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Digital media and children age 0-6: a snapshot on Europe, European Journal of Research on Education

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Abstract

Media socialization in preschool age presents an ever increasing phenomenon, which involves children from the first year of life with different intensity and in different ways. Digital natives, in fact, in contrast with the “Gutenberg” children, are naturally inclined to using new technologies and this inclination comes from the opportunity to live many and various experiences which also include the development of different brain structures. (Prensky 2001, Ferri 2011). This contribution comes from the reflection on preschool socialization shared within the cycle of in-depth seminars “Media before school. An empirical reflexion on the socialization 0-6” organized by the Mediamonitor Minor Observatory, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy within the project Inf@nzia DIGI.Tales 3.6. At the moment, American context appears to be the most researched one: here, the key findings from the main European research around the interaction of the “universe of minors” with technologies will be presented from a multidisciplinary point of view, which includes scientific areas which are necessarily related to this issue such as pedagogy, psychology and neuro-science. The current research intends to contribute to a reconstruction of a map of experiences of international research aimed at delineating the status quo of the methods and key results, as well as of the priorities and best practices that can be transferred and applied to the Italian context. © 2014 European Journal of Research on Education by IASSR. Keywords: Digital media, preschool age, socialization, family
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2014 (c) EJRE published by
International Association of Social Science Research - IASSR
European
Journal of
Research on
Education
ISSN: 2147-6284
European Journal of Research on Education, 2014, 2(Special Issue 7), 51-57
Digital media and children age 0-6: a snapshot on Europe
Claudia D’Antoni 1
Department of Communication and Social Research, Mediamonitor Minor Observatory, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
Abstract
Media socialization in preschool age presents an ever increasing phenomenon, which involves children from the first year of life
with different intensity and in different ways. Digital natives, in fact, in contrast with the Gutenberg children, are naturally
inclined to using new technologies and this inclination comes from the opportunity to live many and various experiences which
also include the development of different brain structures. (Prensky 2001, Ferri 2011).
This contribution comes from the reflection on preschool socialization shared within the cycle of in-depth seminars Media
before school. An empirical reflexion on the socialization 0-6organized by the Mediamonitor Minor Observatory, Sapienza
University of Rome, Italy within the project Inf@nzia DIGI.Tales 3.6.
At the moment, American context appears to be the most researched one: here, the key findings from the main European research
around the interaction of the universe of minors with technologies will be presented from a multidisciplinary point of view,
which includes scientific areas which are necessarily related to this issue such as pedagogy, psychology and neuro-science.
The current research intends to contribute to a reconstruction of a map of experiences of international research aimed at
delineating the status quo of the methods and key results, as well as of the priorities and best practices that can be transferred and
applied to the Italian context.
© 2014 European Journal of Research on Education by IASSR.
Keywords: Digital media, preschool age, socialization, family
1. Introduction
The appearance of digital media has favored a complex reallocation of the entire media system, which is more
and more characterized by the multimedia convergence that allows the flux of contents to transit different
platforms, thus facilitating, among other things, a cooperation between different media. (Jenkins 2010; Corlianò
2010). Classic sociology tradition points out to the narrow relation between the technological innovation and the
redefinition of the neurological, linguistic and interpretative processes of subjects (Ong, 1982, De Kerkhove, 2008).
In the same way, the interpretation and multidisciplinary integration of classic theories of psychopedagogy (Piaget,
1967; Vigotsky, 1934; Bruner, 1993; Gardner, 1987) allow us to observe how digital technologies contribute to the
development of an intelligence which is more and more capable of making a synthesis of visual, multimedia and
network information.
The eternal dynamism and the progressive acceleration of the technological development can be a resource for
the processes of learning/teaching which are also related to preschool children, whose socialization2 and use of
1 E-mail address: claudia.dantoni@uniroma1.it
2 The term socialization refers to the group of processes developed by individuals during lifetime through continuous and different forms of
interaction and socio-cultural and symbolic exchange that favor the gradual acquisition of minimal and indispensable communication
competencies and capacities needed for living within a society with a certain culture and a high level of civilization with exchange forms
Claudia D’Antoni
52
media is still scarcely researched on representative samples probably for ethical and methodological challenges: the
involvement of a representative sample of subjects belonging to this age implies necessarily a mediation by parents.
