The Impact of Media on Children's Understanding of the Nature of Science and Engineering

• In Event: Moscone Center North Roundtable Session 10
  In Roundtable Session: Impacts of Media on Young Children's Learning

Abstract

This study was to examine how the educational use of play-based media changes children’s understanding of the nature of science and engineering (NOSES) over time. Over a nine-week intervention study with 138 preschool children in a single state in the Northeast US, this study specifically examined how exposure to Ready to Learn (RTL) educational contents in The Cat in the Hat Knows A lot About That! (CITH) influence children’s understanding of the nature of science and engineering. The results of t-test and mixed linear regression) showed that educational use of the CITH had a significant intervention impact on preschoolers’ understanding of the nature of science and engineering (NOSES), showing gradual development of contemporary concepts of NOSES.

Authors

• Sara Sweetman, University of Rhode Island

• Hyunjin Kim, University of Rhode Island

• Kelly Shea, University of Rhode Island

• Susan Trostle Brand, University of Rhode Island

• Kayon Murray-Johnson, University of Rhode Island

• Beth R Holland, The Learning Accelerator