"THE ROLE OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES IN EARLY LITERACY DEVELOPMENT: HOME INFLUENCES AND PARENTAL MEDIATION"

Abstract

Emerging research highlights the significant role of digital technologies in fostering young children’s literacy development at home, including letter recognition, early writing, and understanding of print concepts (Edwards, 2013; Marsh et al., 2017). Neumann (2014) demonstrates that access to touch-screen tablets enhances children’s emergent literacy skills, emphasizing the quality of digital experiences over screen time. The home environment, particularly parental mediation styles, socio-economic background, and digital literacy, shapes children’s engagement with digital media (Kumpulainen & Gillen, 2017, 2019; Piotrowski, 2017).Research further suggests that children’s digital practices interact with their offline activities, fostering creativity and agency in ways that support learning (Palaiologou, 2016). However, few studies have explored the creative and autonomous use of digital media in homes, signaling a critical gap in understanding children’s agency in digital literacy. International research carried out in Finland focus on children’s autonomy and playful engagement with technology are highly valued furthermore to “grow up digital” in different cultural contexts (Kumpulainen, 2018).The need for more sophisticated research into children’s digital literacy is crucial as digital media becomes increasingly pervasive. Cultural, socio-economic, and political factors shape children’s digital lives globally, underscoring the importance of nuanced, ecologically valid research methods. The findings of the related studies emphasize that early engagement with digital literacy practices at home, guided by parental support, can significantly enhance children’s attitudes towards reading and learning, laying strong foundations for lifelong literacy development.