Digital Play and Early Learning: Evaluating the Impact of Interactive Educational Technologies on Cognitive and Socio-Emotional Development in Preschoolers

Andi Asrifan, Mark – Jhon R. Prestoza, Akhtem A. Dzhelilov, Sakala Stanley

Abstract


The growing incorporation of digital devices into the daily lives of young children has heightened academic discourse around the significance of digital play in early childhood education. Although play-based learning is fundamental to preschool curricula, interactive educational technology is progressively being used to enhance early learning experiences. Nonetheless, empirical evidence on the simultaneous effects of digital play on cognitive and socioemotional development in preschoolers is scarce, particularly in curriculum-aligned classroom settings. This study investigated the effects of structured digital play with interactive educational tools on the development of preschool children. The study employed a quasi-experimental mixed-methods design, involving 72 children aged 4 to 6 years from urban preschools, randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The results indicated that children in the experimental group showed markedly greater improvements in attention, executive functioning, early literacy and numeracy, and problem-solving skills than those in the control group (Cohen’s d = 0.54–0.68). Moreover, notable improvements were observed in emotional regulation, social interaction, cooperation, and empathy (Cohen’s d = 0.63–0.70). Classroom observations indicated elevated engagement, collaborative behavior, positive emotional expressions, and the essential role of teacher mediation during digital play. The findings indicate that purposefully designed and integrated digital play can serve as a comprehensive pedagogical strategy in early childhood education. The research provides significant insights into early childhood curriculum development, digital teaching methods, and educators' professional growth in technology-integrated learning environments.

Keywords


Digital Play; Early Childhood Education; Cognitive Development; Socio-Emotional Development; Curriculum Integration.

Full Text:

DOWNLOAD [PDF]

References


Arbués, E., Abad-Villaverde, B., Costa-París, A., Balaguer, Á., Conesa-Lareo, M.-D., & Beltramo, C. (2025). Socio-Emotional Competencies for Sustainable Development: An Exploratory Review. Education Sciences, 15(7), 831. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15070831

Bahroun, Z., Anane, C., Ahmed, V., & Zacca, A. (2023). Transforming Education: A Comprehensive Review of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Educational Settings through Bibliometric and Content Analysis. Sustainability, 15(17), 12983. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151712983

Bourbour, M. (2023). Using digital technology in early education teaching: learning from teachers’ teaching practice with interactive whiteboard. International Journal of Early Years Education, 31(1), 269–286. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669760.2020.1848523

Chen, Y., & Ding, Z. (2024). Effects of digitalization in preschool education on the creative and cognitive development of children. Education and Information Technologies, 29(16), 21567–21591. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-12730-y

Chiner, E., Gómez-Puerta, M., Mengual-Andrés, S., & Merma-Molina, G. (2025). Teacher and School Mediation for Online Risk Prevention and Management: Fostering Sustainable Education in the Digital Age. Sustainability, 17(8), 3711. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17083711

Clark, D. B., Hernández-Zavaleta, J. E., & Becker, S. (2023). Academically meaningful play: Designing digital games for the classroom to support meaningful gameplay, meaningful learning, and meaningful access. Computers & Education, 194, 104704. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2022.104704

Colvert, A., Rowsell, J., Buxton, A., & Horton, E. (2024). Crystalising Maker Moments: Postdigital Storying Across Contexts. Postdigital Science and Education, 6(3), 767–795. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-024-00509-w

Crescenzi-Lanna, L. (2022). The developmental appropriateness of digital games and its impact on young children’s enjoyment and playtime. International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction, 33, 100480. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcci.2022.100480

Dahlström, H. (2022). Students as digital multimodal text designers: A study of resources, affordances, and experiences. British Journal of Educational Technology, 53(2), 391–407. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13171

Demirdis, B. (2024). Integrating Digital Literacy to Enhance Emotional and Social Skills in Education (pp. 1–38). https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-7555-6.ch001

Farrell, T., Alani, H., & Mikroyannidis, A. (2024). Mediating learning with learning analytics technology: guidelines for practice. Teaching in Higher Education, 29(6), 1500–1520. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2022.2067745

Ferreira, I. A., Fornara, F., Pinna, V., Manca, A., & Guicciardi, M. (2024). Autonomy as key to healthy psychological well-being: A systematic literature review on children’s independent mobility, cognitive and socio-emotional development. Journal of Transport & Health, 38, 101837. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2024.101837

Gkrimpizi, T., Peristeras, V., & Magnisalis, I. (2023). Classification of Barriers to Digital Transformation in Higher Education Institutions: Systematic Literature Review. Education Sciences, 13(7), 746. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13070746

Guo, H., Ma, J., Chua, T. B. K., Tay, L. Y., Chia, M. Y. H., & Kim, H. (2022). Associations between Parents’ Digital Media Habits, Engagement, Awareness, and Movement Guidelines among Preschool-Age Children: International Ipreschooler Surveillance Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(17), 10484. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191710484

