The purpose of this study was to examine the use of smart devices among preschoolers and the relationship of their smart-device immersion tendency to self-control and prosocial behavior.
Four research questions were posed: 1. What is the state of usi...
The purpose of this study was to examine the use of smart devices among preschoolers and the relationship of their smart-device immersion tendency to self-control and prosocial behavior.
Four research questions were posed: 1. What is the state of using smart devices among preschoolers? 2. What is the smart-device immersion tendency of preschoolers? 3. What is the relationship between the smart-device immersion tendency and self-control of preschoolers? 4. What is the relationship between the smart-device immersion tendency and prosocial behavior of preschoolers?
The subjects in this study were 159 preschoolers, teachers and parents at kindergartens and childcare centers in Busan and South Gyeongsang Province, on whom a survey was conducted. The instrument used to check the use of smart devices among the preschoolers was Cho Eun-jeong(2010)'s questionnaire for the environments for children's use of smart devices, which was utilized in this study with some modifications. The instrument used to assess the smart-device immersion tendency of the preschoolers was Lee Kyung- ok(2006)'s Preschooler Internet Game Addiction Tendency Inventory, which was used in this study with some modifications as well. The instrument used to evaluate the self-control of the preschoolers was Lee So-young(2007)'s inventory that modified Lee Jeong-ran(2003)'s inventory for parents and reorganized it to target teachers. The instrument used to assess the prosocial behavior of the preschoolers was Kim Young-ok(2003)'s PBSYC.
As for data analysis, the statistical package SPSS 18.0 was employed. The Cronbach alpha coefficients of the instruments were calculated to test their reliability, and statistical data on frequency and percentage were obtained to find out the general characteristics of the respondents. A frequency analysis was made to grasp the use of smart devices among the preschoolers, and t-test was carried out to look for any possible gender differences in immersion tendency, self-control and prosocial behavior. Besides, a correlation analysis was made to figure out the relationship of smart-device immersion tendency to self-control and prosocial behavior.
The findings of the study were as follows: First, the majority of the preschoolers who were at the Western ages of four to six made use of smart devices. They used smart devices once or twice a week, 30 minutes or less each. They used smart devices primarily to play games with their siblings when their parents allowed them to do that, taking care of household chores. Second, their smart-device immersion tendency was not severe. The preschool boys were more immersed than the preschool girls, and there were no gender differences in self-control and prosocial behavior. Third, the smart-device immersion tendency of the preschoolers had a negative correlation to their self-control. A stronger smart-device immersion tendency led to lower self-evaluation and lower self- determination, which were two of the self-control subfactors. Fourth, the smart-device immersion tendency of the preschoolers had a negative correlation to their prosocial behavior. A stronger smart-device immersion tendency was followed by less helping, less sharing and less empathy, which were three of the prosocial behavior subfactors. In conclusion, 95 percent or more of the preschoolers made use of smart devices. Their smart-device immersion tendency was weak, but the preschool boys were more inclined to be immersed in smart devices than the preschool girls. A stronger smart-device immersion tendency led to lower self-control and less prosocial behavior.