Maria Hatzigianni

‘I am very good at computers’: young children's computer use and their computer self-esteem

Children frequently encounter computers in many aspects of daily life. It is important to consider the consequences not only on childrens cognitive development but on their emotional and self-development. This paper reports on research undertaken in Australia with 52 children aged between 44 and 79 months to explore the existence or not of a relationship between computer use and computer self-esteem. The development and use of tools to identify computer self-esteem is also described. Findings suggest that computer use enhances computer self-esteem, especially for children with access to computers both at home and in preschool and the first year of schooling. Suggestions for further research and serious implications for early childhood are also noted.

The combined effects of teacher-child and peer relationships on children's social-emotional adjustment ☆

Teachers and peers represent two important dimensions of the classroom social ecology that have important implications for childrens social-emotional adjustment. This study examined the combined effects of teacher-child relationships (TCR) and peer relationships for 6-7year-old children on their social-emotional adjustment at 8-9years. The sample was comprised of children and their teachers participating in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (n=2857). Teachers reported on TCR, peer relationships, and childrens emotional well-being, and children provided self-reported self-concept and school liking during a face-to-face interview. The analytic approach extends previous research by modeling TCR and peer relationships in combination, using cluster analysis to understand the nature of 6-7year-old childrens social relationships in the classroom. Five distinct profiles of children were identified: adaptive, teacher-oriented, teacher-child conflict prominent, non-adaptive, and invisible. The adaptive profile had the best outcomes on all three aspects of social-emotional adjustment at age 8-9; the non-adaptive profile had the poorest outcomes, and the invisible group was mid-range. The teacher-oriented and teacher-child conflict prominent groups had mixed outcomes for social-emotional adjustment. Implications for school psychologists and teachers are discussed.

Computer use at schools and associations with social-emotional outcomes - A holistic approach. Findings from the longitudinal study of Australian Children

In drawing upon cultural-historical theory, this paper reports on the use of computers in Australian schools where a holistic analysis was undertaken to explore the possible associations with social-emotional outcomes. By conducting a quantitative analysis framed around a conceptual model that used the concept of perezhivanie, it was possible to examine a sample of 3345 children (8-9 years old) who participated in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (wave 5) and to fill a gap in the literature on whether computer use has an influence on three social-emotional outcomes: self-concept, emotional problems and school liking. Findings suggest that Australian children are using computers in school in a very similar way, mainly practicing specific learning skills (e.g. maths and literacy) and rarely engaged in creative activities. In addition, findings reveal that overall computer use does not appear to have a significant impact on childrens social-emotional outcomes. One exception, a small significant association between creativity and self-concept was found and further explored. Implications for practice and recommendations for future research are discussed. Adopting a cultural-historical framework and a holistic perspective in framing the study.Computers are used in a very similar way across elementary schools in Australia.Teachers mainly use computers to support specific skills (maths/literacy) and not creativity.Computer use at school and at home is not associated with social-emotional outcomes.Only creative use of computers was associated with childrens self-concept.

Transforming early childhood experiences with digital technologies

The aim of this article is to stimulate a discussion beyond just the use of digital technologies in the early years of education, to also consider the broader societal implications of their use. The Freirian notion that education has the power to transform lives is reflected upon in this article, and it explores the use of new technologies in ways that have the potential to significantly alter the everyday practices adopted in the early years curriculum experience. Projects underpinned by a critical or postmodern framework and how they used digital technologies to make crucial changes in the lives of their participants will also be analysed in an attempt to further inspire the future research endeavours.

Teaching Visual Arts with Digital Technologies

Visual arts education has been significantly influenced by technological progress and attracted significant research attention. This study focuses on how the exploration of visual arts in a digital environment (art software) shapes new ways for children to improve their visual literacy and social skills. The study followed a mixed methodology design that included observations, tests, children’s digital creative works, and works with ordinary materials. A 3-month intervention was implemented with a class of 21 primary students (12 years of age) and 1 teacher in Greece. Each week, students were introduced to, and explored, works of art (paintings of the late nineteenth to early decades of the twentieth century) through an educational art software application specially designed for this intervention. Students were engaged with interactive activities using the computer and learned to critically observe and understand the aesthetic characteristics of the paintings. Through a process of thoughtful dialogue and writing routines, students enhanced their visual perception and expressed their judgments about the aesthetic value of the observed artworks. Additionally, students designed and created their individual or collective pieces of art with digital and physical means. Findings suggest that the intervention had a positive influence on students’ creative engagement and aesthetic perception and value of artworks and on promoting peer collaboration. Overall, the study offers useful insights for teachers on how to efficiently integrate technology into visual arts education to support children in becoming informed citizens, critical consumers, and creative producers in this highly visual information age.

Electronic Gaming: Associations with Self-Regulation, Emotional Difficulties and Academic Performance

Drawing on data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC), this chapter reports on the use of electronic games by young children (8–9 years old) and the associations with cognitive self-regulation, academic performance (mathematics, language and literacy) and emotional difficulties 2 years later when children were 10–11 years of age. Results indicated that, compared to children who played electronic games for 120 min or less per week, playing games for between 121 and 240 min per week was associated with better scores on Language and Literacy and Mathematical Thinking at 10 to 11 years of age. Conversely, the use of electronic games for more than an hour per day (more than 421 min per week) was associated with lower cognitive self-regulation and an increase in emotional difficulties at 10–11 years of age.

Digital Childhoods Across Contexts and Countries

There has been growing interest in how communities engage with and take up digital technologies. For instance, in Australia, approximately 90% of children aged 5–14 years access the Internet (ABS 2013) with 46% of children using mobile devices such as tablets and phones. Across the North American continent and in the EU, there is a similar engagement with digital technologies (Donohue 2015; EU Kids Online 2014). With fast broadband becoming more readily available in many countries, even greater online uptake is expected in the coming years (Livingstone et al. 2011).

Early childhood educators' attitudes and beliefs around the use of touchscreen technologies by children under three years of age

Abstract: This paper reports on an Australian study around early childhood educators’ attitudes and beliefs on the use of touchscreen technologies by very young children, under three years of age. The study adopted an ecological perspective and educators and directors of early childhood centres completed an online survey and were interviewed on this specific topic. Data were analysed to identify teachers’ competencies (eg, digital skills) but also possible factors behind attitudes and beliefs (eg, leadership styles; training; teaching philosophy). Findings suggest that early childhood teachers’ views are evolving and they are now more confident when they use technology for work/personal purposes but not as confident when integrating technology with very young children. Educators’ overall confidence and hours using technology is significantly associated with a positive attitude towards the incorporation of technology. Their teaching philosophy is also associated with their technology use with very young children. In contrast, training or lack of it is not significant. This study has direct implications for Early Childhood Education as it will contribute to better understanding educators’ views and practices on a hotly debated topic and whether they are ready to change their traditional views and embrace this new social reality. The need for more research on the influence of technological use on very young children’s development will also be underlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online Learning and Self-Regulation: Balancing Between Personal and Social Dimensions

This chapter focuses on research around the field of self-regulation in online learning. The majority of studies in this field have concentrated on metacognitive regulation and not on the social, interactive aspect of self-regulation. This chapter will review relative research in the field of self-regulation and will also report on a study exploring the perceptions of fully online distance learners of four different types of reading activities in relation to some predefined dimensions of self-regulation. The authors were interested in finding out the extent to which the students self-regulated while participating in collaborative reading activities in different online settings. Findings of the study reinforce the significance of social learning, support the adoption of a different role for tutors and also underline the importance of investing in learning design. Implications for practice and future research are also discussed.