{"id":63024,"date":"2025-06-27T10:33:44","date_gmt":"2025-06-27T18:33:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/?p=63024"},"modified":"2025-06-27T10:33:47","modified_gmt":"2025-06-27T18:33:47","slug":"an-effective-digital-learning-resourcecan-significantly-improve-motivation-engagement-and-self-confidence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/abcmouse\/an-effective-digital-learning-resourcecan-significantly-improve-motivation-engagement-and-self-confidence\/63024","title":{"rendered":"An Effective Digital Learning ResourceCan Significantly Improve Motivation, Engagement, and Self-Confidence"},"content":{"rendered":"
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An Effective Digital Learning Resource Can Significantly Improve Motivation, Engagement, and Self-Confidence<\/h1>\n\n\n\n


Case study highlights how the benefits of ABCmouse can extend beyond academics.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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By Dr. Leslie Ponciano\u2020<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Table of Contents – Jump to Each Section<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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ABCmouse<\/strong> Case Study Overview<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strengthening Motivation to Learn<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Power of Engagement<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing Self-Confidence<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cSince using ABCmouse.com, I\u2019ve seen Alex blossom. He\u2019s more confident; he\u2019s more outgoing. He knows that he\u2019s learning, and he\u2019s proud of himself for it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014Laura Bryant, Las Cruces, New Mexico<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

ABCmouse Case Study Overview<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Motivation, excitement about learning, and self-confidence as a learner are qualities most parents would love to see more of in their children. Whether a child is at-risk and struggling to meet early learning milestones or on target with expectations, fostering a positive approach to learning can substantially improve school readiness and long-term academic outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As parents increasingly turn to educational websites and apps to help their children build academic skills at home, they may not appreciate that these tools vary widely in quality and effectiveness. High-quality and effective digital learning resources can make a significant impact not only on the development of key academic knowledge, skills, and abilities, but also on critical non-academic factors, including motivation, focus, engagement, and self-confidence. The experiences of two families illustrate these effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Research Insights:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers find that it is critical for educators and parents to acknowledge the role of social and emotional competencies in learning.1<\/sup> Heckman suggests that social-emotional skills, self-discipline, and other non-academic competencies contribute to academic skill formation as well as later success in life.2<\/sup><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Michael G. was born with a congenital heart defect and spent the first eight months of his life in and out of the hospital. By the time he turned two, his mother Nicole was worried that he was developmentally behind his peers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWhen your kid is not meeting milestones, they don\u2019t tell you anything except, \u2018He\u2019ll get there. He\u2019ll catch up.\u2019 So, I was looking for something to help him catch up because eight months to me is a pretty big gap.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Jennifer M. is the mother of three-year-old Alex. Though she and her husband were confident that Alex was typical for his age, they wanted to create an enriched home environment in which Alex would develop a lifelong love of learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cAlex is your typical three-year-old boy . . . but there was still something in me that thought, what else could I give my son? What else can I do to help him grow?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Both Nicole and Jennifer were looking for digital learning resources to help their children, though for different reasons. After finding numerous other education websites and apps ineffective, they both turned to ABCmouse.com because of its comprehensive academic curriculum. In Nicole\u2019s experience, \u201cA lot of apps are just games; they don\u2019t have educational value.\u201d According to Jennifer, \u201cWhat I\u2019ve noticed with the other apps is that they\u2019re more static; there\u2019s just a couple of activities to do and it\u2019s not that interesting to a three-year-old boy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nicole and Jennifer discovered that the benefits of using ABCmouse.com transcended academics and contributed to major gains they hadn\u2019t expected in their children\u2019s motivation, focus, engagement, and self-confidence.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Strengthening Motivation to Learn<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For a child struggling to meet developmental milestones, motivation plays a critical role in facilitating progress. With ABCmouse.com, Nicole could see Michael beginning to enjoy learning for its own sake, and she recognized the benefits of a resource that increased her son\u2019s motivation to learn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s not a job. It\u2019s not that he is working hard at learning and it\u2019s a task that he has to do. He wants to do it. He wants to play. He wants to learn. ABCmouse.com flicks that switch so that they start learning and they want to keep learning.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

