics/ researchers: The study has led to new knowledge of tablet/ app use by under-5s, which has been an under-researched area. This study will inform future work in this area and the methodological innovation of the project (i.e. use of Go-pro chestcams by children to capture their tablet use) can influence future studies. Policy-makers: Recommendations relating to providing education for families with under 5s on online safety issues and on supporting family digital literacy programmes have been produced and may inform policy in this area. |
| Sectors | Creative Economy,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education |
| URL | http://www.techandplay.org |
| Description | The findings of the study have been used in the following ways: a) The general public The findings of the study received international press coverage when the press release was launched in July 2015. It was featured on television, on Sky News and Sunrise (Sky channel). It was the feature of the day on Sky News, which included a 15 minute segment on the report, running once an hour all day. This sparked an online public debate about the value of using tablets with young children. The research is regularly reported on by the media whenever young children's technology use is discussed. For example, the findings related to Augmented Reality apps were recently (17.2.18) featured on Wired (https://www.wired.com/story/ar-toys-the-future-of-play/) and findings relating to children's use of YouTube were reported in The Verge (21.11.17) https://www.theverge.com/culture/2017/11/21/16685874/kids-youtube-video-elsagate-creepiness-psychology and guidance for parents offered on a blog post on 'The Conversation' (27.9.17) (https://theconversation.com/toddlers-and-touchscreens-a-parents-guide-83655). These websites reach millions of people around the world, collectively. The findings of the study were also reported in: BBC News Channel - covered in broadcast news and also BBC News Online ('Tablet computers 'widely used by under-fives' http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-34454263) The Guardian ('Third of pre-school children have their own iPad, says study') https://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/oct/06/third-pre-school-children-have-own-ipad-study) The Independent ('These are the apps that can actually help children's development' http://indy100.independent.co.uk/article/these-are-the-apps-that-can-actually-help-childrens-development--WkliNQqO4vg) Nursery World ('Nurseries could play a 'vital role' in advising parents on suitable apps for children' http://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/nursery-world/news/1154138/nurseries-could-play-a-vital-role-in-advising-parents-on-suitable-apps-for-children) LBC Radio Sky News Radio Yorkshire Post ('Playing on tablets can make toddlers more creative' http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/education/playing-on-tablets-can-make-toddlers-more-creative-1-7497847) BBC Radio Sheffield Heart Radio Phys.org ('Study finds apps can benefit pre-schoolers, but parents need to choose wisely') http://phys.org/news/2015-10-apps-benefit-pre-schoolers-parents-wisely.html) Day Nurseries ('A third of children under five own an iPad') http://www.daynurseries.co.uk/news/article.cfm/id/1571474/A-third-of-children-under-five-own-an-iPad) CBS Sacramento ('Study: 25 percent of children under 3 own an iPad') http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2015/10/06/study-25-percent-of-children-3-and-under-own-an-ipad/ (Also in Hot Apple News) http://www.hotapplenews.com/article/study-25-percent-of-children-3-and-under-own-an-ipad-33827053-b6426d.html The website for the study (http://techandplay.org) had 11,525 page views between 1.10.15 - 22.6.16. The findings of the study were tweeted using the hashtag #techandplay, which has an estimated 555,000 impressions. The story was also tweeted by many media organisations including: @TheDrum, @SkyNews, @BBCEducation, @CBeebiesHQ, @BBCMIDigital, @ESRC, @ESRCPress, @TheIndependent, @Guardian, reaching millions of impressions. The findings of the study raised public awareness about the impact for young children of using tablets. Parents tend to be uncertain about their child's use of tablets. The coverage enabled parents to get a sense of typical frequency and duration of use as well as which were the most popular apps. Accounts also provided some guidance on the types of apps that were most likely to result in positive experiences for children. b) Education A 17pp booklet for practitioners has been produced and placed on the project website. http://www.techandplay.org/reports/TAP_Early_Years_Report.pdfThis contains guidance on choosing and using apps in early years settings. This has been disseminated widely on the internet (through Twitter and relevant websites) and through 9 conference presentations in the UK and overseas, which have been attended by teachers and teacher educators. The booklet has informed subsequent reviews of this area, such as a recent (June 2016) report published by the National Literacy Trust on young children's digital literacy practices. A link to the project website has been included on the websites of a number of organisations that inform professionals with interests in early childhood e.g.: British Association for Early Childhood Education https://www.early-education.org.uk/exploring-play-and-creativity-pre-schoolers-use-apps British Association of Social Workers https://www.basw.co.uk/resource/?id=4612 Early Childhood Australia http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/our-work/digital-business-kit/live-wires/live-wires-forum-resources/ National Child and Maternal Health Intelligence Network http://www.chimat.org.uk/resource/item.aspx?RID=260675 B) Parents A 12pp booklet for parents has been produced and placed on the project website. http://www.techandplay.org/reports/TAP_Parents_Report.pdf This contains guidance on choosing and using apps. 150 copies of the booklet were distributed at a public event in the Winter Gardens, Sheffield, 'Apps for play and creativity', organised as part of the 2015 ESRC Social Sciences Festival, November 2015. The team also produced a blogpost for the CBeebies GrownUps website, offering guidance to parents on children using tablets. 