Mobile Devices and Mobile Applications
in Pre-K to Grade 3 Families
Executive Summary
A Report to the CPB-PBS Ready To Learn Initiative
Betsy McCarthy, Ph.D.
Sara Atienza
Danielle Yumol
Matt Silberglitt
Linlin Li, Ph.D.
Katherine Kuhns, Ph.D.
August 2012
WestEd — a national nonpartisan, nonprofit research, development, and service agency — works
with education and other communities to promote excellence, achieve equity, and improve learning
for children, youth, and adults. WestEd has 16 offices nationwide, from Washington and Boston to
Arizona and California, with its headquarters in San Francisco. For more information about WestEd,
visit WestEd.org; call 415.565.3000 or, toll-free, (877) 4-WestEd; or write: WestEd / 730 Harrison
Street / San Francisco, CA 94107-1242.
© 2012 WestEd. All rights reserved.
Executive Summary
I
n spring 2012, WestEd conducted a study of parents of children in preschool to
grade three, focusing on their mobile device purchasing and use patterns and the
applications delivered through those devices. Mobile applications, or mobile apps,
are software applications designed to run on smart phones, tablet computers, and other
mobile devices. They are available through application distribution platforms, such as the
Apple App Store or Google Play. Some apps are free, while others have a price. Usually,
they are downloaded from the platform to a target device. People use mobile apps for
many purposes including checking email, accessing maps, watching videos and playing
games. The purpose of the current study is to identify how parents in low-income
communities use mobile devices and apps to support the mathematics and reading skills
of their children. The study is part of WestEd’s larger CPB-PBS Ready To Learn (RTL)
initiative evaluation activities. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, the RTL
initiative supports the development of educational digital media for preschool and early
elementary school children and their families. In cooperation with the Corporation for
Public Broadcasting and Public Broadcasting Service, its goal is to promote early learning
and school readiness, with a particular interest in reaching children from low-income
families.
Research Methods
Research Questions
A mixed-methods approach was used to address the following research questions:
1. What are parents’ levels of awareness about applications for mobile devices (apps)?
2. What are parents’ attitudes about apps?
3. What mobile devices and apps do/will parents purchase and use?
4. What apps do children use?
5. What are the contexts for parents’ and children’s use of apps?
Measures and Data Collection
Data collection included: 1) a parent survey addressing parents’ knowledge of apps, mobile
device and app purchasing habits; children’s use of apps; and the contexts of app usage
by parents and their children; and 2) parent interviews and focus groups addressing how
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Mobile Devices and Mobile Applications in Pre-K to Grade 3 Families
parents define apps, how they determine the appropriate apps for their children, their
concerns about their children’s use of apps, the types of apps they and their children access
and are interested in, and personal policies for buying and using apps.
Recruitment
WestEd researchers recruited a total of 367 parents from 78 schools and childcare centers.
These schools and centers were targeted for their work with underserved families (including
families of color, English language learners, and families from low-income communities)
with children in preschool through third grade. Participants were from schools and districts
in rural, suburban, and urban areas across the following states: Arizona, California, Illinois,
Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington. Approximately 70%
of students represented in the survey were eligible for a free or reduced lunch at their school.
The sample schools served students primarily from low-income households, with 65 out of
78 schools serving more than 45% of students eligible for free and reduced price meals. Over
one third of students were Hispanic or Latino with a significant African American subgroup.
Findings
Mobile Devices That Are Currently in Use
A majority of the parents involved in the study (85.6%) owned at least one type of mobile
device. Some families had several mobile devices, and some had devices for individual family
members.
§§Mobile Phones
• A majority of families (65.7%) owned a smart phone. Less than 30% of parents who
responded to the surveys indicated that they had an iPhone (28.9%); about half of
parents (48.8%) indicated that they had other smart phones (Android, Blackberry);
18.5% of parents only owned simple cell phones with no data plans.
• When compared to parents who responded to the English version of the survey,
Spanish-preference parents were less likely to own a smart phone (69.0% vs. 56.8%)
and/or a tablet (35.9% vs. 20.3%). More Spanish-preference parents reported having
a simple cell phone only (22.7% vs. 17.8%).
