2010-2015 Research

Our newest study was a randomized control trial that examined the use of PBS KIDS PEG+CAT transmedia in the homes of children with low-income parents. Our research addressed the question of how time spent viewing and playing with educational, noncommercial media can benefit young children’s math learning, especially for those growing up in under-resourced communities. The program was implemented over a 12-week period, and found that children who used the PEG+CAT media showed strong improvement in important math areas such as ordinal numbers, spatial relationships, and 3-D shapes. Also, families in the treatment condition reported that they felt more confident in their ability to teach their children math. An Executive Summary and two-page Highlights from the report are also available.

One recent study involved a unique transmedia property, PEG+CAT, that emphasizes early mathematics and problem solving. The study examined how 59 four-year-old children engaged with and learned from selected sets of PEG+CAT videos and interactive games over five less-than-hour-long interactions. These five independent, unmediated interactions took place in a controlled learning laboratory setting. Children improved on some math skills over the course of the study. You can also download the four-page Executive Summary and two-page Highlights.

This study examined whether a PBS KIDS transmedia mathematics curriculum implemented by teachers in early learning centers could positively affect children’s math skills. The study found that to be the case—children learned significantly more math, and teachers expressed both greater comfort with technology and more confidence in their math teaching.

More information about the study is contained in a press release, available here, and in an article, "Ready and Learning," on the EDC website. You also can download the five-page Executive Summary and two-page Highlights.