Early Math in a Preschool Context: Spontaneous Extension of the Digital into the Physical

The study conducts a systematic investigation of data from two interventions aimed at early mathematics education involving digital tools in Swedish kindergartens. The research questions are: 1) How was digital mathematical content moved out into physical space – in other words: How was it extended in the physical kindergarten environment – by children and kindergarten teachers? 2) Which elements of the game and the interventions inspired, built scaffolding for and offered affordances for the children and kindergarten teachers so they could make such extensions? 3) What were the implications of such extensions for the children’s early mathematics education?

The analyses show that the children and kindergarten teachers extended ‘Magical Garden’ to a wider kindergarten context in several ways, either individually or together. Several of the kindergarten teachers noted that they found it easier to initiate mathematical learning activities in the physical kindergarten environment after the intervention. The researchers believe this shows that digital learning games do not necessarily come at the expense of learning activities in the physical space, perhaps quite the opposite. The researchers therefore argue that the perception of digital and analogue tools and methods being mutually exclusive needs to change.

The children in both interventions each had their own tablets and headphones. The kindergarten teachers had received training prior to the interventions. Intervention 1 involved a total of 42 children between the ages of 3.9 and 6.5 from four kindergartens. The children played a learning game (Magical Garden) for 20 minutes, two to three times a week over the course of six weeks. The researchers observed the children for 12 hours and interviewed or talked with the kindergarten teachers for six hours. Intervention 2 involved a total of 146 children between the ages of four and six from ten kindergartens. The children played the same learning game and also completed group tasks that were designed to strengthen the children’s self-regulation skills. The researchers observed the activities for at least one out of five hours with each of the groups. The observations and interviews or conversations were either video recorded or field notes were taken.

Gulz, A., Kjällander, S., Frankenberg, S. & Haake, M. (2020). "Early Math in a Preschool Context: Spontaneous Extension of the Digital into the Physical". Interaction Design and Architecture(s) Journal - IxD&A, 44(2020):129-154.