'Toddlers and Tablets: Ten First Steps'. This had 18,000 hits in the first week of publication. http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/toddlers-and-tablets C) Policy makers A 6 pp booklet for policy makers has been produced and placed on the project website. http://www.techandplay.org/reports/TAP_Policy_Report.pdf A copy was forwarded to Frank Field, MP, on request and other policy makers were made aware of the publication through the OFCOM Media Literacy newsletter. A contribution drawing on the research was made at a seminar attended by policy makers at the London School of Economics on 'Parenting for the digital age' on 10.5.16. An article about the project was included in an issue of the ESRC publication 'Society Now', April, 2016. ('Early years professionals need more apps training.') http://www.esrc.ac.uk/files/news-events-and-publications/publications/magazines-and-newsletters/society-now/society-now-issue-24/ The research study was used by the Department for Education in 2018-19 in the preparation of a policy initiative related to government provision of free learning apps for parents in low-socio economic groups. I was appointed in February 2019 to Chair an Expert Panel to develop criteria for selecting apps and providing guidance to parents on use. Criteria were developed to select apps and six apps were chosen and guidance developed for children. The outcomes were publicised in February 2020: https://hungrylittleminds.campaign.gov.uk along with guidance for parents: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-apps-pilot-home-learning-environment/home-learning-environment-early-years-apps-parent-guidance D) Children's media industry A 22pp booklet for app producers was developed which outlined the key principles that should inform app development for under 5s. http://www.techandplay.org/reports/TAP_Media_Report.pdf This has been disseminated widely through Twitter and relevant websites (e.g. Huffington Post), and also at media industry conference presentations and seminars in the UK and overseas. 1700 printed copies of the booklet have been distributed at the Children's Media Conference (Sheffield, July 2015), Dubit seminar (Leeds, June 2015), Manimation Conference (Manchester, November, 2016), Kidscreen (Miami, February 2016), Toy Fair, New York (February, 2016). The booklet has also been given to Google, YouTube and Cheeky Little Media. The project was featured on a website for media developers,Transmedia Kids http://www.transmediakids.com/2016/03/exploring-technology-and-play.html The findings have been presented in meetings focused on the project, held with specific organisations including the BBC, CBeebies, Disney, DHX Media, Hopster, LEGO, Mattel, Nickelodeon and Nick Jr (both UK and US teams), and Vivid Creative. Further, PI Marsh and Co-I Plowman were subsequently invited to engage in consultancy with companies keen to draw on the research outcomes (Disney and CBeebies). The findings have been used by companies that design media for children to inform their products (e.g. Cheeky Little Media). David Kleeman, global children's media analyst and Past President of the American Center for Children and Media posted a link to the report on his Facebook page. The following comments were made by US media companies: "One of the best recent reports/studies that I have seen. Really valuable info." - Graham Farrar, President, Cupcake Digital "I know so many folks who have waited for something like this! Great job." - Shuli Gilutz, Researcher, Tel Aviv University (and Mentor, UX Design, Google Campus). Peter Robinson, Global Head of Research at Dubit, reported this after they hosted an online dissemination seminar for media companies: "We've had some great feedback and there has been lots of interest in finding out more. People seemed to really get a lot of value from the videos, and commentary, of children playing. It definitely really helps the toy makers and IP owners to see how kids pick up and use these devices - and what that means." The findings still have relevance for the industry. Recently (8.1.08), the following was sent from a start-up company 'InspiredKids' "We have found fascinating and extremely valuable research you delivered in 2015 - Exploring play and creativity in pre-schoolers' use of apps. It was both inspirational and practically helpful for us us in developing our projects. One of them - InspiredKids, a mobile app for parents. This tool is designed to help today's busy parents to firstly, improve quality of video content their child is exposed to on Youtube (inspiration element), and, secondly, to create a habit of parents to engage child in a play or game every single day (action element)." The research has informed product development for companies who produce media for children (for example, the producers of a new CBeebies show, 'The Baby Club' and for a US- Based non-profit organisation, Power of Zero, who have used it to inform a campaign for schools internationally on the development of digital citizenship material for young children. In 2019, I was invited by the LEGO Foundation to lead on a study revisiting some of the themes addressed in the TAP project, which involved a collaboration between the UK and South Africa. This study will update knowledge of young children's use of technology in play. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2015 |
| Sector | Creative Economy,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education |
| Impact Types | Societal,Policy & public services |
| Description | Early Years Apps Guidance for Parents |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| URL | https://www.gov.uk/government/news/early-years-apps-approved-to-help-families-kick-start-learning-at... |
