How educational are “educational” apps for young children? App store content analysis using the Four Pillars of Learning framework

ABSTRACT

Experts have expressed concerns about the lack of evidence demonstrating that children’s “educational” applications (apps) have educational value. This study aimed to operationalize Hirsh-Pasek, Zosh, and colleagues' Four Pillars of Learning into a reliable coding scheme (Pillar 1: Active Learning, Pillar 2: Engagement in the Learning Process, Pillar 3: Meaningful Learning, Pillar 4: Social Interaction), describe the educational quality of commercially available apps, and examine differences in educational quality between free and paid apps. We analyzed 100 children’s educational apps with the highest downloads from Google Play and Apple app stores, as well as 24 apps most frequently played by preschool-age children in a longitudinal cohort study. We developed a coding scheme in which each app earned a value of 0–3 for each Pillar, defining lower-quality apps as those scoring ≤4, summed across the Four Pillars. Overall scores were low across all Pillars. Free apps had significantly lower Pillar 2 (Engagement in Learning Process) scores (t-test, p < .0001) and overall scores (t-test, p < .0047) when compared to paid apps, due to the presence of distracting enhancements. These results highlight the need for improved design of educational apps guided by developmental science.

KEYWORDS:

• Educational Apps
• early Childhood
• digital Play
• mobile Devices
• Four Pillars of Learning
• digital Media

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Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [NICHD / R21HD094051].

Notes on contributors

Marisa Meyer

Marisa Meyer, B.A. is a postbaccalaureate research fellow at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). She studied psychology at the University of Michigan, graduating head of her class with Highest Distinction. Marisa conceptualized and conducted an honors thesis, receiving the W.B. Pillsbury Prize for outstanding research in the field of psychology. Marisa is currently refining her research and clinical skills through the NIMH Intramural Research Training Award.

Jennifer M. Zosh

Jennifer M. Zosh, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies at Penn State University’s Brandywine campus. As the Director of the Brandywine Child Development Lab, she studies early cognitive development. Most recently, her work has focused on the topic of playful learning in digital and real-world contexts. She received her Ph.D. in Psychological and Brain Sciences from The Johns Hopkins University.

Caroline McLaren

Caroline McLaren is an undergraduate at the University of Michigan, studying Movement Science and Intraoperative Neuromonitoring. Since 2018, she has been a research assistant in the Radesky Lab through the University of Michigan Medical School.

Michael Robb

Michael Robb is senior director of research at Common Sense. He has been involved in issues involving children and media for over 20 years, and has published research on the impact of digital media on young children’s language development, early literacy outcomes, and problem-solving abilities in a variety of academic journals. Michael received his B.A. from Tufts University and M.A. and Ph.D. in psychology from UC Riverside.

Harlan McCaffery

Harlan McCaffery earned his MS in Biostatistics from Northwestern University in 2018, and has worked at the University of Michigan Department of Pediatrics since 2018. He has expertise in statistical programming, data visualization, and advanced statistical methods including mixed effects modeling, latent growth curve modeling, and survival analysis. He has collaborated on research related to infant growth and development, feeding and eating behaviors, and predictors of hospital length of stay.

Roberta Michnick Golinkoff

Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, Ph.D., Cornell University, is known for her research on language development, the benefits of play, children’s spatial learning, and the effects of media on children, with her research funded by Federal agencies and the LEGO Foundation. Playful Learning Landscapes, her latest project, marries architectural design and the science of learning to invite informal learning. Her last book, Becoming Brilliant reached the New York Times best-seller list.

Kathy Hirsh-Pasek

Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Professor of Psychology at Temple University and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution has written 16 books and 250+ publications. She served as President of the International Congress for Infant Studies and is on the Governing Board of the Society for Research in Child Development. Winning awards from every psychological and educational society for basic and translational research, she is passionate about putting learning science in the hands of parents and educators.

Jenny Radesky

Jenny Radesky, M.D., Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Michigan Medical School, is a practicing developmental-behavioral pediatrician and media researcher. Her research examines design affordances of modern technology in the context of parent–child interaction and child social-emotional development. She authored the American Academy of Pediatrics policy statements on early childhood media use (2016) and digital advertising to children (2020).