Impact of the use of the computerized program IDADIE on the development of emotional recognition skills in 3-year-old children

Abstract

Emotional understanding is a key skill that can be developed using learning technologies in the classroom. With this purpose, the Digital Instrument for Learning and Development of Emotional Intelligence (IDADIE) was designed with the assistance of Unreal Engine 4, created by Epic Games. The programme was implemented in a sample of 16 pupils with an average age of 3,13 years over an 8-week period. The present study examines the data obtained from evaluating the completion of the first two matching tasks included in the programme: emotion-face and emotion-object. Through an inferential-binomial analysis using R, the effectiveness of the intervention before and after implementation in the experimental group is compared, and these results are contrasted with those achieved by a control group. The obtained data yielded positive results, as the within-group contrast demonstrates that the experimental group scores significantly better in both evaluated tasks after the intervention, and the between-group contrast reveals that the achievements of this group were superior to those of the control group when performing them. In general terms, this research confirms that, through the application of IDADIE, children can learn and develop emotional recognition skills in less time and with better results.

Keywords:
Emotional learning; Emotional competence; Early childhood education; Recognition of emotions; Learning and communication technologies