Children are increasingly being exposed to educational technology at school. In response to this, the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) drafted a set of technology standards for teachers (ISTE, 2002) that specifically states that teachers should empower all students and support diversity. This content analysis of educational software for preschoolers was designed to look at gender representations and stereotyping. The results demonstrated significantly more male characters than female characters in preschool educational software, which makes it difficult for teachers to address gender diversity and suggests that girls are not as valued as boys are. Male characters were also more likely than female characters to exhibit several masculine-stereotypical traits. In addition, female characters more than male characters exhibited counterstereotypical behaviors, yet were more gender stereotyped in appearance. Read more...

This study was designed to compare how 5- to 13-year-old children's leisure activity preferences differ with age and gender. Responses from 60 boys and 60 girls about their favorite toys, television shows, computer games, and outdoor activities were compared across leisure categories. The results showed that gender was a significant factor. Overall, boys spent more time in these leisure activities than girls did. They spent the most time engaged in sports, watching television, and playing computer games, whereas girls spent the most time watching television. Results from a gender index for all activities indicated that boys' leisure preferences became slightly more masculine with age. For girls, preferences for television shows became more feminine with age, but preferences for toys, computer games, and sports became less feminine. These self-chosen preferences may provide differential opportunities for the development of visual-spatial skills, achievement, initiative, self-regulation, and social skills. Read more...

Objectives. To explore the association between early computer experience (both accessibility and frequency of use) and cognitive and psychomotor development among young children. Methods. The participants were 122 preschool children enrolled in a rural county Head Start program in the United States during 2001-2002. The following tests were administered to the children: the Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test; the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts, Third Edition Preschool; the Test of Gross Motor Development, Second Edition; and a short form of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scales of Intelligence-Revised. Information pertaining to family characteristics and children's early computer experience was collected from parents. Both bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to assess the association between early computer experience and cognitive and motor development. Results. Of the participating children, 53% had a computer at home. Among families who had a computer, 83% had children's software on the computer. According to parents' reports, 29% of these children played on the home computer on a daily basis, and an additional 44% of the children played on the computer at least weekly. Of those families who did not have a home computer, 49% reported that their children had access to a computer somewhere outside home. Among these children, 10% had daily access to the computer and 33% had weekly access. The presence of a computer in the home was significantly associated with the family's income and the educational attainment of the parents. There was no gender difference in computer accessibility and frequency use among the participating children. Children who had access to a computer performed better on measures of school readiness and cognitive development, controlling for children's developmental stage and family socioeconomic status. The data in the current study did not suggest a relationship between computer experience and visual motor or gross motor skills among the participating children. Conclusion. The findings in the present study suggest that early computer exposure before or during the preschool years is associated with development of preschool concepts and cognition among young children. However, frequency of use did not reveal such a relationship; neither did the ownership of other child electronic or video games in the household. Read more...

Parents were interviewed about the media habits of their 6-month to 6-year-old children. For children who had used computers, linear increases in computer usage occurred across this age range with a shift from using a computer on a parents lap at about age 2112 to autonomous computer and mouse use at about age 3(1)/(2). There were almost no gender differences in early computer patterns. Families with higher incomes and higher education levels were more likely to own computers and to have Internet access from home. Latino families were least likely to own a computer; Latino and African American families were less likely than Caucasian families to have Internet access at home. Parents perceived computers favorably for children's learning. No relationship was found between the frequency with which children play computer games and the likelihood that they can read, but increased nongame computer use was associated with increased likelihood of reading. Read more...