Using Design-Based Research for a Technological Intervention to Promote Parental Involvement in Kindergarten

Area of Science:

• Educational Technology
• Early Childhood Education
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Parental involvement is crucial for preschool children's skill development and academic success.
• Digital technologies offer novel avenues for parent-educator communication and collaboration.
• Integrating technology can create new learning opportunities for young children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a digital platform designed to foster parental involvement in preschool education.
• To identify essential features and content for a multimedia platform promoting parental engagement in kindergarten learning.
• To assess the impact of the digital platform across three different educational institutions.

Main Methods:

• Employed a design-based research methodology, involving parents and educators throughout.
• Iterative development and evaluation phases included preliminary study, platform design, and user testing.
• Assessed platform impact by analyzing user roles and pre-existing technology use for parental engagement.

Main Results:

• The most valued functionalities were sharing children's kindergarten activities and a private messaging service.
• The platform's impact varied across institutions, influenced by user engagement and prior technology adoption.
• Co-design process ensured features aligned with practical needs of parents and educators.

Conclusions:

• Digital platforms can effectively promote parental involvement in early childhood education.
• Specific features like activity sharing and direct messaging are highly beneficial.
• Successful implementation requires consideration of institutional context and user digital literacy.