• Fewer preschool parents than elementary school parents owned a smart phone
(61.8% vs. 70.2%) and/or a tablet (31.7% vs. 36.0%), and more preschool parents
than elementary school parents had a simple cell phone only (19.4% vs. 18.0%).
§§Tablets and Touches
• One third of families (33.8%) also owned a tablet: 23.2% of families had an iPod
Touch; 12.3% had an iPad; and 7.9% had other tablets.
• During the interviews, several parents mentioned that they had a new Leap Pad,
another type of tablet more geared towards children.
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Mobile Devices and Mobile Applications in Pre-K to Grade 3 Families
§§Handheld Devices
• A majority of the families (62.4%) owned handheld gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo
DS, Leapster, iPod Touch). Parents often acquired used devices from other family
members or friends. Some parents preferred that their child only access the PSP, DS,
and Leapster because it had no Internet access. Although parents liked these handheld gaming devices, they mentioned that it was hard to find educational programs
for them.
• In some households with multiple children, the children sometimes had their own
individual devices. If a child had his or her own device, it was most often a handheld
game system (53.4%) or an iPod Touch (10.1%) rather than an iPhone (1.6%) or a smart
phone (1.9%).
§§E-Readers
• A small portion of families (11.4%) owned an e-reader (Kindle, Nook).
• A few Spanish-preference families appeared to prefer the Kindle to other types of
devices for their children because they wanted to emphasize reading and language
acquisition, and to control access to the Internet.
• In general, the Kindle had a reputation as being more “educational” than phones or
other tablet devices, which could support “non-educational” apps.
• Kindles were viewed as important by parents who had children with learning disabilities.
§§Future Purchasing of Mobile Devices
• Parents who completed the surveys (44.9%) were interested in buying some type of
smart device in the next 1-3 years. Twenty-seven percent of parents planned to buy
an iPhone or other smart phone; and 35.7% of parents planned to buy an iPad, iPod
Touch, or other tablet.
• Price was the major factor in whether and when parents who did not own a smart
device would consider purchasing one.
Parents’ Levels of Awareness About Apps
§§Knowledge About Apps in General
Parents overall demonstrated a moderate level of general knowledge about apps.
• About 60% of parents thought that they could walk into a store and buy an app;
about 45% of parents assumed that most apps cost more than $30; and more than
40% of parents believed they could only use apps if they had an iPhone.
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Mobile Devices and Mobile Applications in Pre-K to Grade 3 Families
• More than 80% of English-preference parents and parents who had a smart device
compared to 50% of Spanish-preference parents and parents without a smart device
knew that there are a lot of free apps and that they could use apps to play games.
§§Knowledge of Educational Apps
• English-preference parents (88.7%) and parents who had a smart device (86.9%)
were more likely to believe that apps could be educational than Spanish-preference
parents (50.7%) and parents who did not have a smart device (63.4%).
• More than half of English-preference parents (55.8%) and parents who had a smart
device (56.8%) thought that using mobile apps was very helpful or helpful for
learning math or reading skills. However, less than half of Spanish-preference parents (41.4%) and parents who did not have a smart device (41.6%) agreed that using
mobile apps was helpful for learning math or reading skills.
§§Ways to Learn About Apps
• Seventy-five percent of parents who downloaded or bought apps for their children
reported that they learned about these apps from family members, other parents,
friends, and teachers. Interactions among family, friends, and teachers seemed to
be a strong factor in how well versed parents were with finding and using apps for
themselves and their children.
• Parents searched for the apps themselves or in conjunction with their children. It
appeared common for parents to download an app based on a request from their
child or after hearing about an app from other parents or friends.
Parents’ Attitudes About Apps
§§Comfort Level with Child Using Mobile Devices and/or Mobile Applications
Although the majority of parents who answered the survey would allow their child to
play games on a smart phone or tablet and had a favorable attitude towards the educational
potential of apps, there were significant differences between English-preference and Spanishpreference survey participants.
