Periodic Reporting for period 4 - Learning4Kids (App-based Learning for Kindergarten Children at Home)
Período documentado: 2023-09-01 hasta 2025-01-31
Early competencies in mathematics and literacy are closely associated with greater gains later in academic outcomes. Nowadays, even young children have access to various digital devices such as smartphones or tablets at home. Consequently, developing high-quality educational applications (apps) may support children’s early learning.
The “Learning4Kids” project focused on children’s literacy and numeracy development within the home learning environment with a focus on meaningful learning apps. The intervention was based on developing and improving online learning apps and games for children, preparing important and meaningful information about the home learning environment for their parents, and making the apps and information available to children and their families in a tablet intervention study.
We collected data from two different cohorts of initially four-to-five-year-old children and their families. In total, 500 families participated in the study. Families were randomly assigned to one of two intervention or one of two control groups. The intervention groups received tablets with literacy and numeracy apps in counterbalanced order and swapped the apps in the second phase of the intervention. One control group received tablets with control apps focusing on the training of general cognitive, but not literacy and numeracy competencies. The other control group received no intervention at all and just participated in the assessments. Children’s competencies development was assessed across four years with seven assessments in total.
The study aimed to test, whether apps focusing on meaningful mathematical content would enhance children's mathematical learning and whether apps focusing on meaningful linguistic and literacy contentwould enhande children's linguistic and literacy learning. Further, we were interested in whether the intervention was more successful when children started with the mathematical or the literacy intervention. Finally, we were interested in the organization of the home learning environment and its association with family background variables and child outcomes.
The “Learning4Kids” project focused on children’s literacy and numeracy development within the home learning environment with a focus on meaningful learning apps. The intervention was based on developing and improving online learning apps and games for children, preparing important and meaningful information about the home learning environment for their parents, and making the apps and information available to children and their families in a tablet intervention study.
We collected data from two different cohorts of initially four-to-five-year-old children and their families. In total, 500 families participated in the study. Families were randomly assigned to one of two intervention or one of two control groups. The intervention groups received tablets with literacy and numeracy apps in counterbalanced order and swapped the apps in the second phase of the intervention. One control group received tablets with control apps focusing on the training of general cognitive, but not literacy and numeracy competencies. The other control group received no intervention at all and just participated in the assessments. Children’s competencies development was assessed across four years with seven assessments in total.
The study aimed to test, whether apps focusing on meaningful mathematical content would enhance children's mathematical learning and whether apps focusing on meaningful linguistic and literacy contentwould enhande children's linguistic and literacy learning. Further, we were interested in whether the intervention was more successful when children started with the mathematical or the literacy intervention. Finally, we were interested in the organization of the home learning environment and its association with family background variables and child outcomes.
Ethics
Ethics was an integral part of this study from beginning to end and included an approval by the European Research Council Executive Agency, by an ethics committee from the University of Munich, the Department of Education and Sports, Munich, and the Bavarian Ministry of Education.
Sampling
The first cohort of our sample consisted of N=190 children with their families at t1. The second cohort consisted of N=310 children and their families at t1. In total, N=151 families were randomly assigned to each intervention groups, N=98 were assigned to the tablet-control group and N=100 were assigned to the control group without tablets. Consent forms, plain language statements, and parental surveys were translated into several languages. In addition, educator and teacher surveys were developed and used that focused on evaluating children’s behavior. Further, a team of researchers and research assistants were trained and conducted all seven assessments for both cohorts in kindergartens and primary schools with N=380 families still participating in the last assessment of the project.
Tablets, server system, tablet apps, and content
Android tablets (N=410) were prepared to be used in the intervention. In addition, a server system with three different servers was used to monitor the tablets and the individual app usage as well as to monitor the weekly progress of each tablet.
Our apps were mostly designed and developed by our team with IT support and targeted literacy, numeracy and general cognitive skills. These apps were installed via the server system. New apps were installed automatically every month via Wi-Fi connection and parents received weekly tips via the tablet. App usage data was logged at regular intervals for each tablet and synchronized on a regular basis with the backend server.
Further, parental guidelines and tips were provided via the tablet. The tablets also contained e-books, audiobooks, interactive books, and music. For this purpose, these media files were carefully selected and the families received different material depending on their assigned group.
Results and dissemination
All hypotheses were confirmed: The home learning environment acted as a mediator between family background variables and child outcomes, the app intervention supported children’s learning in each specific domain and longer app usage times were associated with greater gains. Research findings in the context of the study were published in 17 peer-reviewed papers until May 2025. Further manuscripts were submitted for peer review and additional papers will be prepared. In addition, the findings were presented in a scientific one-day conclusive symposium to researchers and the public and in interviews and social media information about the project and its findings were provided.
Ethics was an integral part of this study from beginning to end and included an approval by the European Research Council Executive Agency, by an ethics committee from the University of Munich, the Department of Education and Sports, Munich, and the Bavarian Ministry of Education.
