Revised Plan, Summary, Update

Over the weekend I went to the Garden State mall to gather information on how many I children I saw carrying electronic devices. Unfortunately, I didn't allow myself enough time to gather all of the information I needed, so I will be going back a week day when the mall is sightly less busy. I have also started to formulate questions for the survey I will electronically distribute to parents, such as:

• At what age should a child be permitted to have a cell phone?
• a) 4 - 8 years
• b) 9 - 12 years
• c) 13 and up
• d) Children should not have cell phones
• How many hours does your child spend watching television/on the computer/on their phone?
• a) 2 hours
• b) 4 hours
• c) 5+ hours
• d) I do not keep track
• Do you think electronic devices (i.e. iPads, cell phones, computers, etc.) should replace traditional young children's toys?
• a) Yes- it gives children the opportunity to gather more information and explore a wider variety of topics
• b) No- children should play with traditional toys when they are young
• c) There should be a balance between traditional toys and electronic devices

Strategy/Plan for Research

In the upcoming weeks, I plan on investigating child socialization and technology, primarily focusing on children between the ages of 5 and 12. In order to conduct this investigation, I will use naturalistic observation. To do this, I will go to the Garden State mall and find an area where a lot of kids would be (i.e. merry-go-round, food court, kid stores, etc). There, I will observe how many children are carrying around iPhones, iPads, and any sort of electronic device. The results I record will prompt the questions I ask in my survey, which will be distributed to parents.

Research Part II: Methods

For the second portion of my semester project, I will be using naturalistic observation as well as a survey to directly evaluate child socialization and technology. My research will be geared toward children in grade school (K - 6th).