3D interactive applications on tablets for preschoolers: Exploring the human skeleton and the senses

Abstract

Early years education is an important aspect for the future success of children in the education system. From this perspective, this paper describes the results of a study with preschool children using an interactive learning application on tablets. The project is arranged according to a three-phase process to promote the development of: (1) emergent literacy, (2) digital access for early years learners and (3) basic concepts in knowledge of the environment. The study was conducted with six classes of 87 students aged between 3 years to 6 years, over a 6-week period. During this period, the students were introduced to and engaged in the knowledge of the human skeleton and five senses by using a 3D interactive application on tablets. The quasi-experimental design was based on a nonequivalent groups pretest and posttest design. The interactive learning application was designed around three distinct interaction modes: presentation, exploration, manipulation and evaluation. These phases provided scaffolding for the students to engage with the technology and for the class teacher to develop her own skills. The results on the normalization tests for both control/experimental groups before the experiment were similar. The results after the experiment indicate that students who worked with tablets showed a slight improvement in results of learning outcomes