Making choices in digital play spaces: Children’s experiences

Background Digital spaces are rapidly emerging as a space for children to engage in autotelic play.Aim To explore and describe children’s experiences of choice-making in their play in digital spaces from the perspective of children themselves.Methods Focus groups were conducted with a total of eight...

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Main Authors: Fiona M. Loudoun, Bryan Boyle, Maria Larsson-Lund
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2023-11-01
Series:Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/11038128.2023.2271050
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author Fiona M. Loudoun
Bryan Boyle
Maria Larsson-Lund
author_facet Fiona M. Loudoun
Bryan Boyle
Maria Larsson-Lund
author_sort Fiona M. Loudoun
collection DOAJ
description Background Digital spaces are rapidly emerging as a space for children to engage in autotelic play.Aim To explore and describe children’s experiences of choice-making in their play in digital spaces from the perspective of children themselves.Methods Focus groups were conducted with a total of eight children aged six years of age within their school, in a large city in Ireland. A Mosaic Approach with drawing, cutting, and colouring in was used to elicit the children’s voices to ensure their active engagement throughout the data collection. Data was analyzed using focus group analysis.Results Data analysis revealed three main themes; children enjoy the ability to make choices in their play, that they are often constrained in their ability to make choices, and that they negotiate ways in which they can select options for play in digital spaces.Conclusions Findings indicate that children are agentic individuals who are capable of making decisions in their play in digital spaces. This knowledge provides implications for Occupational Therapists to enhance play as an occupation in digital spaces.
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spelling doaj-art-7a51d0464e6b4f5cb0f967c6b5e6da232025-08-20T02:36:15ZengTaylor & Francis GroupScandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy1103-81281651-20142023-11-013081460147110.1080/11038128.2023.2271050Making choices in digital play spaces: Children’s experiencesFiona M. Loudoun0Bryan Boyle1Maria Larsson-Lund2Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University College Cork, Cork, IrelandDepartment of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University College Cork, Cork, IrelandDepartment of Occupational Therapy, Health, Medicine and Rehabilitation, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå, SwedenBackground Digital spaces are rapidly emerging as a space for children to engage in autotelic play.Aim To explore and describe children’s experiences of choice-making in their play in digital spaces from the perspective of children themselves.Methods Focus groups were conducted with a total of eight children aged six years of age within their school, in a large city in Ireland. A Mosaic Approach with drawing, cutting, and colouring in was used to elicit the children’s voices to ensure their active engagement throughout the data collection. Data was analyzed using focus group analysis.Results Data analysis revealed three main themes; children enjoy the ability to make choices in their play, that they are often constrained in their ability to make choices, and that they negotiate ways in which they can select options for play in digital spaces.Conclusions Findings indicate that children are agentic individuals who are capable of making decisions in their play in digital spaces. This knowledge provides implications for Occupational Therapists to enhance play as an occupation in digital spaces.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/11038128.2023.2271050Child-centredfamilyplayqualitativetechnology
spellingShingle Fiona M. Loudoun
Bryan Boyle
Maria Larsson-Lund
Making choices in digital play spaces: Children’s experiences
Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy
Child-centred
family
play
qualitative
technology
title Making choices in digital play spaces: Children’s experiences
title_full Making choices in digital play spaces: Children’s experiences
title_fullStr Making choices in digital play spaces: Children’s experiences
title_full_unstemmed Making choices in digital play spaces: Children’s experiences
title_short Making choices in digital play spaces: Children’s experiences
title_sort making choices in digital play spaces children s experiences
topic Child-centred
family
play
qualitative
technology
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/11038128.2023.2271050
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