The usefulness of app components varied by child's age: conversation starters were too advanced for some younger children but helpful for older children¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · design r3 · q2
Currency · newest study 2021 · checked against its sources 2026-10-18 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? The usefulness of the different app components depended on the child's interest or age; conversation starters were seen as too advanced for some younger children yet very helpful by families with older children. → Digital Promise 2021

Evidence¶

Digital Promise 2021¶

Digital Promise, The Jim Henson Company, Concord Evaluation Group, & Curious Media. (2021). Designing an app to support families' joint engagement with media: Design principles and lessons from research. [White Paper]. Digital Promise. https://doi.org/10.51388/20.500.12265/121

q2 · i? · design · r3

Station study (38 families). The report states "The usefulness of the different app components varied and depended on the child's interest or age." Families with younger children still used clips, characters, environments, and activities. Qualitative pattern; no effect size printed.

"The usefulness of the different app components varied and depended on the child's interest or age. Certain features may have been more conducive for younger children, while others tended to work well with older children."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Age and Developmental Stage — moderator: an instructional effect differs with it

Related Claims¶

• Families showed widespread variability in which Ocean Guide and Activities components they found most helpful, often citing child age and interest — a broader claim this one bears on
• Families used multiple sections of the Splash and Bubbles for Parents app, with Dive In the most used and Let's Talk About It conversation starters rated most helpful within it — related
• Families who used the app's features more extensively reported stronger changes in joint media engagement and science — related
• About 40% of literacy app descriptions give no target age, and 90% of those listing ages include preschoolers — related
• In interviews, families who used the app's features more extensively seemed to have better internalized its purpose, and those who explored it most reported stronger self-reported changes in joint media engagement and science — related
• Older students perceive self-assessment as more useful than younger students, while no gender differences were reported — related