Diversity and Performance at Walmart, Essay Example

Introduction

The use of internet is becoming more and more common among children aged 5-18. The developing technology enables children to access information, watch movies, research topics, or share media through different devices, such as tablet computers, laptops, PC-s, and smart phones. The proposed research will focus on the impact of internet usage on childcare’s cognitive functioning, behavior, and learning patterns associated with information processing methods.

Problem Statement

According to Johnson (2010), found a relationship between internet use and cognitive development of children, claiming that the use of expressive language was supported by reading online. However, Mills (2014, p. 2) found that increased use of internet enabled devices resulted in an effect that “students were less likely to remember specific information but were more likely to remember where to find the specific information”.  The above claim has a great impact on how children learn at home and in school, which needs to be addressed (Clemmitt,2011).

Significance of the Issue

Many school curriculum factors are designed for learners without online media experience, therefore, they do not take into consideration the learning patterns of individual students, modified by the use of internet. Young (2008, p. 224) states that media and internet use among children can affect five different areas of cognitive development and behavior:

1. human senses and memory perception
2. communication
3. information gathering and retrieval
4. information quality and quantity available
5. interactivity and control over learning.

Therefore, the main hypothesis of the current research is that internet use of children aged 5-18 has a significant impact on their cognitive development.

Related Research and Literature

Islam et al. (2014) found that implementing interactive learning in schools can improve the outcomes of children’s cognitive development. While most of the literature focuses on the negative impact of using the internet on childcare’s development, such as decreased level of physical activity (Young, 2008), there are some potential benefits related to socialization. Young (2008, p. 226) claims that the internet has become a socialization mediating tool between the individual and the society, therefore, its role goes beyond forming children’s learning patterns and cognitive development.

Neurological and Cognitive Behavioral Impact of Internet Use

The author of the current research would like to examine a different perspective of internet use among children aged 5-18 alongside with the above described cognitive development approach: neuro-psychological effects. Ardila (2013) focuses on the impact of internet usage on written language, spoken language, numerical abilities development, memory, spatial orientation, people recognition, and other aspects of development and the impact of online media on them. The author would like to create a survey among children who use the internet and compare the above described development areas of children, comparing the results of those who use online media regularly, and those who access it for a limited time only.

Conclusion

The above review of literature has revealed that – while use of internet impacts children’s development – schools can implement changes to include interactive learning in the curriculum and support students’ development. The research is intending to reveal some of the ways that can be successfully used in schools to improve learning experiences and outcomes. The study aims to provide information for educators to implement interactive learning in education programs aimed at children aged 5-18, to better suit their learning patterns and behaviors, as well as socialization forms.

References

Ardila, A. (2013). A new neuropsychology for the XXI century. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, Act036.

Clemmitt, M. (2011). Digital education. CQ Researcher, 21, 1001-1024. Retrieved from http://library.cqpress.com/http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2011120209

Islam, M., Ahmed, A., & Shamsuddin, A. K. (2014). Interactive Digital Learning Materials for Kindergarten Students in Bangladesh. arXiv preprint arXiv:1411.2075.

Johnson, G. M. (2010). Internet Use and Child Development: Validation of the Ecological Techno-Subsystem. Educational Technology & Society, 13(1), 176-185.

Mills, K. L. (2014). Effects of Internet use on the adolescent brain: despite popular claims, experimental evidence remains scarce. Trends in cognitive sciences, 18(8), 385-387.

Young, K. (2008). Toward a model for the study of children’s informal Internet use. Computers in Human Behavior, 24(2), 173-184.