Sampling
The first cohort of our sample consisted of N=190 children with their families at t1. The second cohort consisted of N=310 children and their families at t1. In total, N=151 families were randomly assigned to each intervention groups, N=98 were assigned to the tablet-control group and N=100 were assigned to the control group without tablets. Consent forms, plain language statements, and parental surveys were translated into several languages. In addition, educator and teacher surveys were developed and used that focused on evaluating children’s behavior. Further, a team of researchers and research assistants were trained and conducted all seven assessments for both cohorts in kindergartens and primary schools with N=380 families still participating in the last assessment of the project.
Tablets, server system, tablet apps, and content
Android tablets (N=410) were prepared to be used in the intervention. In addition, a server system with three different servers was used to monitor the tablets and the individual app usage as well as to monitor the weekly progress of each tablet.
Our apps were mostly designed and developed by our team with IT support and targeted literacy, numeracy and general cognitive skills. These apps were installed via the server system. New apps were installed automatically every month via Wi-Fi connection and parents received weekly tips via the tablet. App usage data was logged at regular intervals for each tablet and synchronized on a regular basis with the backend server.
Further, parental guidelines and tips were provided via the tablet. The tablets also contained e-books, audiobooks, interactive books, and music. For this purpose, these media files were carefully selected and the families received different material depending on their assigned group.
Results and dissemination
All hypotheses were confirmed: The home learning environment acted as a mediator between family background variables and child outcomes, the app intervention supported children’s learning in each specific domain and longer app usage times were associated with greater gains. Research findings in the context of the study were published in 17 peer-reviewed papers until May 2025. Further manuscripts were submitted for peer review and additional papers will be prepared. In addition, the findings were presented in a scientific one-day conclusive symposium to researchers and the public and in interviews and social media information about the project and its findings were provided.
Mobile sensing system
The app usage time was measured through mobile sensing technology. Here, a sensing app installed on each tablet monitored its usage, collected the relevant data and sent it to the server system for further statistical analyses. This is a novel technology to be applied in educational psychology. In addition, the assessed usage time was used for a feedback system for parents and for a reward system for children.
Server system
In addition to the content server, for which we installed a ready-made solution, a new server system had to be developed as a steering tool that assigned any given tablet to a specific intervention week with a predefined set of apps and information and moved the tablets automatically through the different stages of the intervention phase. Both, this steering server and the content server needed to interact smoothly and with the mobile sensing app server. External and internal IT experts assisted the Learning4Kids team with the setup of this complex and innovative server system.
Learning apps
In total, forty-five gaming apps were developed and programmed by various developers and informatics students in collaboration with the Learning4Kids team. These apps were used in the intervention and control groups to train children’s competencies accordingly to their assigned group.
Home learning environment
In the Learning4Kids project, we used a multi-method approach to assess the home learning environment (survey, observation, checklist) in its two facets (home literacy and home numeracy environment). This was the first study do such an assessment. Further, in cohort 2, we also surveyed both, fathers and mothers concerning potential gender stereotypes towards learning, mathematical self-efficacy, and parent-child mathematical activities at home, which provided new insight into the roles both parents play for children’s learning.
Results until the end of the project
Learning4Kids achieved to deliver state of art technology and apps in a tablet intervention study. By using new technologies like mobile sensing and meaningful educational tablet apps in family interventions, Learning4Kids was able to apply new educational methods and approaches in educational science successfully. As expected, our learning apps targeting specific academic skills in the intervention group enhanced children’s linguistic or mathematic skills when compared to the children in the control groups and these gains were sustained at least until the end of pre-school and kindergarten.
The app usage time was measured through mobile sensing technology. Here, a sensing app installed on each tablet monitored its usage, collected the relevant data and sent it to the server system for further statistical analyses. This is a novel technology to be applied in educational psychology. In addition, the assessed usage time was used for a feedback system for parents and for a reward system for children.
Server system
In addition to the content server, for which we installed a ready-made solution, a new server system had to be developed as a steering tool that assigned any given tablet to a specific intervention week with a predefined set of apps and information and moved the tablets automatically through the different stages of the intervention phase. Both, this steering server and the content server needed to interact smoothly and with the mobile sensing app server. External and internal IT experts assisted the Learning4Kids team with the setup of this complex and innovative server system.
Learning apps
In total, forty-five gaming apps were developed and programmed by various developers and informatics students in collaboration with the Learning4Kids team. These apps were used in the intervention and control groups to train children’s competencies accordingly to their assigned group.
Home learning environment
In the Learning4Kids project, we used a multi-method approach to assess the home learning environment (survey, observation, checklist) in its two facets (home literacy and home numeracy environment). This was the first study do such an assessment. Further, in cohort 2, we also surveyed both, fathers and mothers concerning potential gender stereotypes towards learning, mathematical self-efficacy, and parent-child mathematical activities at home, which provided new insight into the roles both parents play for children’s learning.
Results until the end of the project
Learning4Kids achieved to deliver state of art technology and apps in a tablet intervention study. By using new technologies like mobile sensing and meaningful educational tablet apps in family interventions, Learning4Kids was able to apply new educational methods and approaches in educational science successfully. As expected, our learning apps targeting specific academic skills in the intervention group enhanced children’s linguistic or mathematic skills when compared to the children in the control groups and these gains were sustained at least until the end of pre-school and kindergarten.