Despite this, it is useful to pay particular attention to the study of this age as children who are 3-6 years old are at the
centre of a profound change: they are the privileged audience of marketing and advertising3; they start school by
being already pre-socialized and with expectations and competencies that result from the consume of mainstream
media, of new mobile devices (tablet and smart phone) and of the modalities of tactile interaction that result to be
particularly attractive to them.
In order to explore potential and possible scenarios of this issue, which can be translated into research proposals,
some surveys regularly undertaken by Istat, as well as some American and European surveys, will be considered. In
the end, we will look at the Italian experimentation.
2. Methodology
The present contribution to the issue of digital socialization in preschool age takes into consideration certain
analytical areas from which one can easily take out empirical scenarios that are useful to the Italian panorama and
that are applicable to significantly representative samples.
On the conceptual plan, we will look at a descriptive presentation, as this is the first exploration of available data.
The analysis, first of all, takes into account certain surveys of Istat (2010)4 aimed in particular at families de facto:
from them it is possible to make some useful remarks on the media habits of children 3-6 age. In relation to the use
of media, the questions administered to about 2,200 children interviewed were related to the: reading and browsing
of illustrated books (children 2-5 years old); consumption of radio, TV, video-games, computers (from 3 years on)
use of Internet and cell-phones (from 6 years on).
Another attention is paid to the American context and in particular to the Kaiser Family Foundation study
(Rideout V.J., Vanderwater E.A., Wartella E.A., 2003) related to the role of media in the life of infants and
preschool children. The research questions (which were given to more than 1,000 parents of children of age from 6
months to 6 years) are focused on the support provided to children and on the time dedicated to them; on the social
context in which the medium is used and on the rules of use established by the parents.
Within the European context, the EU Kids Online (Holloway, Green, and Livingstone, 2013) research is taken
into consideration, which is a network that gathers around 400 surveys in 46 countries and which is focused on the
advantages, risks, mediation strategies and political priorities to take into account in relation to the use of the
Internet for children, especially those of 0-8 years old, as their online presence seems to have increased in the last 5
years (for example, think of their photos published online by the adults which already make a digital footprint of
them)5.
proportional to age (Gallino, 2009). Social and symbolic interaction allow to individuals to develop a self-awareness, an identity and to be
integrated continuously into the social context of referral by interiorizing the widely shared norms and values, which, among other things, help to
satisfy the needs for belonging, cohesion and appreciation that are indispensable to the construction of one’s identity (Besozzi, 2006).
3 Their future role of consumer and their influence on the family spending makes preschool children privileged audiences of consume and buying
logics (McNeal 1999 e 2007; Gunter, Furnham 1998; Linn 2005; Schor 2005; Mayo, Nairn 2010; Ironico 2010).
4 The most interesting surveys in relation to this issue are substantially three (two 5-year surveys and one annual): one related to the media and
extra-media practices (Cittadini e tempo libero); one related to the time committed to different activities (Uso del tempo) and another broader one
that includes areas focusing on media consumption (Aspetti della vita quotidiana). This contribution is centred on this last survey.
5 EU Kids Online, among other things, is engaged in the updating of online results and of emerging questions such as: social networking, mobile
telephone, platforms, privacy and protection of personal data, security and awareness raising in schools, literacy and digital citizenship, etc.
Media digitali e generazione 0-6: istantanea sull’Europa
53
In the end, it is important, as already emphasized, to remind that a survey on the relationship between the minors
0-6 years old and the media must necessarily take into account the family mediation and its effects related to, for
example, the development of a media diet that can condition the development of competencies (basic and
transversal) and thus, also the process of construction and strengthening of personal identity of children. In this
sense, it is assumed that, in a potential future reformulation of the research problem for the Italian context, an
ethnographic approach and a cultural analysis can make a useful in-depth contribution to the analysis of the ways in
which media habits of children are constructed within everyday and family contexts: close and direct study can
explain easily certain possible regularities that emerge in some activities involving children (Van Maanen, 1979).