Harmon, T. M., & Arnold, D. H. (2024). Mobile Technology and School Readiness: An Adverse Relationship with Executive Functioning in Low-Income Preschoolers. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 33(10), 3338–3349. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-024-02913-z

Ho, T. C., & King, L. S. (2021). Mechanisms of neuroplasticity linking early adversity to depression: developmental considerations. Translational Psychiatry, 11(1), 517. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-021-01639-6

Hoareau, L., & Tazouti, Y. (2024). Effect of teachers’ acceptance of an educational app on students’ early literacy and early numeracy skills. Education and Information Technologies, 29(7), 8393–8414. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-12175-9

Hu, X., Chiu, M. M., Leung, W. M. V., & Yelland, N. (2021). Technology integration for young children during COVID‐19: Towards future online teaching. British Journal of Educational Technology, 52(4), 1513–1537. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13106

Istenič, A., Rosanda, V., Volk, M., & Gačnik, M. (2023). Parental Perceptions of Child’s Play in the Post-Digital Era: Parents’ Dilemma with Digital Formats Informing the Kindergarten Curriculum. Children, 10(1), 101. https://doi.org/10.3390/children10010101

Johannes, E., Salim, H., Muthukrishnan, P., & Sukumaran, S. N. (2022). Exploring early childhood pre-service teachers’ challenges, opportunities, and prospects in implementing developmentally appropriate practices in online practicum. Computer-Assisted Language Learning Electronic Journal, 23(4), 26-45. https://callej.org/index.php/journal/article/view/422

John, A., & Bates, S. (2024). Barriers and facilitators: The contrasting roles of media and technology in social–emotional learning. Social and Emotional Learning: Research, Practice, and Policy, 3, 100022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sel.2023.100022

Kalmar, E., Aarts, T., Bosman, E., Ford, C., de Kluijver, L., Beets, J., Veldkamp, L., Timmers, P., Besseling, D., Koopman, J., Fan, C., Berrevoets, E., Trotsenburg, M., Maton, L., van Remundt, J., Sari, E., Omar, L.-W., Beinema, E., Winkel, R., & van der Sanden, M. (2022). The COVID-19 paradox of online collaborative education: when you cannot physically meet, you need more social interactions. Heliyon, 8(1), e08823. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e08823

Kara, E., & Cagiltay, K. (2024). Designing for Executive Functions: Exploring Design Issues and Preschool-Aged Children’s Characteristics Through Digital Games. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 40(23), 8259–8273. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2023.2279403

Laakso, N. L., Korhonen, T. S., & Hakkarainen, K. P. J. (2021). Developing students’ digital competences through collaborative game design. Computers & Education, 174, 104308. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2021.104308

Lähdesmäki, S., Maunumäki, M., & Nurmi, T. (2024). Play is the Base! ECEC Leaders’ Views on the Development of Digital Pedagogy. Early Childhood Education Journal, 52(8), 1897–1910. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-023-01530-7

Lehrl, S., Linberg, A., Niklas, F., & Kuger, S. (2021). The Home Learning Environment in the Digital Age—Associations Between Self-Reported “Analog” and “Digital” Home Learning Environment and Children’s Socio-Emotional and Academic Outcomes. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.592513

Li, H., He, H., Luo, W., & Li, H. (2024). Early Childhood Digital Pedagogy: A Scoping Review of Its Practices, Profiles, and Predictors. Early Childhood Education Journal. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-024-01804-8

Lorenz-Spreen, P., Oswald, L., Lewandowsky, S., & Hertwig, R. (2022). A systematic review of worldwide causal and correlational evidence on digital media and democracy. Nature Human Behaviour, 7(1), 74–101. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-022-01460-1

Loudoun, F. M., Larsson-Lund, M., Boyle, B., & Nyman, A. (2024). The process of negotiating and balancing digital play in everyday life: Adolescents’ narratives. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 31(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/11038128.2024.2435922

Margolis, E. T., & Gabard‐Durnam, L. J. (2025). Prenatal influences on postnatal neuroplasticity: Integrating DOHaD and sensitive/critical period frameworks to understand biological embedding in early development. Infancy, 30(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/infa.12588

Marzola, P., Melzer, T., Pavesi, E., Gil-Mohapel, J., & Brocardo, P. S. (2023). Exploring the Role of Neuroplasticity in Development, Aging, and Neurodegeneration. Brain Sciences, 13(12), 1610. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13121610

Mhlongo, S., Mbatha, K., Ramatsetse, B., & Dlamini, R. (2023). Challenges, opportunities, and prospects of adopting and using smart digital technologies in learning environments: An iterative review. Heliyon, 9(6), e16348. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16348

