Are The Top Rated Math Apps For Early Childhood Research Based?

Most of us have to find apps designed to reinforce or teach skills to students.  I know from personal experience, I had to try different apps in the hopes they'd do what I need but what about math based apps designed for children around the age of five. There was some research done to see if the top 25 math apps are based on research.

The study was done by the University College London and they concluded that these 25 apps are not based on best practices and do not develop their early math skills. As a matter of fact, there are few regulations or rules for educational apps. Only one of the apps in the top 25 list has actually been evaluated to see if they had any impact on a child's learning.

They based their research on synthesizing 50 research studies from 18 countries that looked at 77 apps used in the first three years of school.  They concluded that 90 percent of these studies revealed that math apps did provide some benefits for children's mathematical learning and development.  The apps that worked best provided a personalized learning situation with immediate feedback on why their answers were right or wrong. It was noted that few if any apps in the top 25 list have this feature.

It was calculated that 66 percent of the top rated 25 math apps focus on number skills while 64% on counting but these skills were being introduced in isolation away from other math skills and concepts. Furthermore, skills such as basic arithmetic, basic shapes, patterns, and measurement were not covered nearly as often. 

This is important because many parents will put math apps on their children's digital devices to give them a head start but if most of the education apps are not based on best practices,  students will not have the instruction they need.  In addition, with the pandemic interrupting instruction, many teachers and parents may have used apps to keep students moving but they may not have gotten the best instruction possible.

The authors of the study concluded that there are limited ways for parents and teachers to tell if the app is high quality. There needs to be a better way of categorizing apps so parents and teachers know if the app is based on research or best practices. To choose apps, one needs to consider design features, the learning experience, and how it fits into your classroom. 

On Wednesday, I'll be looking at a study that looked at using mathematical apps to supplement the normal programs for those children in the 4 to 5 year old range.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.