Using Tablets to Teach Basic Literacy Skills to Kindergarten Students. A Case Study

Tablets have long been employed across a variety of educational domains. Given the ongoing debate regarding their effect on skill and knowledge development, especially among very young learners, a study was conducted to evaluate their effectiveness against conventional educational materials. The study involved 76 kindergarten students, employing a between-subjects design to investigate basic literacy skills. These skills included letter name identification and letter sound recognition. To measure knowledge acquisition, evaluation tests were administered, and questionnaires were used to collect data on students' motivation, engagement, and enjoyment. The findings revealed that tablets significantly enhanced the targeted skills compared to conventional materials. Tablets were also rated higher in enjoyment, engagement, and motivation. Importantly, these factors significantly impacted learning outcomes with tablets, while they had no effect in the case of conventional materials.