Misirli, A., Fotakopoulou, O., Dardanou, M., & Komis, V. (2025). The impact of touchscreen digital exposure on children’s social development and communication: a systematic review. Frontiers in Psychology, 16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1613625

Murcia, K., Cross, E., Seitz, J., & Lowe, G. (2024). Children’s agency within digital play and learning: Exploring the impact of shared play experiences on parent–child negotiations. Children & Society. https://doi.org/10.1111/chso.12905

Nanda, S. B., Satapathy, D., Panda, G., & Pradhan, D. K. (2025). Socio-emotional learning and competencies in 21st-century education: a systematic review of teacher and student perspectives. Discover Education, 4(1), 338. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-025-00796-w

Nash, B. L. (2025). Cutting Through “The Fog of Scrolling”: Understanding Students’ Entangled Digital Reading Through Metacognitive Reflections on Self‐Made Video‐Recordings. Reading Research Quarterly, 60(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.70001

Norman, A. (2023). Educational technology for reading instruction in developing countries: A systematic literature review. Review of Education, 11(3). https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3423

Partarakis, N., & Zabulis, X. (2024). A Review of Immersive Technologies, Knowledge Representation, and AI for Human-Centered Digital Experiences. Electronics, 13(2), 269. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13020269

Pellas, N. (2025). The Impact of AI-Generated Instructional Videos on Problem-Based Learning in Science Teacher Education. Education Sciences, 15(1), 102. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15010102

Peña, C. J. (2026). Epigenetic regulation of brain development, plasticity, and response to early-life stress. Neuropsychopharmacology, 51(1), 5–15. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-025-02179-z

Pyle, A., DeLuca, C., Wickstrom, H., Danniels, E., & Fesseha, E. (2023). Play-based learning and assessment practices in early years: methodological explorations. Educational Research, 65(2), 248–266. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2023.2181201

Roberts‐Tyler, E. J., Roberts, S. E., Watkins, R., Hughes, J. C., Hastings, R. P., & Gillespie, D. (2023). Effects of implementation support on children’s reading outcomes following an online early reading programme: A cluster‐randomised controlled trial. British Journal of Educational Technology, 54(5), 1373–1396. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13312

Saleme, P., Dietrich, T., Pang, B., & Parkinson, J. (2021). Design of a Digital Game Intervention to Promote Socio-Emotional Skills and Prosocial Behavior in Children. Multimodal Technologies and Interaction, 5(10), 58. https://doi.org/10.3390/mti5100058

Setty, E. (2024). Risks and opportunities of digitally mediated interactions: young people’s meanings and experiences. Journal of Youth Studies, 27(8), 1188–1206. https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2023.2211929

Sjöberg, J., & Brooks, E. (2022). Collaborative interactions in problem-solving activities: School children’s orientations while developing digital game designs using smart mobile technology. International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction, 33, 100456. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcci.2022.100456

Tang, K.-S., Murcia, K., Brown, J., Cross, E., Mennell, S., Seitz, J., Phillips, S. R. P., & Sabatino, D. (2024). Exploring the multimodal affordances of digital coding devices in fostering creative thinking in early childhood education. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 53, 101602. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2024.101602

Wang, L.-H., Chen, B., Hwang, G.-J., Guan, J.-Q., & Wang, Y.-Q. (2022). Effects of digital game-based STEM education on students’ learning achievement: a meta-analysis. International Journal of STEM Education, 9(1), 26. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-022-00344-0

Xiao, N., Huang, X., Li, B., Sun, L., & Kiselev, S. (2024). Effects of digital environments on children’s cognitive function and mental health: a bibliometric study. Current Psychology, 43(35), 28038–28052. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-024-06476-6

Yang, W., Luo, H., & Su, J. (2022). Towards inclusiveness and sustainability of robot programming in early childhood: Child engagement, learning outcomes and teacher perception. British Journal of Educational Technology, 53(6), 1486–1510. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13266

Yelizarova, O., Stankevych, T., Parats, A., Yelizarov, V., Puzanova, O., Lebedynets, N., & Hozak, S. (2025). Digital Exposure in Early Childhood: Health Risks and Protective Strategies During Remote Learning. INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing, 62. https://doi.org/10.1177/00469580251390766

Zhou, H. (2025). Exploring the dynamic teaching-learning relationship in interactive learning environments. Interactive Learning Environments, 1–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2025.2462149




DOI: https://doi.org/10.31764/ijeca.v9i1.38430

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2026 Andi Asrifan, Mark – Jhon R. Prestoza, Akhtem A. Dzhelilov, Sakala Stanley

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

IJECA (International Journal of Education and Curriculum Application) already indexed:

            

___________________________________________________________________

  
   https://doi.org/10.31764/ijeca.

   Creative Commons License
   IJECA (International Journal of Education and Curriculum Application)
   is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

 View IJECA Stats

____________________________________________________________________

 IJECA Publisher Office: