Educational Apps for Young Children: Insights from Parents

Abstract

Many parents are interested in using educational apps
to supplement their children’s literacy and math development
at home. Research shows that well designed
apps can be a tool to support children’s learning,
however parents might struggle to find well designed
apps due to the large number that exist and their
overall poor quality. The present study investigated
how parents choose educational apps, including their
attitudes towards teaching their children, the sources
of information they use, and the features they look
for in math and literacy apps. Results indicate that
parents are motivated to find educational apps but
may not be certain about some important instructional
features that would make an educational app
effective. Practical suggestions based on the findings
are provided. Understanding obstacles parents face as
well as how they select instructional tools is important
in order to identify ways to support parents in
finding high quality educational apps that have the
potential to supplement education at home.