Creation apps : facilitating young children's expression of higher-order thinking

Abstract

This design-based research explores children’s creation behaviour and motivation to express higher-order thinking (HOT) in response to educator-initiated digital creation activities. This research is significant because it sheds light on the under-researched value of creation apps in early childhood education (ECE) and their impact on children’s motivation to engage and express HOT. The study outcomes are of methodological, theoretical and educational value. This research aimed at developing learning design principles for the use of creation apps in ECE and enhance pedagogy practices that motivate young children to engage and express HOT. Over a course of two eight-month long iteration cycles, two groups of four to five-year-old students and their teacher participated in weekly research activities. The findings showed between-children and between-activities differences in HOT. These were affected by the participants’ intrinsic motivation, their developed learning dispositions and extrinsic self-regulation style, as well as the implemented learning design principles. Based on the context sensitive findings, the following learning design principles led to the development of HOT stimulating activities: flexible, relevant, participatory, and authentic. The children were most motivated to engage and express intense HOT during activities that 1. created an authentic context; 2. encouraged autonomy and student's ownership of their creations and thinking, 3. sustained student’s motivation through appropriate instruction and support; and 4. encouraged them to make connections to their personal learning and experiences or previous knowledge.