Why This App? Comparing Parents’ and Educators’ Selection of High-Quality Educational Apps (Poster 45)

• In Event: Thursday Poster Session 10:50 am
  In Poster Session: Technology, Instruction, Cognition, and Learning SIG Poster Session

Abstract

To choose high-quality educational apps, parents and educators can look for educational benchmarks (i.e., curriculum, development team, scaffolding, feedback, learning theory) or rely on user ratings and app rankings. Parents’ and educators’ app selection process likely reflects their distinct needs and expertise; thus, the present study investigated differences in how parents and educators choose educational apps. Parents (n = 147) and educators (n = 147) from North America and the UK evaluated 18 educational apps that varied in containing educational benchmarks, rating, and ranking. While educators preferred to download apps with educational benchmarks, parents had no preference. However, both parents and educators were most strongly influenced by user ratings, suggesting an intervention may be beneficial for both groups.

Authors

• Emma Liptrot, McGill University

• Heather Ann Pearson, McGill University

• Armaghan Montazami, McGill University

• Adam Kenneth Dubé, McGill University