She also discovered that Michael was motivated by ABCmouse.com to challenge himself to learn more advanced skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cEven if he plays the same game, he\u2019ll play it over and make it harder. He started off doing very basic puzzles, and he\u2019s already up to difficulty level seven. If something is a little bit too complicated for him, that\u2019s when he\u2019ll come and get me and have me help him play the game. Within a few rounds of playing the game, he\u2019s got it down. He loves challenging himself!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Research Insights:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The appropriate stage of difficulty of a task for each individual child is a key factor in triggering motivation. If it is too easy, completion of the activity may have little value. If it is too difficult, the challenge can become overwhelming and the rate of success very low.3<\/sup> Moreover, early research into computer use with young children found that digital technology facilitates independence and a sense of control over learning that increases motivation and self-esteem.4<\/sup><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Jennifer also noticed the positive impact ABCmouse.com had on her son\u2019s motivation. \u201cAfter starting ABCmouse.com, we saw a major change. He just blossomed. I just saw his enthusiasm for learning
skyrocket!\u201d Alex responded to ABCmouse.com\u2019s builtin rewards system: \u201cHe loves building his hamster cage with his tickets. He loves his fish tank. He enjoys going on his learning path and making progress and earning rewards along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jennifer saw Alex\u2019s increased motivation to learn leading to gains in academic subjects: \u201cWe saw results immediately, within weeks, and I didn\u2019t expect that. He started . . . recognizing letters and numbers, and then shortly thereafter, reading and writing. And that was mind-blowing to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Power of Engagement<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As with motivation, focus and engagement with learning in early childhood are key to school readiness and academic achievement, and effective digital learning resources can make a significant difference in developing these cognitive processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jennifer originally started Alex on ABCmouse.com to help him learn his letters and numbers. She was overjoyed when she also saw Alex growing in his social-emotional abilities and flourishing at school. He began participating more in school activities, and his teachers reported that he had started playing with a wider range of classmates and was becoming more comfortable in preschool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jennifer credits much of Alex\u2019s growth to how ABCmouse.com mimics a classroom setting, preparing him for the structured nature of school. Armed with these virtual experiences, Alex approached the real classroom with more focus and participated more in the social and academic environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cBeing exposed to preschool and then also to ABCmouse.com has helped him to understand that at times he does need to sit down, focus, and learn the activity that\u2019s being presented. It\u2019s amazing that a young boy with tons of energy is able to sit and focus for 15, 20 minutes at a time and learn. And it\u2019s not something I\u2019m forcing him to do; it\u2019s something he wants to do. And that\u2019s magical; somehow ABCmouse.com magically hones him in, and that\u2019s a great thing!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Research Insights:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Children who learn to regulate their emotions and actions are better able to avoid distractions, focus on appropriate tasks, and process the necessary information to gain new knowledge or skills and accomplish goals.5<\/sup> Educational technology has been found to increase on-task behavior,6<\/sup> the expression of positive emotions,7<\/sup> active participation,8<\/sup> and an excitement and engagement with learning9<\/sup> as compared to more traditional pedagogical techniques.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Like Alex, after Michael began using ABCmouse.com at home, he became more engaged in learning at school. Nicole heard from his preschool teachers that he\u2019s \u201cthe only child at circle time who will jump up and down and enthusiastically answer every single question.\u201d Nicole attributed the academic and non-academic gains that Michael was showing both at home and in the school environment to his use of ABCmouse.com. \u201cI watched him go from disengaged to deeply engaged and focused . . . . He\u2019s running around and being a crazy two-year-old, and then he\u2019ll sit down and focus on ABCmouse.com. It\u2019s unbelievable how attention-getting it is!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing Self-Confidence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Self-confidence as a learner is another critical factor that contributes to school readiness and success. Jennifer had noticed that Alex could be shy and nervous in new environments. Her biggest surprise with ABCmouse.com was its impact on Alex\u2019s self-confidence, and how that changed his behavior at school:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI feel like ABCmouse.com has been a major confidence booster. Since using ABCmouse.com, I\u2019ve seen Alex blossom. He\u2019s more confident; he\u2019s more outgoing. He knows that he\u2019s learning, and he\u2019s proud of himself for it. He started to feel more comfortable in his social relationships and he became friends with a lot more kids. . . . I see him interacting with his friends in class and I see him talking to his teachers. . . . He just seemed to feel good about himself.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Research Insights:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beliefs about self-efficacy have long been established as strongly connected to motivation and student achievement.10<\/sup> Students who believe that they are smart, are skilled, and will achieve success are more likely to master academic concepts and have positive learning outcomes. A review of more than 300 research studies concluded that technology has a positive effect on student attitudes about learning, their self-confidence, and their self-esteem.11<\/sup><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Nicole also reported major gains in Michael\u2019s confidence after using ABCmouse.com:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cAs he\u2019s gone through ABCmouse.com, he\u2019s transformed into this outgoing, funny, whirlwind personality. He just loves to talk to people now. He\u2019s gone from a shy, reserved kid to who he is and who he will be. He\u2019s proud of who he is and what he can accomplish. He\u2019s got this incredible self-esteem that you don\u2019t often see at his age. He knows that he\u2019s smart.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Jennifer and Nicole\u2019s experiences with ABCmouse.com echo the results of a 2014 survey of nearly 5,000 parents with children using ABCmouse.com, sponsored by Age of Learning. The overwhelming majority of parents reported that ABCmouse.com had a meaningful positive impact on their children\u2019s approaches to learning, in addition to helping them learn language, literacy, and math skills and concepts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Parents<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Michael and Alex were at different stages of development when they began using ABCmouse.com. Michael was trying to catch up to the level of his peers and Alex was on target with his milestones. Their parents had different intentions for the role of ABCmouse.com; yet both families were impressed with the significant academic and non-academic progress they observed in their children. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With ABCmouse.com, Alex and Michael strengthened their motivation to learn, became more engaged with learning, and grew confident as learners. Importantly, the strengths that they built in the virtual world of ABCmouse.com carried over into the classroom. Nicole and Jennifer were thrilled to find that ABCmouse.com contributed to their children\u2019s school readiness and achievement in school. Effective digital resources that integrate an academic curriculum with social-emotional and cognitive components can meaningfully improve school readiness and success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See more research highlighting the proven benefits of digital game-based learning<\/a>, as well as it’s positive impact on children’s cognitive development<\/a> and social-emotional learning<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notes:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u2020 Director, Research and Educational Partnerships, Age of Learning, Inc.; formerly Assistant Professor and Director of Early Childhood Education Master\u2019s Program, Loyola Marymount University <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 Zins, Weissberg, Wang, & Walberg, 2004<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2 Heckman, 2006<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3 Eccles & Wigfield, 2002 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

