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ERIC Number: ED282635
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1987
Pages: 89
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Sex Differences in Preschoolers' Use of the Computer?
Jones, Elsa Elisabeth
Focusing on styles of interaction, this study investigated the possibility of sex differences in preschool children's use of the computer. A total of 21 girls and 7 boys attending a mixed-age summer preschool class chose to create drawings using an interactive computer graphics program. Observer logs, computer drawing programs, and transcribed audiotapes provided data on children's attraction to the computer, approaches to creating computer graphics, and verbalizations during computer interactions. Results showed that boys and girls were equally attracted to the computer. Discriminant analysis of the drawing data revealed that boys significantly bounced the drawing cursor off the screen borders more often, selected the draw command key more frequently, and created more right angles than did the girls. Qualitative analysis of the computer drawings indicated that the girls' designs contained more variety and greater detail than those of the boys. Girls significantly verbalized more than the boys when referring to color selection. There appeared to be an overall trend suggesting that while the girls were interacting with the computer they were more verbal than the boys. Findings were interpreted as potentially emerging, gender-differentiated approaches to using the computer. It is recommended that future research examine ways to foster such styles of child-computer interaction (Appended are a bibliography, a copy of the Delta Drawing program and instructional script, the newsletter sent to parents, a typical observer log, and some examples of preschoolers' drawings.)
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Masters Theses
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A