Overview

The project explores current research in the field of digital play to identify gaps and under-theorised areas. The findings will inform the design of a series of empirical studies to address these gaps and to support the advancement of our understandings of children’s digital play in preschool and foundation year across diverse settings.

Project aims

• review how academic research has described and theorised digital play with young children across diverse settings
• design new and innovative empirical studies that build on existing research in digital play to explore: the ways in which parents and educators engage with digital play with children; children’s pretend play abilities with the digital; and the ways in which digital play supports children’s language and narrative development
• support early years educators, parents, community, and curriculum designers to develop a contemporary dynamic theorisation of digital play
• support ways of embedding digital play in day-to-day teaching and learning

Project design

The project will be completed in two stages: (1) two systematic literature reviews to analyse empirical research to understand how digital play is described and theorised in academic research in the contexts of preschool and early years of schooling; and (2) development of empirical studies to address the gaps in the research in children’s digital play.

Partner/s

Early Childhood Australia, St James Parish Primary School, Sebastopol

Timeframe

January 2021 – December 2026

Contact

Professor Louise Paatsch

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