• Almost all of the English-preference parents compared to about half of the Spanishpreference parents agreed that playing games on smart phones and tablets can be
educational (87.8% vs. 47.5%); and similar percentages would allow their child to
use a smart phone or tablet to play games (90.6% vs. 56.1%), practice math problems (89.6% vs. 57.6%), and read books (88.5% vs. 63.1%).
• During the interviews, Spanish-preference parents reported mixed feelings about allowing their children to use technology in general, and apps in particular, when it
came to learning and practicing reading and math skills. Many stated a preference
for having their children read from physical books rather than reading on a device
that might be distracting.
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Mobile Devices and Mobile Applications in Pre-K to Grade 3 Families
There were also significant differences between parents who had a smart device and parents
who did not have a smart device in their attitudes towards apps.
• For instance, 88.7% of parents with a smart device compared to 68.7% of parents
without a smart device would allow their child to play games on a smart phone or
tablet.
• More than 80% of parents with a smart device compared to about 60% of parents without a smart device agreed that playing games on smart phones and tablets could be
educational.
• The vast majority of parents with a smart phone (92%) and without a smart phone
(77%) would allow their child to use a mobile device to learn letters and words.
Although parents indicated that they were comfortable with their child using mobile devices
to access apps, parents still showed some concerns about their children using apps.
• Less than half of the Spanish-preference parents surveyed agreed that their child
would be careful with a smart phone or a tablet (43.8%). Around 40% of Spanishpreference parents and parents without a smart device felt that smart phones and
tablets were too breakable for children to use.
§§Boundaries for Using Apps
To address concerns about appropriate and safe app use, parents reported simple ways of
monitoring their children’s app use.
• Only parents can download apps from the Internet or open an app for the child
once they both decide what the child wants to play.
• The child must stay in the room with the parent while s/he plays.
• With younger children especially, the child must be seated before s/he can handle
the device and s/he cannot play with the device outdoors.
• Some parents have put passwords on their phones so that only they can access it;
some have programmed the phone to require a password before any app can be
downloaded.
• Parents sometimes set up a separate folder for the child’s apps and the child is not
allowed to navigate anywhere else. One parent configured her device to include
only apps she would not mind her children coming in contact with.
• Other parents have no Internet access in the home, so the child would have to be at
the library or at school in order to access it.
Because of a heightened concern about “screen time,” a very popular control tactic was to
simply limit the time a child could spend on the device either using an app or reading (anywhere
between 15 to 45 minutes a day or per app; in one case up to one hour for reading on the Kindle;
longer if the children were using a device during a long car ride or doctor’s office visit).
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Mobile Devices and Mobile Applications in Pre-K to Grade 3 Families
• Some parents indicated that as long as their child was playing with what they
deemed to be an educational app or researching something for school, s/he could
stay on the device for longer periods.
• Time on a device was used as a reward (reading in bed on the Kindle before going
to sleep or after the child finished his or her homework or chores), or they would
purposefully balance technology time with outdoor time.
• Often parents tried to balance interacting virtually with time spent interacting with
friends in person (e.g., when visiting family or friends the child could not use
the device).
• Several parents indicated they preferred that their children play with the Wii, because it is social and it fosters physical activity.
Parents’ App Purchasing Habits
§§Current App Purchasing Habits
• Parents indicated that the most important things they considered when deciding
what mobile apps to buy or download for their children were the age ratings (56.8%),
category (e.g., education, entertainment) (52.7%), and the price (38.4%). Parents said
the difference between educational vs. non-educational apps influenced their willingness to pay for apps.
• The majority of parents (74%) indicated that they downloaded apps from an app
store (iTunes, Android, Amazon, Google) whereas about one fourth of parents
(23.3%) searched for apps from the producer’s website (PBS KIDS, Nick Jr.).
• Many parents went to PBS KIDS, in particular, to look for educational apps. Parents
valued choosing apps from trusted sites and from trusted sources (such as PBS) or apps
with known characters from children’s television programs (PBS, Disney Channel, Nick
Jr., etc.).