3. Findings
Even though methodological rigor was not verified in the above quoted surveys, in relation to the research
objectives and methodologies it is useful to recall certain results which can make interesting starting points for
broadening and applying this reflection to the Italian context.
In relation to the survey by Istat (2010) Aspects of everyday life, certain variables related to the media
consumption by children 2-5 years old who read or browse books with images were analyzed (1,700 cases which
refer to the population of more than 2.000.000 children): 7 out of 10 children read or browse fairy tale books; 6 out
of 10 children read or browse stories and books about nature and animals; 4 out of 10 children browse didactic
books. This gives us an idea on how familiar these young children (2-5 years old) are with reading. The tendency to
read seems to diminish by the age of 6: in fact, the question on the reading of non-school books made to children
from 6 years on makes us see how quite a relevant part of children of this age do not read non-school books. This is
probably linked to the fact that with the enrollment to the primary school, the study of school books reduces the time
that is available for reading other books. So, one can assume that exactly from this age on, the use of other media
starts to be more consistent in relation to the use of books in the media diet of children.
As far as TV is concerned, the audience are children from 3 years on: around 6 per cent do not watch TV; 90%
watch TV for more than 1 hour per day; 12,000 children watch TV for more than 10 hours per day; 1 500 000
children watch thematic TV channels.
In relation to the personal computer, its use was registered within the age 3-6 (around 1,740 respondents). Almost
22% of children of this age say to have used the PC in the last 3 months and in particular, 2.45% of them use the PC
every day, while 10% uses it several times a week. We are talking about 500,000 children using PC in the last 3
months and around 300,000 using it at least several times a week. If we focus on the inclination of children to use
the PC in relation to their age, we see that there are significant changes with age: in 2011, only 6 out of 100 children
who are 3 years old used the PC, while 35 out of 100 children who are 6 years old did so too.
The survey takes also into account the video-games as it confronts the preference of children for them in relation
to traditional games: 26% (around 603,000 children 3-6 years old) indicates the video-game and the computer as
their favorite games. Obviously, traditional games still have a priority for most children. Also in this case, the
inclination to play video-games changes with age: children who are 6 years old are much more inclined to play
videogames that those of 3 years age.
The use of cell phones was surveyed only in relation to children who are 6 years old: the majority does not use it,
while 15% (around 92,000 children) use the cell phone and even 5% have a personal one. Play is the second most
common way of using the cell phones: 6 out of 100 children use cell phones for playing, for changing the sounds on
them, for sending messages, for making photos, as a phone rubric or for listening to music. Further, 19% of six-
years-olds (around 115,000) declared to use the Internet and around 62,000 of these children did so at least several
times per week, which means often.
Claudia D’Antoni
54
If we focus on the digital competencies, we note that: 60% of six-year-olds who used the Internet in the last 3
months know how to use a research engine and how to download texts, games, music, make online phone calls, send
emails with attachments, write messages in a chat, etc.
Continuing the summary of research related to 0-6 year old children, it is interesting to summarize certain results
related to the Kaiser Family Foundation (Rideout V.J., Vanderwater E.A., Wartella E.A., 2003) and the network EU
Kids Online (Holloway, Green, and Livingstone, 2013).
These surveys show that children younger than 6 are also quite exposed to the solicitation from electronic media:
they spend on average 2 hours per day with TV and video and start watching TV much earlier than it is
recommended. Quite a consistent percentage of young children use digital media: 50% of children 4-6 years old
have played video-games and 70% has used a personal computer. Two out of three children 0-6 years old has free
access to TV for at least half of the time spent at home and one third has TV on during all the time spent at home.
This last group of children, though, seems to be less inclined to reading and a bit slower to learn to read. These
children’s parents are generally inclined to considering media a useful instrument to the intellectual development of
their children and this is probably related to the direct perception that they have of the quantity of time that their
children pass with every medium. According to the EU Kids Online (Holloway, Green, and Livingstone, 2013),
children below 9 perform different online activities (watch videos, play, search for information) to which they
access through devices such as touch screen and smart phone that also allow them to also socialize with each other
within the virtual worlds.
