Date
4-26-2024
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy
Chair
Veronica Sims
Keywords
infancy screen time, mobile technology devices, parents' experience, social learning theory
Disciplines
Educational Leadership
Recommended Citation
Phillips, Eric J., "A Transcendental Phenomenological Study of the Lived Experiences of Parents' Motivational Influence Behind Their Children's Screen Time Usage" (2024). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 5480.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/5480
Abstract
The purpose of this transcendental qualitative phenomenological study explores the lived experience of parents in managing their children's screen time on mobile devices. The study used 10 parents between 25 and 40 years of age of children ages one to five who attend a public school district and regularly use smartphones and related mobile technological devices. The study describes the essence of children's screen time on digital devices, such as smartphones and tablets, by examining the experiences of a specific group of parents. Parents have experienced conflicts in managing their children's screen time usage for as long as screens exist. Overusing digital devices such as smartphones and tablets concerns stakeholders such as parents, educators, psychologists, pediatricians, policymakers, and researchers, who worry about whether too much screen time will benefit children. The theory that guided this study is the social learning theory proposed by Bandura, which focuses on imitation. The phenomenological research design examined parents' experience of mobile devices that motivate children to screen time. Data were collected by three different methods: interviews, focus groups, and e-journals, which capture the participants' information and developmental themes based on the responses. The data was analyzed and triangulated by coding and determined themes emerged. Four themes emerged: technology saturation, parental influence, behavior modification, parent interest in media platforms, and three sub-themes: home environment, the convenience of mobile devices, and older sibling influences. The study found that parents in the home environment are the motivation behind their children's screen time over usage. Future research recommendations include studying the effects of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on children aged 2 to 5 years.
