A Digital Play Framework for Early Learners

The Project
This research project is designed to lay the groundwork for an observational study of digital play in early learning classrooms that can guide conclusions about the opportunities and appropriate sites for digital play, leading to the establishment of a Digital Play Framework for Early Learners. This framework can be used by educators as a new tool for observing and assessing children’s di
gital play in the classroom and to plan future learning. It has the potential to ensure that there is equitable access for all early learners to digital play and that the focus will be on learning. The underlying questions for this project are foundational for thinking about digital innovation with early learners: What is play? What is digital play? What are the interconnections between play and digital play in the early years?
There is a consensus among researchers that play is beneficial to children’s learning and development of knowledge and skills across the domains (Piaget, 1962; Vygotsky,1978; Hughes, 2009; Whitebread et al. 2017; Whitebread, 2018; Pyle, 2018; Edwards, 2016; Bird & Edwards, 2015; Edwards & Bird, 2017; Marsh et al., 2018; Treasure, 2018; Johnston, 2021). Although play is difficult to define, an activity is considered to be play if it contains key characteristics such as it is pleasurable, intrinsically motivating, process-oriented, and meaningful. These characteristics illustrate its complexity and variety and contribute to our understanding of play. In recent years, as technology became a venue for children’s play, the idea of digital play has emerged. Despite this, much like play, there is no simple way of defining digital play. Broadly speaking, digital play can be described as a voluntary, energizing activity that involves using digital tools and resources to support children’s learning and development (Fleer, 2014; Kervin, 2016; Lawrence 2018; Marsh et al., 2018; Disney, Barnes, Ey, & Geng, 2019).
The new world of play for young children, contemporary play, is a mixture of overlapping play and digital play practices. While play-based learning in the classroom is well established, the opportunities and appropriate sites for this new world of play is still in development. In play-based classrooms, teachers intentionally observe, plan, and implement activities that provide children with opportunities to learn through play. These activities support children’s social and emotional learning (SEL). Many educators are, however, struggling to translate this approach to digital play. The irony is that children do not make the distinction between play and learning the same way as adults (Johnston, 2021). For children digital play is just play. It builds on and extends their real-world play experiences.
Research and Educational Impact
This project is just beginning, and I anticipate it will last three years. Two Master of Arts students, Sara Hassan and Ingi Hong, are currently working with me as Graduate Research Assistants (GRAs). Together we are undertaking a review of relevant scholarly literature and building a conceptual framework as we think through what digital play means to us. We meet regularly to discuss literature we are currently reading on digital play. This literature review and discussion will be used to create a survey that explores digital play practices in early learning settings. Sara and Ingi are currently writing their Master theses on related topics that I am supervising.
The next phase in the project will involve developing a Digital Play Framework for Early Learners through community partnerships with school boards, EarlyOn Child and Family Centres, and Grandview School. The framework will be designed to provide educators with guidance and support about how to incorporate digital play into their play-based learning programs in a manner that will support SEL. At present, some educators are concerned about digital play because of its possible negative effects on social competence. Children who are socially competent are more able to interact successfully with peers during play activities. They must be able to respond to their peers’ suggestions and ideas, negotiate how the play will unfold, as well as work through disagreements when they arise. Some educators restrict and regulate children’s digital play experiences in order to protect their opportunity to play, interact with others, and use their imagination. This project views children’s motivation to engage with digital technologies not as a concern but rather as an opportunity to support and enhance their play. Instead of restricting and regulating digital technologies, educators need to support a mixture of overlapping play and digital play practices in their classrooms.