As the impact of media on cognitive, social and emotional development of children exists without any doubts, the
survey points out to the necessity to research more in-depth certain questions such as: what effect do media have on
the capacities of children to concentrate, as well as on their linguistic development and physical coordination? What
effect does the multitasking have on what the child watches, reads and listens to? In which ways the interactive
nature of media strengthens the visual-spatial abilities of children? What is the principal knowledge related to this
age of children that those who work with media should take into account in order to favor positive effects of media
on children?
According to the suggestions of these surveys, we could answer these questions through longitudinal surveys that
track media habits of children and their families across certain periods of time and by integrating these surveys with
contributions from medical area: the studies of the American Academy of Pediatrics (2011) invite, for example, to
adopt a cautionary attitude toward the consumption of media devices in preschool age and recommend to limit or
forbid the use of TV by children under 2 in order to leave them space to experience a first form of knowledge
through the contact with the social reality and parents, which is fundamental for transversal competencies. Also, in
relation to the video games, these studies indicate that there should be caution: on one side, it is considered that
video games favor the development of control, but, at the same time, on the other side, they imply a loss of
cognition of space and time and can create distortions in relation to the reality.
4. Discussion
A possible application and translation to the Italian context, from the solicitations offered by this first analysis of
the panorama of international research on 0-6 years-olds is presented by the project proposal entitled Inf@nzia
DIGI.tales 3.66. It was presented within the call Smart Cities and Communities and Social Innovation” promoted by
MIUR and aimed at children 3-6 years old with the objective of renovating educational models of preschools
through the design and application of educational projects that integrate different technologies. This proposal adopts
two points of view. On one side, it is referred to the studies and methodological approach of Maria Montessori and
Bruno Munari that values doing by children (manipulation), spontaneous exploration, and creation of digital stories
6 The project INF@NZIA DIGI.tales 3.6 is born from the collaboration between four major Italian universities: Università degli Studi di Napoli
Federico II, Sapienza Università di Roma, Università degli Studi di Salerno, Università degli Studi di Trento, and four key Italian companies
engaged in communications and new technologies sector: Engineering Ingegneria Informatica, Fastweb, Interactive Media e Consorzio iCampus.
Media digitali e generazione 0-6: istantanea sull’Europa
55
(tales). On the other side, the research intends to introduce Media Education in preschools through the
experimentation with educational solutions that apply the media education principles from learning by doing to the
collaborative and cooperative learning aimed at children, teachers and families.
The objectives of the project are:
Conceptualization, design and implementation of the Smart Learning & Teaching Environments in school;
Creation of situations of learning and teaching related to the harmonious and holistic development of the
youngest ones;
Construction of laboratories in which children can experiment symbolic games through digital media.
The attention to the renovation of the educational intercourse of the child intersects with the project Inf@nzia
DIGI.tales 3.6 through the valorization of the aspects of digitalization and consumption of cultural material and non-
material goods on a certain territory (from the single resource of a museum to the thematic parks and to the entire
city).
These research objectives are supported with the addition of other objectives aimed at improving the quality and
accessibility of school services, facilitating activities of teaching personnel and facilitating the relationship school-
family and parents, through the use of applicative and infrastructural resources mostly based on the Cloud paradigm.
This is a project whose objectives are still in the phase of co-construction and evaluation.
5. Conclusion
This first mapping of the relationship between minors and digital media related to the age 0-6 and constructed
starting from certain surveys related to the American and European contexts, intends to be a theoretical-practical
basis for delineating and structuring a research path on this issue that can be transferred and applied to the Italian
context. The second phase of analysis forsees an ulterior research in relation to the context of application and its
needs, as well as an ulterior theoretical and multidisciplinary intergation.
