Abstract

Playing in general has a positive effect on child development; yet with the advancement of technology, the way children play has changed, and the effects of their play have changed as well. Some studies have shown an overall negative effect of electronic games, while others have reported the opposite. This study aims to investigate the effects of tablet-based electronic games on the child’s self-concept. Twenty-six children between the ages of 4 and 6 years from low-income backgrounds participated. They were divided into two groups; in the experimental group, children were given a tablet device with 10 educational electronic games on it, and the mothers were instructed to let them play the games for less than three hours a day in a normal home situation. The control group was not given any electronic devices. A pre- and post-pictorial measure of self-concept was used. The overall results showed no gains in self-concept for the experimental group and no differences between the groups, except in the domain of curiosity, where the control group children experienced a pre- to post-test increase.

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