Date of Award
Spring 2026
Document Type
Open Access Dissertation
Department
Educational Studies
First Advisor
Terrance McAdoo
Abstract
This case study explores how purposeful and structured play and computer-based instruction impacts the academic development of young children. Purposeful play and computer-based instruction positively impact children in so many ways. It impacts their cognitive, social, emotional, and academic development. Students are active learners who learn best while playing and participating in their learning. Play is often left out of Early Childhood classrooms due to time constraints and vast academic goals. This can negatively impact the social and academic development of young students. The following dissertation will examine how the intervention of purposeful or structured play and computer-based instruction positively impacted the reading and math data collected. The research question that guided this study is “How does structured or purposeful play and computer-based instruction positively affect first-grade students’ academic development?” Non-probability sampling was used for this study. This action research was a mixed methods case study. Quantitative data and qualitative data were collected and analyzed from assessments given throughout the year to monitor how the intervention of purposeful play and computer-based instruction positively impacted the academic development of these first-grade students.
Rights
© 2026, Jennifer Fanning Long
Recommended Citation
Long, J. F.(2026). The Affects of Purposeful Play, Computer Based Instruction, And the Utilization of Rotational Learning Stations, as an Intervention for the Academic Development of Early Childhood Children. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/8887