| Description | Member of expert group invited to comment on draft of UNCRC's General Comment on children's rights in relation to the digital environment |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Title | Technology and Play Data Archive |
| Description | This data archive is deposited with 'Reshare'. The data are both quantitative and qualitative. Quantitative data consists of survey outcomes from an online survey of 2000 parents of 0-5 year-olds who have access to a tablet. Parents were asked questions about children's access to, and use of, tablets and apps. Responses were also sought on how apps were chosen and parental concerns about in-app purchasing and advertising were explored. Raw SPSS data, in addition to tables outlining the project's statistical analysis, are available. Case studies of six children aged from birth to five were also conducted. Qualitative data from the case studies include transcripts from interviews with parents and children. In addition, 'Play and creativity tours' were conducted with children. Family members produced maps of their homes and children and parents used these to reflect on children's play, both digital and non-digital. Photographs of children's toys, playthings and tablets were taken by both the researcher and children and parents. Video data from the family case studies and observations in schools, and the audio files from the case study interviews, are available with restricted access due to the personal information they contain. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2015 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | (i) The data have been used in teaching sessions at the University of Sheffield. (ii) An Australian/ Dutch researcher requested access to restricted files (video data) for her own research purposes. Permission was granted. |
| URL | http://reshare.ukdataservice.ac.uk/852030/ |
| Description | Think Tank on Parenting Young Children in the Digital Age |
| Organisation | British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | CBeebies has agreed to participate in a Think Tank event organised by COST Action IS140, DigiLitEY, which Professor Marsh chairs. The aims of the Think Tank are to identify the research and policy priorities in relation to parenting young children in the digital age. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Kay Benbow, Director of CBeebies, and Editor of Digital Development, will attend a Think Tank meeting in March 2017, 'The role of parents and carers in recognising and supporting young children's digital literacy skills and development'. This will result in a publication, outlining key issues for research and policy. The publication has been developed and is available here: http://digilitey.eu/smartparenting/ |
| Impact | The publication from this work has been developed and is available here: http://digilitey.eu/smartparenting/ |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Young children's digital play: developing resources to support parents and professionals |
| Organisation | NHS Lothian |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Lydia Plowman is PI, ESRC Impact Acceleration Account, University of Edinburgh, November 2016 - May 2017. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Builds on the award by extending the work on digital play with partners in Scotland to provide online resources for parents and professionals.This project has designed, developed and evaluated an eight-week online course on digital play with two pathways for different user groups: parents (facilitated by Playbase, an Edinburgh-based charity offering training courses in childcare) and health workers (facilitated by NHS Lothian Health Promotion Service). Playbase will build on the expertise developed through their involvement in the project to oversee a third pathway for nursery workers and will host the resources for all users on their website. |
| Impact | http://dev.playbase.org.uk/courses/digital-play-for-young-children |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Young children's digital play: developing resources to support parents and professionals |
| Organisation | Playbase Training |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Lydia Plowman is PI, ESRC Impact Acceleration Account, University of Edinburgh, November 2016 - May 2017. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Builds on the award by extending the work on digital play with partners in Scotland to provide online resources for parents and professionals.This project has designed, developed and evaluated an eight-week online course on digital play with two pathways for different user groups: parents (facilitated by Playbase, an Edinburgh-based charity offering training courses in childcare) and health workers (facilitated by NHS Lothian Health Promotion Service). Playbase will build on the expertise developed through their involvement in the project to oversee a third pathway for nursery workers and will host the resources for all users on their website. |
| Impact | http://dev.playbase.org.uk/courses/digital-play-for-young-children |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Blog Post |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Co-auhtored blog post drawing on the study for 'The Conversation' . |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://theconversation.com/toddlers-and-touchscreens-a-parents-guide-83655 |
| Description | CBeebies Blog |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Patients, carers and/or patient groups |
| Results and Impact | Professor Marsh wrote a blog post for the CBeebies Grown Ups blog. The post aimed to offer parents guidance on using tablets with their young children. The blog post received 18,000 in the first week of posting. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/toddlers-and-tablets |
