Although educational apps for preschoolers abound, many don’t include sound teaching strategies, says a new study in the journal Learning, Media and Technology.
Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, analyzed feedback and teaching methods and the skills targeted in the most popular 171 free and paid math and literacy apps targeting children 5 and younger on the Apple and Android platforms.
The researchers found 1 in 5 of the apps reviewed provided no instructions, and only 4 percent modeled how to solve problems. Despite young children’s short attention spans, just 15 percent of the apps repeated instructions after a pause in game play.
