Research summary
This project investigates how the home lives of children aged three and under intersect with digital technologies in diverse families in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
The research team will build knowledge about how very young children develop early talk and literacy, and how families support their learning and wellbeing.
Through survey research, interviews and innovative participatory research methods, the project will generate new understandings of contemporary home learning environments.
Background
Led by Prof Rosie Flewitt at Manchester Met, the project is also in collaboration with the universities of Lancaster, Queen’s Belfast, Strathclyde and Swansea.
From birth, almost every child in the UK has a digital footprint, and digital media begin to influence how they live and learn.
The project will build a robust body of evidence about the language and literacy learning of children aged three and under.
We will use new ways to research the home and work sensitively with children and families in diverse communities.
The project will inform practical and conceptual understanding of the contemporary home learning environment, developing resources, and identifying areas for future research.
The project’s advisory board includes experts from health and social care, childhood charities, national literacy organisations and early childhood care and education professionals from across the UK. It also features directors of world-leading projects connected with digital childhoods in Australia and Finland.