• Some parents sought apps that were collaborative in nature and that the child could
play alone, with friends, or with family members. Others sought apps that would
promote physical activity.
• It was particularly important that an educational app had the ability to grow with
the child and not just entertain the child for a few weeks; they were looking for
apps that contained structured programs for learning and were more complex in
their organization.
• Several parents had children with disabilities (autism, reading disabilities), and one
of their major criteria was that the app be geared toward that population.
• Some parents of children with DS, PS3s, and Leapsters preferred these devices
because they could purchase physical cartridges or acquire used cartridges from
friends and family.
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Mobile Devices and Mobile Applications in Pre-K to Grade 3 Families
• The price point for non-educational apps ranged from free to $1.99. For educational
apps, by far the most frequently cited maximum price parents mentioned they would
be willing to pay was $5. If an app was for a child with disabilities, parents were willing to pay more.
§§Future Apps Purchasing Plan
• Parents who were more technologically aware and knowledgeable about their school
curriculum were interested in apps that could prepare their children for future
coursework: new technology, science, history, social studies, and foreign languages.
• Technology- and curricula-aware parents wanted to accentuate subjects now missing
or de-emphasized in many schools: music, science, technology, and health.
• Parents who had children with disabilities were looking for apps that would teach
their children basic skills, such as eye contact in the case of an autistic child. They
were also interested in apps that would help them track their child’s learning progress.
• Spanish-preference parents were interested in finding apps that would help their
children learn English. During the focus groups, they indicated that they had a hard
time finding apps because they did not know how or where to search. Many apps in
app stores are in English and that poses a barrier for them.
• Parents also indicated that they would like apps to be useable on multiple platforms
(such as iPad, iPhone, Wii, Xbox, or PlayStation). In particular, they felt the gaming
systems would be useful for encouraging multiplayer use between parents and children, and for encouraging physical activity. Many low-tech parents requested that
apps be made for multiple platforms so those parents who could not afford a mobile
device could still access the apps on their laptop or gaming device.
• Parents wanted the apps to be used among siblings; Teach Me Kindergarten was mentioned as a good example, because it can accommodate up to four different players.
• Almost all parents were familiar with the PBS children’s television programming.
They were definitely interested in apps that carried forward the main PBS characters, mentioning Super WHY!, Caillou, Curious George, and Sesame Street. Spanish-speaking
parents in particular indicated that they were familiar with PBS television programs
for kids. These parents were interested in learning more about the apps associated
with these programs.
Apps Used by Children
§§Educational Apps
The parents who bought or downloaded apps for their children most frequently referred to
educational apps. More than 60% of parents indicated that their child used literacy apps; and
about 40% of children had mathematic apps.
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Mobile Devices and Mobile Applications in Pre-K to Grade 3 Families
• According to the focus groups and interviews, Teach Me Kindergarten (for addition,
subtraction, and spelling) appeared to be the most common educational app owned
by the children. The other most common educational apps mentioned were: Dora
the Explorer apps, Fizzy’s Lunch Lab, iStorybooks, Find Me (for autism), Find the Colors, ABC Lite,
Blue’s Clues, Read Me Stories, Winnie the Pooh (reading and problem solving), various Zoodles
apps, the dictionary, and the Bible.
• There were several other categories of educational apps that parents referenced
when they couldn’t remember the name of a particular app: 3D painting, bilingual
counting apps, phonics, learning sign language, coloring, math drills, matching
shapes, flash cards for word recognition, tracing letters, word search, crossword
puzzles, connect the dots, number games, a dental app to promote dental hygiene,
animal recognition (at nature.com), and music education apps.
• Some parents who did not own a smart device still mentioned educational games
that they allowed their children to play on computers: Caillou (math and spelling),
Dr. Seuss’s ABCs, and Mickey Mouse (math).
§§Other Apps and Digital Media
There was wide variation in the types of apps and digital media that children used overall.
• By far, Angry Birds was the most cited non-educational app. This was followed by
Sponge Bob, Fruit Ninja, Nintendo’s Super Mario Brothers and Hannah Montana.
