Sensitivity to parental play beliefs and mediation in young children's hybrid play activities
Keywords
Play
Facilitation
Parents
Intergenerational
Design
Research
Publication details
| Year: | 2015 |
| DOI: | 10.1145/2771839.2771857 |
| Issued: | 2015 |
| Language: | English |
| Start Page: | 170 |
| End Page: | 177 |
| Editors: | |
| Authors: | Bleumers L.; Mouws K.; Huyghe J.; Van Mechelen M.; Mariën I.; Zaman B. |
| Type: | Other |
| Journal: | Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children |
| Publisher: | ACM |
| Topics: | Learning; Social mediation |
| Sample: | The survey was sent out to 38.230 parents with at least one child between four and six years old in Belgium (Flanders). A total of 2.177 parents participated in the online survey, which resulted in 1398 completed entries of parents. |
| Implications For Parents About: | Parental practices / parental mediation; Parenting guidance / support |
Abstract
Supporting young children's play in the digital world is a
challenging endeavor. Little is known, however, about the
parental beliefs and mediation practices regarding children’s
facilitated play in hybrid (mixed digital/physical) environments
and how one can account for this through design. Following a
Value Sensitive Design approach, we performed: 1) a conceptual
literature investigation, 2) an empirical survey with 1398 parents
of child(ren) aged 4-6 years, and 3) a technical investigation on
online customer reviews of hybrid playful products for children.
Our findings reveal the role of parents’ mediation and beliefs in
shaping young children's play. We provide designers with
guidance to be accountable of the way design properties can foster
parental play beliefs and support adult-child interaction. We
conclude that young children's facilitated play in hybrid
environments is shaped by both the social context in which it is
enacted and the affordances provided through design.
Outcome
The article aimed to (1) promote sensitivity to the various parental benefits attributed to children’s facilitated play and types of parental involvement, and (2) help them to identify their own position and focus in relation to these sensitivities. This way, they can become more accountable in the decisions they make as to which play beliefs and forms of parental participation are to be supported in the design.
"Some parents pick up the fact that playful technologies promote social interaction and cooperation among children or provide a virtual companion, which children can cherish and care for. Such features can be seen as beneficial for social and emotional development. They also believed to spark personal creativity and imagination. Nevertheless, some claimed how technology may necessitate adult involvement. Parents most often supervise their four- to six-year-olds during digital media use. In terms of restrictions, most parents limit the screen-time children get on tablets and smartphones to 15 to 30 minutes." (Bleumers et al., 2015, pp. 173-174)