4 Ainsa, 1989; Clements & Swaminathan, 1995; Lee & Houston, 1987<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 McClelland, Acock, & Morrison, 2006 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

6 Bergin, Ford, & Hess, 1993 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

7 Hyson, 1985<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8 Lepper & Gurtner, 1989 9 Liu, 1996<\/p>\n\n\n\n

References:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ainsa, T. (1989). Effects of computers and training in Head Start curriculum. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 16, 72\u201378.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bergin, D. A., Ford, M. E., & Hess, R. D. (1993). Patterns of motivation and social behavior associated with microcomputer use of
young children. Journal of Educational Psychology, 85(3), 437\u2013445.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clements, D. H., & Swaminathan, S. (1995). Technology and school change: New lamps or old? Childhood Education, 71, 275\u2013281.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eccles, J. S. & Wigfield, A. (2002). Motivational beliefs, values, and goals. Annual Review of Psychology, 53, 109\u2013132.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heckman, J. J. (2006). Skill formation and the economics of investing in disadvantaged children. Science, 312, 1900\u20131902.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hyson, M. C. (1985). Emotions and the microcomputer: An exploratory study of young children\u2019s responses. Computers in Human
Behavior, 1, 143\u2013152.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee, M. W., & Houston, E.S. (1987). Computers in preschools: Why and why not! Journal of Human Behavior and Learning, 4(1),
10\u201313.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lepper, M. R., & Gurtner, J. (1989). Children and computers. American Psychologist, 44(2), 170\u2013178.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Liu, M. (1996). An exploratory study of how pre-kindergarten children use the interactive multimedia technology: Implications for
multimedia software design. Journal of Computing in Childhood Education, 7(1\u20132), 71\u201392.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McClelland, M. H., Acock, A. C., & Morrison, F. J. (2006). The impact of kindergarten learning-related skills on academic
trajectories at the end of elementary school. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 21, 471\u2013490. doi: 10.1016\/j.ecresq. 2006.09.003<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Muller, A. A., & Perlmutter, M. (1985). Preschool children\u2019s problem-solving interactions at computers and jigsaw puzzles. Journal of
Applied Developmental Psychology, 6, 173\u2013186.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zins, J., Weissberg, R. P., Wang, M. C., & Walberg, H. J. (Eds.). (2004). Building academic success on social and emotional learning: What does the research say? New York: Teachers College Press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TM & \u00a9 2015 Age of Learning, Inc. All rights reserved. The names of other companies, products, and services are the property of their respective owners.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Discover how ABCmouse supports motivation, engagement, and confidence in early learners\u2014backed by parent stories and research.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":19887,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[153],"class_list":["post-63024","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abcmouse","tag-research"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t