• YouTube was very popular because it allowed children to watch their favorite cartoons,
videos, and short movies. Some of the videos referenced were Dora the Explorer and
Chuck E. Cheese.
• Listening to music was particularly popular with the children. Several children had
their own playlists on their parents’ iPods or iPhones. There were also karaoke apps
that the children liked to play that appeared to have a collaborative element.
• In terms of videos and movies, many children had access to Netflix on their parents’ devices.
• Children seemed interested in using a phone as a camera. They enjoyed taking photos and also looking at photos on the devices.
• Children enjoyed using Google to search the Internet either for school projects, or for fun.
• Only a few parents specifically mentioned apps for children with disabilities. But
the one parent who shared her experiences in detail explained that the special apps
had made quite a difference in her child’s behavior. This parent felt that there was
something about the interface with the technology that was appealing and encouraging to her child.
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Mobile Devices and Mobile Applications in Pre-K to Grade 3 Families
§§Frequency of Deleting Apps
The frequency with which apps were deleted varied widely among parents. One overriding
factor in deciding to delete an app was whether or not the child was engaged.
• Some parents limited the child to a certain number of apps on the device; to add an
app required deleting one. Thus, deletion was done only when the child tired of an
app and wanted another.
• Some parents indicated they deleted apps frequently because their children went
through apps quickly. For instance, one parent deleted apps at least monthly.
• The difficulty of the app was another indicator of how frequently parents deleted
them. For example, if the app were intricate enough to have different levels of play
or stages, the app would stay on the mobile devices longer.
• Particularly if apps were free, parents were more willing to try out the simpler apps and
did not feel guilty about deleting them if they were not appropriate for their child.
§§Children’s Request for Apps and Mobile Devices
More than 40% of parents who completed the surveys indicated that their children asked for
a smart phone (15.8%), a tablet (15%), or both (11.4%). This appeared to be because they
had used a device elsewhere and enjoyed the experience, a friend or family member had one,
or they wanted a phone in order to communicate with their parents.
Children played an active role in the types of apps that were selected for their use. It
is interesting that 47.2% of the parents indicated that they heard about apps from their
children.
• More than one third of parents (39.7%) who downloaded or bought apps for their
children indicated that their children asked them for apps.
• During the focus groups and interviews, some parents mentioned that their children knew how to search the app store, so they took the lead in searching for specific apps or books that looked appealing to them.
• Children also learn about apps and other electronic games from fellow students,
from watching other children play, from teachers, and from using the apps at
school or with family members.
• In the case of the handheld devices, parents would often share used cartridges with
friends and family.
• Some children, when watching Nick Jr. or PBS KIDS, would ask their parents if they
could follow the links to the websites to play the games.
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Mobile Devices and Mobile Applications in Pre-K to Grade 3 Families
Contexts for Parents' and Children’s Use of Apps
There were many different contexts for children’s use of apps on mobile devices.
• Children tended to use apps independently, more so than engaging with apps with
other children. This was mostly attributable to the fact that few apps are designed
for mobile devices (smart phones or iTouches) with a multi-player feature. There were
some apps mentioned for the iPad and other tablets that promoted collaboration.
• Parent-child collaborative play did not seem to be common. Parents most commonly engaged with their child’s play by helping load apps, switching to new apps, or
helping the child determine what he or she wanted to play.
• Parents reported that most social interaction occurred between siblings or a parent
and child sharing an app back and forth; playing a single player app cooperatively
(one child playing, the other child verbally involved with helping or suggesting).
• Some parents mentioned that the very idea of using the device seemed to bring
children from various age groups together (teenagers and preschool/kindergarten)
who might not otherwise play together (typically with the older children helping
the younger children). Drawing together on iPods or iPads, or karoke apps for music, seemed to be popular.
• Books seemed to be a natural collaborative activity among siblings and between parents and children. Sometimes children read books together on the Kindle, the older
child teaching the younger how to “swipe” the pages to turn them.
