Ekranlarla Yaşamak: Erken Çocuklukta Ekran Süresi, Aile Bağlamı ve Yürütücü İşlevler

Öz

Artan sayıda araştırma, erken çocukluk döneminde çocukların yürütücü işlevlerini incelerken aile, okul ve ev ortamına ilişkin değişkenler bağlamında ekran süresinin rolünü vurgulamaktadır. Önceki çalışmalar ekran süresi ile çocukların yürütücü işlevleri arasında ilişkiler olduğunu ortaya koymuş olsa da yürütücü işlev gelişimini etkileyebilecek unsurun yalnızca ekran süresi değil, ekran ortamında karşılaşılan içerik türü de olabileceği belirtilmektedir. Bununla birlikte, bu mekanizmaların farklı gruplar bağlamında nasıl işlediğini açıklığa kavuşturmak için daha fazla araştırmaya ihtiyaç vardır. Bu boşluğu ele almak amacıyla, bu çalışmada çocukların yürütücü işlev becerileri, ekran süresi ve sosyoekonomik durum göstergeleri arasındaki ilişkiler kesitsel bir araştırma tasarımıyla incelenmiştir. Araştırmanın katılımcılarını farklı sosyoekonomik geçmişlere sahip ailelere hizmet veren okul öncesi eğitim kurumlarından seçilen 238 çocuk ve ebeveynleri oluşturmaktadır. Bulgular, haftalık ve günlük ekran süresi arttıkça çocukların ortalama yürütücü işlev puanlarının azaldığını göstermiştir. Buna göre, haftada 6–7 gün ekran karşısında zaman geçiren çocukların yürütücü işlev puanlarının en düşük düzeyde olduğu belirlenmiştir. Buna karşılık, günde iki saatten daha az ekran süresine sahip çocukların yürütücü işlev puanlarının, ekran karşısında daha uzun süre geçiren çocuklara kıyasla anlamlı düzeyde daha yüksek olduğu saptanmıştır. Çalışma ayrıca ebeveyn eğitim düzeyinin çocukların yürütücü işlev becerileri üzerinde anlamlı bir etkisinin olmadığını ortaya koymuştur. Ekran süresinin yürütücü işlev gelişimindeki rolünü aile bağlamı içinde ele alan bu çalışma, erken çocukluk döneminde yürütücü işlev becerilerindeki bireysel farklılıkların anlaşılmasına katkı sağlamaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• ekran süresi
• yürütücü işlevler
• aile bağlamı
• okul öncesi çocuklar
• dijital medya kullanımı

Living with Screens: Screen Time, Family Context, and Executive Function in Early Childhood

Öz

A growing body of research highlights the role of screen exposure in the development of executive function in early childhood, particularly within family and home contexts. While previous studies have documented associations between screen time and executive functioning, emerging evidence suggests that the effects of screens may be shaped by broader contextual factors rather than screen duration alone. To address this issue, the present cross-sectional study examined the relationships between children’s executive function skills, screen time patterns and socioeconomic indicators. The participants were 238 preschool-aged children and their parents, who were recruited from early childhood education settings serving families from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Executive function skills were assessed using parental reports, and screen exposure was examined in terms of both weekly and daily screen time. The findings showed that as weekly and daily screen time increased, children's average executive function scores decreased. Accordingly, children who spent 6–7 days per week in front of screens were found to have the lowest executive function scores. In contrast, children with less than two hours of screen time per day were found to have significantly higher executive function scores compared to children who spent longer periods in front of screens. The study also revealed that parental education level had no significant effect on children's executive function skills. This study, which examined the role of screen time in executive function development within a family context, contributes to understanding individual differences in executive function skills during early childhood.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• screen time
• executive functions
• family context
• preschool children
• digital media use

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