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... On the other hand, there are findings indicating that children who are rated by their parents as having poor self-regulation skills are allowed to use screen media more often (Cliff et al., 2018). Considering that children are frequently exposed to screens from an early age onwards (Chassiakos et al., 2016;D'Antoni, 2014;Konok et al., 2019;Ofcom, 2020;Rideout & Robb, 2020;UNICEF, 2017) and the predictive role of early selfregulation for later outcomes, it is important to understand how children's self-regulation relates to their screen media use. The purpose of this review article is to provide an overview of this relationship by focusing on the age period until six, the prime years for the development of selfregulation (Diamond, 2013;Rothbart et al., 2011). ...
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This paper aims to introduce the general theme of developing and using innovative teaching/learning environments based on the harmonic integration of (a) Embodiment Cognition theoretical perspective; (b) recovering well known and traditional psycho-pedagogical practices (i.e. logical blocks, teaching tiles, handwriting); (c) using Smart Technologies (i.e. RFID/NFC sensors, augmented reality systems, intelligent interfaces, etc.); (d) developing Adaptive Tutoring Systems in order to support learners and teachers (or parents) actions. We describe our experiences in the framework of Block-Magic an EU funded international research project. In particular, we present the first prototype of Block Magic learning/teaching environment in which children and teachers interact with Logic Blocks enriched with RFID sensors and an Adaptive Tutoring System that support (enhance) learning/teaching process. Moreover, we provide a trials description which are currently performed in Germany, Greece, Italy and Spain.
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Despite the plethora of new electronic media aimed at very young children, little is known about which media are available to children and whether or how children engage with them. This study reports on a nationally representative telephone survey of more than 1,000 parents of children ages 6 months through 6 years, conducted in Spring 2003. The most significant findings cited in the study are as follows: (1) children six and under spend an average of 2 hours daily with screen media, mostly TV and videos; (2) TV watching begins at very early ages, well before the medical community recommends; (3) a high proportion of very young children are using new digital media, including 50 percent of 4- to 6-year-olds who have played video games and 70 percent who have used computers; (4) two out of three 6-year-olds and under live in homes where the TV is left on at least half the time, even without viewers present, and one-third live in homes where the TV is on "almost all" or "most" of the time-- children in the latter group appear to read less than other children and to be slower to learn to read; (5) many parents see media as an important educational tool, beneficial to their children's intellectual development, and parents' attitudes on this issue appear to be related to the amount of time their children spend using each medium; and (6) parents clearly perceive that their children's TV watching has a direct effect on their behavior, and are more likely to see positive rather than negative behaviors being copied. (KB)
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The children's and teenagers' market has become increasingly significant as young people have become more affluent and have an ever growing disposable income. Children as Consumers traces the stages of consumer development through which children pass and examines the key sources of influence upon young people's consumer socialisation. It examines: * the kinds of things young people consume * how they use their money * how they respond to different types of advertising * whether they need to be protected through special legislation and regulation * market research techniques that work well with young people. Children as Consumers will be useful to students of psychology, sociology, business and media studies, as well as professionals in advertising and marketing.
