Effects of Digital and Conventional Media on the Vocabulary Acquisition of Two-Year-Olds

• In Event: 34.059 - Young Children's Multimodal Literacies

Abstract

In our intervention study effects of an interactive word-learning app on the one hand and picture cards on the other hand on vocabulary acquisition of two-year-olds are investigated. In addition, we wanted to find out, if adult accompaniment during the use of the app or while looking at the picture cards had an additional positive effect on the child’s vocabulary acquisition. 66 toddlers participated in the study.
Children who used the word-learning app and were accompanied by an adult attained the largest vocabulary gain. Children who used the word-learning app without adult accompaniment showed the second largest gain. Less successful were those children who played with the picture cards (with or without adult accompaniment).

Authors

• Barbara Moschner, Universitaet Oldenburg

• Catherine Walter-Laager, Karl-Franzens-University Graz

• Manfred Rolf Pfiffner, Zurich University of Teacher Education