Most children in England (85 per cent) were found to use an electronic device at least once a week, and 39 per cent on a daily basis, it said.
Moderate use of tablets and smartphones of around one to three times a month was found to be the most beneficial for children's early literacy development.
Reading to children three to seven days a week was also ‘strongly associated’ with children’s emergent literacy, and the number of children’s books at home was ‘a significant predictor’ of most cognitive and social -emotional outcomes.
The findings come from the International Early Learning and Child Well-being Study (IELS) - commonly referred to in the early years sector as ‘baby PISA’ *- which compares the social-emotional and cognitive development of five-year-olds in England, Estonia and the United States.
New data from the the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) study covers several areas of children’s early learning, including emergent literacy, numeracy, self-regulation, empathy, trust and pro-social behaviour.
The Department for Education (DfE) commissioned the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) to carry out the research in England.
The study also found:
- Emergent literacy and numeracy skills were strongly interrelated, and positively related to self-regulation and social-emotional development.
- Children with high levels of cognitive skills were more likely to have high levels of social-emotional skills, and vice versa.
- Socio-economic status was strongly associated with children’s early learning outcomes in England. Disadvantaged five-year-olds had lower levels of emergent literacy and numeracy, self-regulation and social-emotional skills than children from better-off homes.
- The home learning activities that parents do with their children were ‘significantly related’ to children’s early learning outcomes.
- The study found parents in England were more likely to read to children five to seven days a week and have children’s books at home, compared to the United States or Estonia.
The NFER is carrying out more analysis in England focussing on children’s physical development and persistence, which will be published later this year.
The Department for Education said that the international findings highlighted the importance of early education, reinforcing the Government's drive to improve standards at every stage, especially in key skills like reading, numeracy and communication for pupils before they leave Reception.
It said the findings added to a wealth of evidence supporting positive use of technology to support early learning, pointing to the Government’s Hungry Little Minds campaign and the recent approval of six early learning apps by a panel of experts.
The apps are part of the Government’s drive to help parents make informed decisions about the use of technology to support their child's early learning, with tips, advice and educational games, with a focus on improving children’s literacy, language and communication.
Children’s minister Vicky Ford said, ‘We have a world-class education system, and our dedicated early years professionals are making sure children's learning begins before they arrive at school. This report adds to the evidence about the important benefits of early education on a child's development.
‘I look forward to working with the sector to keep sure quality at the heart of the early years.’
The DfE said the report would build on the range of evidence informing next steps to boost early learning. This includes reforms to the EYFS to be rolled out from September 2021, to improve children’s early skills in language and vocabulary.
*The OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018 is an international study comparing achievement of 15-year-olds among participating countries.
Commentary on the findings from Caroline Sharp, research director at the NFER
On England’s numeracy performance
This is an encouraging finding and helps us understand how children are developing in this country. It is crucial that we view this in the wider context and do not lose sight of the other areas that are also key to a child’s development.
In England, the early years foundation stage provides a broad and varied set of standards for the learning, development and care of children from birth to five-years-old – it is important that this is maintained.
On the importance of the home learning environment
The findings confirm the importance of a positive and rich home learning environment. Parents can play a key role in their child’s development through relatively quick and regular activities, such as reading with them or having a conversation about their feelings. Whilst home learning is not an area that schools and early years providers can control directly, they can play a positive role in raising awareness of its importance and supporting parents in their efforts.
On the impact of digital devices on children’s development
The findings suggest that moderate use of computers, tablets and smart phones is appropriate for five-year-olds, providing it does not get in the way of other valuable activities between a parent and their child, such as having a conversation and reading them bedtime stories. Moderate use of around one to three times a month was associated with the highest levels of emergent literacy.
On children’s development being inter-related
This study helps to increase our understanding about the different factors that can impact on a child’s development. Crucially, it captures the strong interrelationship between early literacy and numeracy, self-regulation and social-emotional development. Children with high cognitive development were more likely to have high levels of social-emotional skills and vice-versa. This provides us with important insights into the nature of children’s early learning. It tells practitioners and parents that if a child is doing particularly well or are experiencing difficulties in one area, they may be doing so in others.
On the differences between groups identified
Policymakers should take note of the differences between groups identified, particularly in relation to socio-economic status, developmental difficulties and low birthweight or premature birth. This information can be used to help inform the support provided to these children, whilst also serving as a useful benchmark to measure progress in the future.’
