PEEP Family Science: What We Learned Developing Media-Based Preschool Science Apps

September 1st, 2019 | RESEARCH

The PEEP Family Science apps were designed specifically for low-income parents and their preschool children to explore science together at home. A major issue we confronted early on in the design and development  was how families would be able to access the PEEP media, which included videos from the award-winning children's show, PEEP and the Big Wide World. Many of the families we tested the apps with did not have reliable internet connections. We initially made the decision to choose an app format instead of a website to help bridge the digital divide. But the app format has also enabled us to further enhance the user experience and deepen the educational value of the content. This article details what we learned during the development process.

Document

Peep-Family-Science-Dimensions.pdf

Team Members

Borgna Brunner, Author, WGBH

Citation

Publication: Dimensions Magazine (Association of Science and Technology Centers: ASTC)
Volume: September-October 2019
Page(s): 9-11

Funders

Funding Source: NSF
Funding Program: AISL
Award Number: 1612643
Funding Amount: $2,000,002.00

Related URLs

Bringing Science Home with PEEP: Engaging Parents and Preschool Children in Science Exploration

Tags

Access and Inclusion: Low Socioeconomic Status
Audience: Educators | Teachers | Evaluators | Learning Researchers | Museum | ISE Professionals | Parents | Caregivers | Pre-K Children (0-5)
Discipline: Education and learning science | General STEM
Resource Type: Peer-reviewed article | Research Products
Environment Type: Broadcast Media | Informal | Formal Connections | Media and Technology | Pre-K | Early Childhood Programs | Websites | Mobile Apps | Online Media