Predictors of visual media use and their effects on imaginative playfulness in preschool children

The main purpose of this study was an examination of the associations among preschool children's visual media use, the quality of their imaginative play, and the ecological factors of their viewing practices in their family. As a part of my research, I hypothesized that the levels of preschoolers' viewing different programming at home are influenced by ecological variables, which then affect their imaginative playfulness.; The role of children's visual media use and its ecological predictors in imaginative playfulness was researched using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) that tested the pathways from ecological factors through children's visual media use to their imaginative playfulness. More specifically, this study examined the relationships among socioeconomic status, the viewing environment in a family, parental mediation, visual media use of three to five-year-old children, and their imaginative playfulness.; Children's visual media use and its ecological factors were collected from 202 children's primary caregivers, and the head teacher of children in childcare evaluated the imaginative playfulness component. It was found that socioeconomic status contributed to the viewing environments in the family, and in turn, the family viewing environments influenced the children's viewing practices. However, the children's viewing did not affect their imaginative playfulness. Although no systematic pattern between children's visual media use and their imaginative playfulness was found, the final model identified the pathways among ecological factors, visual media use, and imaginative playfulness.; Implications for researchers who study media use and children's development and educators who wish to promote children's imaginative play are discussed.