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imitation;social cognition;empathy;theory of mind;representation of action
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ABSTRACTS In tnis prospective study home literacy is considered a multifaceted phenomenon consisting of a frequency or exposure facet (opportunity), an instruction quality facet, a parent‐child cooperation facet, and a social‐emotional quality facet. In a multiethnic, partly bilingual sample of 89 families with 4‐year‐old children, living in inner‐city areas in the Netherlands, measures of home literacy were taken by means of interviews with the parents and observations of parentchild book reading interactions when the target children were ages 4, 5, and 6 years. At age 7, by the end of Grade 1, after nearly 1 year of formal reading instruction, vocabulary, word decoding, and reading comprehension were assessed using standard tests. Vocabulary at age 4 and an index of the predominant language used at home were also measured in order to be used as covariates. Correlational and multiple regression analyses supported the hypothesis that home literacy is multifaceted. Home literacy facets together predicted more variance in language and achievement measures at age 7 than each of them separately. Structural equations analysis also supported two additional hypotheses of the present research. First, the effects of background factors (SES, ethnicity, parents' own literacy practices) on language development and reading achievement in school were fully mediated by home literacy, home language, and early vocabulary. Second, even after controlling for the effects of early vocabulary and predominant home language, there remained statistically significant effects of home literacy, in particular, opportunity, instruction quality, and cooperation quality. EN ESTE estudio prospectivo, la alfabetización en el hogar está considerada un fenómeno multifacético que consiste en una faceta de frecuencia o exposición (oportunidad), una faceta de calidad de la enseñanza, una faceta de cooperación entre padres e hijos y una faceta socio‐emocional. Se trabajó con una muestra multiétnica, y en parte bilingüe, de 89 familias con niños de 4 años, que vivían en áreas urbanas en los Países Bajos. Se tomaron medidas de alfabetización en el hogar mediante entrevistas con los padres y observaciones de la interacción padre‐hijo en lectura de libros cuando los niños tenían 4, 5, y 6 años. A la edad de 7 años, al promediar 1° grado, luego de casi un año de enseñanza formal de la lectura, se tomaron medidas de vocabulario, decodificación de palabras y comprensión usando pruebas estandarizadas. También se obtuvieron una medida de vocabulario a los 4 años y un índice de la lengua predominante del hogar para usarlos como covariables. Los análisis correlacionales y de regresión múltiple apoyan la hipótesis de que la alfabetización en el hogar es multifacética. Las facetas de la alfabetización en el hogar predijeron más varianza en las medidas de lenguaje y desempeño en lectura a la edad de 7 años en forma conjunta que cada una de ellas por separado. El análisis de ecuaciones estructurales también apoyó dos hipótesis adicionales del presente trabajo. En primer lugar, los efectos de los factores del entorno (NSE, raza, prácticas de alfabetización de los padres) sobre el desarrollo del lenguaje y el desempeño en lectura en la escuela estuvieron completamente mediados por la alfabetización en el hogar, la lengua del hogar y el vocabulario temprano. En segundo lugar, aún después de controlar los efectos de vocabulario temprano y lengua predominante del hogar, se hallaron efectos estadísticamente significactivos de alfabetización en el hogar, en particular, oportunidad, calidad de la enseñanza y calidad de la cooperación. IN DIESER prognostizierenden Studie ist das Lesen und Schreiben zu Hause als ein vielschichtiges Phänomen zu betrachten, bestehend aus dem Aspekt der Häufigkeit oder des ständigen Ausgesetztseins (Opportunität), Gesichtspunkten in der Qualität der Unterweisung, Gesichtspunkten der Eltern‐Kind Zusammenarbeit, und ein sozialemotionaler Qualitätsaspekt. In einer Auswahl von 89 Familien mit vierjährigen Kindern von ethnisch vielfältigem, zum Teil zweisprachigem Hintergrund in innerstädtischen Wohngebieten Hollands, wurden die Bewertungen über Lesen und Schreiben zu Hause durch Interviews mit den Eltern und Beobachtungen der Eltern‐Kind Zusammenarbeit beim Buchlesen vorgenommen, wobei die Zielgruppen Kinder im Alter von 4, 5 und 6 waren. Im Alter von 7 Jahren, am Ende der ersten Klasse, nach nahezu einem Jahr förmlichen Leseunterrichts, wurden Vokabular, Wortentschlüsselung und Leseverständnis unter Anwendung von Standardtests bewertet. Das Vokabular im Alter von vier und ein Index der vorherrschend zu Hause benutzten Sprache wurden ebenfalls bemessen, um als Zusatzvariabilitäten genutzt zu werden. Korrelations‐ und Häufig keitsregressionsanalysen unterstützten