Preschoolers' iPad-Mediated Play Interactions: Affordances of Dialogic Applications

• In Event: 14.034 - Exploring Young Children's Experiences With Multimodal Text

Abstract

Research is beginning to look at the various uses of iPads in early childhood classrooms. For example, Kist (2012) found that kindergarten teachers constrained the applications that were available for students to use (e.g., alphabet tracing, matching words, sound games); meanwhile at home these same students used more dialogic applications for creative purposes. Because dialogic applications allow for constant remixing, creativity, and interactivity they are important to use in the classroom (Beach, 2013). This descriptive case study (Creswell, 2007) is focused on 10 preschool students use of dialogic applications in play situations with iPads in a university-affiliated preschool classroom. Play is considered an opportunity for literacy development, social interaction, and meaning making (Vygotsky, 1978; Wohlwend, 2011, 2013). The iPad applications were considered mediational tools during play interactions between students (Vygotsky, 1978). The research questions were:
(1) What are the affordances of dialogic digital applications on mediating student play interactions?
(2) How, if at all, do students engage in play involving dialogic digital applications on iPads?

Data was collected through video and audio recordings, field notes, analysis of iPad applications, and informal interviews. Spatial transcripts (Author, 2014) were created based on the video recorded data to note where students were located in relation to one another during play interactions as well as the applications played. Data was first inductively coded to identify the dialogic level of the application, considering multimodality, interactivity, and creative remix capabilities. These six levels ranged from the most dialogic, where students had endless opportunities for interactivity, creativity, and remixing to the least where the applications were ebooks and were limited to reading aloud to students. The classroom data was then coded using a modified version of Parten’s (1932) play interactions, looking at the number and duration of solitary, parallel, associative, and onlooker interactions. Then the data was inductively analyzed for patterns between the play interactions and the level of dialogic applications. The data was analyzed recursively, using constant comparative methods (Strauss & Corbin, 1998).

Findings indicated that during associative play interactions, students tended to be engaged with applications at the highest dialogic level. For example, Ethan and Molly engaged in an associative play interaction for over 20 minutes together working on a variety of dialogic applications that allowed for creativity and remixing. They frequently discussed what they were doing and playing on their iPads. When Giovanni and Harrison engaged in an associative play interaction, they played the same application on their iPads and discussed how they wanted to use what they saw the other child creating in their own designs. However, when students engaged in parallel play, they often used applications that were not as dialogic. For example, Ethan and Parker engaged in a sustained parallel interaction, each student used applications that were not as dialogic and they did not interact while playing. These findings, while not generalizable, indicated that teachers should consider choosing applications carefully as dialogic applications may promote interaction between students and less dialogic applications may lead to isolated activities.

Author

• Andrea Tochelli, University at Buffalo - SUNY