A Qualitative Comparison of Young Children's Performance on Analogous Digital and Hands-On Tasks: Assessment Implications

• In Event: Assessment and Evaluation in Early Childhood Settings

Abstract

This study conducted an exploratory study to compare children’s performance on a video game-based task to their performance on an analogous hands-on physical task. The game involved a slide and concepts of height and friction. For both formats, the number of rounds it took to beat a level and the number of steps used within each round were measured.

The number of rounds to beat a level between the two modes were not drastically different. However, the number of steps (per round) to beat a round was higher in the game than the hands-on task, suggesting a mode effect. The digital format appeared to be interfering with children’s ability to “sense” friction, which was not observed in the hands-on task.

Authors

• Gregory K.W.K. Chung, University of California - Los Angeles

• Ziyue Ruan, University of California - Los Angeles

• Elizabeth Redman, UCLA/CRESST