Tuesday, March 29, 2016 at 4:00 p.m.
Room 200, Graduate Student Centre (6371 Crescent Road), UBC Point Grey Campus
Title: An Ecology of Technology: Infants, Toddlers, and Mobile Screen Devices
Supervisor: Dr. Jennifer Shapka (ECPS)
Supervisory Committee: Dr. Laurie Ford (ECPS) and Dr. Marlene Asselin (LLED)
University Examiners: Dr. Janet Jamieson (ECPS) and Dr. Ann Anderson (EDCP)
External Examiner: Dr. Aletha Huston (The University of Texas at Austin)
ABSTRACT
Within a bio-ecological systems framework, this study sought to explore the impact of the now ubiquitous presence and use of mobile screen devices (MSDs) on the family context for infants born into a Digital Age. A mixed methods approach was used to gather and analyze data gathered from an online questionnaire completed by 292 Canadian parents with a child birth to three years old, as well as from home-based observations and interviews with 28 families. This study sought to answer three research questions: (1) How do the presence and use of MSDs relate to factors of the family environment? (2) Do parent knowledge and beliefs predict the reasons that parents provide MSDs to their children? and (3) Do parent knowledge and beliefs predict how much time a child spends using MSDs?
Results for question 1 found MSDs to shape the physical, social, and psychological family context, as multiple devices were used extensively by parents and by 60% of children birth to three years. The impact of MSDs in the family environment was related to variations in parent developmental knowledge, parenting supports, sense of competence, beliefs in MSDs for children, and select demographic factors such as child age and maternal education. Results for question 2 found that parent knowledge and beliefs predicted the reasons for parent provision of MSDs for their child’s use. Results for question 3 found that parent knowledge and beliefs also predicted the amount of time a child used MSDs. The complex interplay between socio-demographics, parent provision of MSDs to infants and toddlers, and parent knowledge and beliefs that form a climate of new demands for parents in their child-raising roles is discussed in terms of implications for developmental researchers and practitioners working with infants, toddlers, and/or their caregivers.