| This study examined the relationship between software interface design and child engagement by exposing 38 preschool-age children to two computer sorting activities. These activities were identical except for design characteristics that could be associated with two common teaching styles. In one of the conditions, called "high computer control" (HICOMP), children were prompted and reinforced with each task, resulting in a less responsive experience. The other condition, called "high child control" (HICHILD) provided minimal instructions and reinforcements. The outcome variables were the number of tasks attempted, tasks correct, time with the activity, mouse clicks and a child rating of the experience. In addition, anecdotal observations documented child reactions to both settings.;Children in the high child control treatment were more active, completing more tasks (mean = 64 vs. 20; p < .05), clicking the mouse more times (mean = 129 vs. 73; p < .05), and getting more tasks correct (mean = 41 vs. 16; p < .05). Children rated both experiences highly, and spent about the same amount of time with each condition.;In the high computer control setting, there were more clicks per task (mean = 4.07 vs. 2.09; p < .05), and children had a higher accuracy level (mean = 85% vs. 68% respectively). In addition, ANOVA procedures suggested that younger choose to stay with the HICOMP experience longer than the older group of children.;This study helps connect the established principles of human/child interaction to computer/child interaction, including the role of external reinforcements and the level of responsivity of the interaction. The results of this study suggest that designers and evaluators of interactive media products for children should pay careful attention to the degree to which the implementation of control mechanisms such as reinforcements can have substantial effects on children's interaction with the software. |