Conclusions
to Mobile Devices and Awareness of Apps is Becoming More Prevalent in
§§Access
Low-Income Communities
Findings from the study indicate that access to mobile devices and apps is fairly prevalent in
low-income communities. Over 60% of parents reported they had access to a smart phone
and over 30% said they had access to a tablet. Though many parents reported access to these
devices, the data suggest that they may not all use apps. Those who reported having access to
a smart device often showed poor understanding of how one obtains and uses apps.
of Mobile Devices and Apps Will Continue to Grow in
§§Use
Low-Income Communities
Over 40% of parents who completed the survey said they were planning to buy a smart
device in the next three years. Twenty-seven percent of parents planned to buy a smart
phone and 36% planned to buy an iPad, iPod Touch, or other tablet. Nearly all parents who
did not currently have a smart device said they would be interested in using one with their
child. Parents indicated that they preferred free apps, but would consider paying for an
educational app that is complex and has multiple levels that children can progress through.
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Mobile Devices and Mobile Applications in Pre-K to Grade 3 Families
§§Most Parents are Comfortable with Their Children Using a Smart Device
Over 80% of parents taking the survey indicated they were comfortable with their child
using a smart device1 and recognized that apps on the device could be educational. Over
85% would allow their child to use a smart phone or tablet to learn letters and words,
practice math, or read a book. Parents who had access to a smart device indicated more
comfort with their child using a smart device than those who did not have access to a device.
Approximately 70% of parents who had a smart device agreed to the following statement:
“My child would be careful with a smart phone or tablet.” Only 53% of parents without
access to a smart device agreed.
§§Use of Apps for Children is Common Among Those with Access to Mobile Devices
Over 80% of parents who had smart devices had downloaded educational apps for their
children to use. More than 60% of parents indicated that their child used literacy apps and
about 40% of children had mathematics apps. About 75% of parents said they allowed their
children to play other apps on their devices that may or may not be educational (including
puzzles, action games, and video players). Parents of English language learners or children
with special needs said educational apps allowed their children to learn more quickly.
Parents were Less Likely to Own Smart Devices, Feel
§§Spanish-Preference
Comfortable with Their Children Using a Smart Device, or Recognize Educational
Potential in Apps than English-Preference Parents
Parents who chose to take the survey in Spanish differed markedly on several factors related
to mobile device and app use. Spanish-preference parents were less likely to own a smart
device when compared to English-preference parents. About 69% of English-preference
parents reported owning a smart phone, and 34% owned a tablet. In contrast, about 57%
of Spanish-preference parents reported owning a smart phone, and 20% owned a tablet.
English-preference parents indicated more comfort with their child using a smart device than
Spanish-preference parents. Approximately 73% of English-preference parents agreed to the
following statement: “My child would be careful with a smart phone or tablet.” Only 43% of
Spanish-preference parents agreed to the statement.
Recommendations
The current study addresses low-income parents’ knowledge about and access to mobile
devices and mobile apps. The results suggest that mobile device and app use in low-income
communities is fairly widespread and will continue to grow significantly each year. In
particular, parents in the study indicated a very strong interest in obtaining and using
educational apps for their children. Though they could not always afford a service contract,
and sometimes used devices without data plans, parents indicated they were finding ways to
access the Internet and download apps. The CPB-PBS RTL initiative should keep the following
recommendations in mind as new apps and and content are developed:
1 A smart device refers to a smart phone or a tablet.
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Mobile Devices and Mobile Applications in Pre-K to Grade 3 Families
• Continue to create educational apps for young children and their parents in
low-income communities.
• Make apps that are complex, multi-level, and progress in difficulty.
• Raise low-income families’ awareness of educational apps and provide information
about where to find and download them.
• Consider developing apps that involve collaborative play for children, sibilings, and
parents.
• Consider developing apps specifically for English language learners and children
with special needs.
• Continue to keep the prices of apps at modest levels ($0.99 or free).
• Consider offering free trial versions of apps.
To speak with the evaluation team,
please contact:
Betsy McCarthy
650.381.6441
[email protected]
OR
Linlin Li
650.381.6449
[email protected]
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