| Description | Comparing Children's Media Around the World Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Professor Lydia Plowman presented a paper on the study at this conference. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | https://www.westminster.ac.uk/news-and-events/events/comparing-children's-media-around-the-world-pol... |
| Description | Digital Parenting: Vodaphone Magazine |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Article written by Professor Lydia Plowman "How you can manage your child's screen time", aimed at parents. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://vodafonedigitalparenting.co.uk/expert-advice/manage-childs-screen-time/ |
| Description | Digital play to support family minority language practices |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation given by Professor Lydia Plowman. Invited presentation with Joanna McPake, Digital play to support family minority language practices. Conference on Language revitalisation and the transformation of family life, University of Edinburgh 8-9 September 2017. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Dissemination to media industry |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | 30 representatives from the children's media industry (including CBeebies, DHX Media, Vivid Creative) attended a seminar at Dubit's offices, Leeds on 23.6.15 at which the key findings from the project were presented and a discussion of the session ensued. Following the seminar, Dubit had further queries from other companies who were not able to attend. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| Description | Dissemination to the Children's Media Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Professor Jackie Marsh was invited to present the findings of the study in a panel at the Children's Media Conference, Sheffield, UK in July 2015, titled 'Learning by App'. This is one of the major conference in this area and is attended by key media companies in the UK and internationally. Approximately 500 booklets were distributed at the conference. Following the conference, Professor Marsh was contacted by Disney and Cheeky companies in order to provide advice on developments. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | http://www.thechildrensmediaconference.com/sessions/learning-by-app/ |
| Description | ESRC Social Sciences Festival Event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Patients, carers and/or patient groups |
| Results and Impact | The ERSC Social Sciences Festival Event 'Apps for play and creativity' was held in the Winter Gardens, Sheffield and was attended by over 150 members of the general public, including parents and carers. Children engaged with apps on tablets, projected on large screens, and the project team engaged in discussions with parents and carers about the project and its findings. Approximately 150 booklets for parents outlining the project findings and implications were distributed. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | http://festivalofsocialscience.group.shef.ac.uk |
| Description | Kid screen Conference and Toy Fair |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Doubt attended the Kidscreen Conference in Miami (8-11.2.16) and the Toy Fair in New York (15-17.2.16). 200-300 of the project brochures for the media industry were distributed. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| Description | Media activities |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | When the press release for the project was launched, we had widespread press interest and requests for interviews from Sky News and BBC Radio. The findings were widely reported in national press (e.g. BBC, the Guardian, the Independent, the Telegraph) and online websites, such as 'Parent Herald'. In addition, the study was published internationally (Australian press, Huffington Post.) Further, there were tweets on the story from: @TheDrum, @SkyNews, @BBCEducation, @CBeebiesHQ, @BBCMIDigital, @ESRC, @ESRCPress, @TheIndependent, @Guardian, @SueAtkins, @ncb The hashtag devised for the campaign #techandplay had an estimated 555,000 impressions. The project was featured on a #SkyDebate. The media coverage led to further requests for information from journalists. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/faculty/social-sciences/news/tech-and-play-report-1.514007 |
| Description | Presentation to CBeebies |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Professor Jackie Marsh and Peter Robinson from Dubit were invited to present the findings from the study to CBeebies staff on 31.7.15. A discussion followed the presentation in which the implications for CBeebies were identified. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| Description | Presentations to the media industry |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Dubit and Professor Jackie Marsh have been invited to separate meetings during autumn/ winter 2015 to various children's media companies in which the findings were discussed. This includes: BBC, Disney, LEGO, Mattel, Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| Description | Russian dolls and three forms of capital: An ecological and sociological perspective on parents' engagement with young children's tablet use. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Keynote presentation given at seminar at University of Copenhagen: 'Parenting in a Digital World', 3rd October, 2016. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://mcc.ku.dk/calendar/researchseminarchildrenandmedia/ |
| Description | iWrite, iRead, iPlay: Children's Digital Literacy Practices Using Tablets at Home and School |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Keynote presentation at the Literacy Association of Ireland 40th International Conference |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | https://educationmatters.ie/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Education_Conference_Leaflet_2016.pdf |