A Jump-start in Learning? Young Children's Use of CDRom Technology

This study examines what young children learn from educational CDRoms as opposed to what software producers claim they learn. Ten children in the four to five age group were invited to play with selected CDRoms purporting to teach young children a range of skills and understandings. Two CDRoms from the same genre of "work and play resources" were chosen—Leaps and Bounds, and Jump Start Advanced Kindergarten. A recently developed form of technology, a Smartboard, which has the capacity to record the choices a child makes when interacting with CDRom activities, was selected to provide a record of each child's behaviour and interaction (or lack of interaction) with the product. In addition, an audiorecorder was employed to record the children’s comments, and the researchers made independent notes about what the children did and said during each session. The children were supported in their playing of the games by a research assistant who knew the children well, and who assumed a parental support role. Findings were sorted in relation to what the children did, what they said, and what they appeared to learn when playing with the software. It was found that though the children enjoyed themselves, they appeared to learn very little, particularly in terms of content. The most significant factors influencing this outcome were the pedagogy and quality of the software design, and the scaffolding support provided.