die Hypothese, daß Lesen und Schreiben zu Hause vielfältige Gesichtspunkte hat. Alle Aspekte häuslichen Lesens und Schreibens zusammen genommen sagten mehr Abweichungen bei der Bemessung von Sprache und Leistungen im Alter von 7 voraus, als im Einzelfall jeder für sich getrennt. Strukturelle Vergleichsanalysen unterstützen ebenfalls zwei zusätzliche Hypothesen der gegenwärtigen Forschung: Erstens, die Einflüsse von Hintergrundfaktoren (SES, ethnische Zugehörigkeit, eigenständige Lese‐ bzw. Schreibpraxis der Eltern) auf die Sprachentwicklung und Leseleistungen in der Schule wurden durch häusliches Lesen und Schreiben, zu Hause gesprochene Sprache, und frühzeitiges Vokabular vollständig vermittelt. Zweitens, selbst nach Kontrollen über die Einflüsse früh erworbenen Vokabulars und der zu Hause vorherrschend benutzten Sprache blieben statistisch bedeutende Einflüsse des Lesens und Schreibens zu Hause, insbesondere Opportunität, Qualität der Unterweisungen und Qualität der Mitarbeit bestehen. DANS CETTE étude prospective, nous considérons la lecture‐écriture à la maison comme un phénomène à plusieurs facettes comportant une facette de fréquence d'exposition (occasions), une facette de qualité de la pédagogie, une facette de coopération parent‐enfant, et une facette de qualité socio‐affective. Avec des enfants de quatre ans provenant d'un échantillon de 89 familles multiethniques, en partie bilingues, vivant dans des quartiers de centre ville des Pays Bas, on a mesuré la lecture‐écriture à la maison au moyen d'entretiens avec les parents et d'observations des interactions parent‐enfant pendant la lecture de livres, les enfants‐cibles étant âgés de 4, 5, et 6 ans. À l'âge de 7 ans, vers la fin de la première année, après environ un an d'enseignement formel de la lecture, on a évalué avec des tests standards le vocabulaire, le décodage de mots, et la compréhension de la lecture. On a aussi mesuré le vocabulaire à l'âge de 4 ans et un indicateur de la langue dominante à la maison, pour s'en servir comme covariants. Des analyses de corrélation et de ré gression multiple soutiennent l'hypothèse que la lecture‐écriture à la maison a plusieurs facettes. Prises ensemble les mesures de lecture‐écriture à la maison prédisent plus de variance des mesures de langage et de réussite à 7 ans que chacune d'elles séparément. L'analyse des équations structurales soutiennent également deux autres hypothèses de cette recherche. Tout d'abord, les effets des facteurs de milieu (niveau socio‐économique, ethnicité, pratique de lecture‐écriture des parents eux‐mêmes) sur le langage et la réussite en lecture à l'école sont entièrement médiatisés par la lecture‐écriture à la maison, la langue parlée dans la famille, et le premier vocabulaire). D'autre part, après contrôle des effets du premier vocabulaire et de la langue parlée à la maison, il demeure des effets statistiquement significatifs de la lecture‐écriture à la maison, en particulier, le nombre d'occasions, la qualité de la pédagogie, et la qualité de la coopération.
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Part one of this paper highlights how students today think and process information fundamentally differently from their predecessors, as a result of being surrounded by new technology. The author compares these “digital natives” with the older generation who are learning and adopting new technology naming them “digital immigrants”.
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An essential resource for all students and scholars of early childhood education, this book offers a rich array of material about Maria Montessori and the Montessori Method. Distinguished education scholar Gerald Gutek begins with an in-depth biography of Montessori, exploring how a determined young woman overcame the obstacles that blocked her educational and career opportunities in Italy during the late Victorian age. The author then analyzes the sources and influences that shaped the Montessori philosophy of education. After laying the foundation for Montessori's development, Gutek presents an annotated and abridged edition of The Montessori Method (1912), the seminal work that introduced her educational innovations to a U.S. audience. The book concludes with key historical documents, including disciple Anne E. George's notes on the Montessori lectures and William H. Kilpatrick's critique of the Montessori method. Preserving the historical context of Montessori's contribution, Gutek also shows the continuing relevance of her thought to educational reform in the twenty-first century. After the Editor's Note, and Introduction: A Biography of Montessori and an Analysis of the Montessori Method, the book is divided into two parts. Part I, An Annotated Edition of Maria Montessori's The Montessori Method; and Part II, Related Documents: (1) Interpretation of Montessori's Lecture Translated (Anne E. George); and (2) Excerpts from "The Montessori System Examined" (William H. Kilpatrick).