Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

Program Name/Specialization

Developmental Psychology

Faculty/School

Faculty of Science

First Advisor

Dr. Eileen Wood

Advisor Role

advisor

Second Advisor

Dr. Joanne Lee

Advisor Role

advisor

Abstract

Well-designed math apps can have positive effects on young children’s math abilities (Bang et al., 2023; Griffith et al., 2019; Outhwaite et al., 2023), but research indicates that many commercially available math apps are not well designed (Dubé et al., 2019; Meyer et al., 2021). Studies also find that parents struggle to identify relevant features from app store descriptions (Montazami et al., 2022; Pearson et al., 2023). The purpose of the present research was to investigate how parents evaluate the apps themselves, and to test whether individual differences can affect parental app evaluations and decisions. In two parts of Study 1 (part A and part B) 45 parents of children three- to six-years-old explored and rated four commercially available math apps that had been coded for content and design in previous research (Lee et al., 2019). In addition, participants responded to a survey about their own math anxiety level and math teaching confidence, as well as how they use and choose apps for their children (e.g., what features they look for and how often they co-use with their child). In Study 1 part A, participants’ ratings were examined when they evaluated the app in general terms (i.e., did the app teach “important numeracy skills”). In Study 1 part B, participants’ ratings were examined regarding specific numeracy skills featured (e.g., “identifying numerals”). Results showed that parents were able to identify some of the key features of a well-designed app, but some of their ratings differed from those of trained coders. Individual differences of parental math anxiety and teaching confidence affected parents’ evaluations of the apps, highlighting the importance of individual differences for understanding parental app choices. Given the prevalence of technology use and differences in communication in autistic children, Study 2 expanded upon Study 1 through an exploratory study of 13 parents of autistic children. Following the procedures of Study 1, the results of Study 2 showed that parental app evaluations were affected not just by individual parental differences (math anxiety and teaching confidence) but also by differences in their child’s neurotype. These parents valued different app features and had some differences in app ratings as well. The child’s communication abilities also seemed to affect choices to download apps. This set of studies provides support for future research to consider individual differences, including the child’s neurotype, in parental app decision making, as without these key differences, findings may not tell the whole story.

Convocation Year

2024

Convocation Season

Fall

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