The relationship between parental digital self-efficacy, preschoolers' electronic media use, and learning quality—variable-centered and person-center analysis.
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| Title: | The relationship between parental digital self-efficacy, preschoolers' electronic media use, and learning quality—variable-centered and person-center analysis. |
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| Authors: | Che, Hanbo1 (AUTHOR) chbdhr@163.com, Qian, Weihong1 (AUTHOR), Zhao, Yancen1,2 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Frontiers in Education. 2026, p1-12. 12p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Educational outcomes, Self-efficacy, Screen time, Cluster analysis (Statistics), Social cognitive theory |
| Abstract: | Background: Drawing on social cognitive theory, this study investigated how parental digital self-efficacy relates to preschoolers' learning quality and whether children's electronic media use helps explain this association. Methods: Data were collected from 1,484 kindergarten children and their parents using the Parental Digital Self-Efficacy Scale, the Preschoolers' Learning Quality Questionnaire, and the Children's Electronic Media Use Questionnaire. We conducted both variable-centered analyses to test mediation pathways (positive vs. negative electronic media use) and person-centered analyses to identify parental digital self-efficacy profiles and compare their associations with children's learning quality. Results: Variable-centered results showed that parental digital self-efficacy significantly enhanced children's learning quality primarily through promoting positive electronic media use, whereas negative use showed only a weak inhibitory effect; the positive-use pathway explained substantially more variance than the negative-use pathway. Person-centered analyses identified five parental digital self-efficacy profiles (information-limited, low-efficiency and lagging, information-coordinated, well-balanced versatile, and safety-pragmatic). Using the information-limited profile as the reference, the low-efficiency and lagging profile significantly and negatively predicted children's learning quality, whereas the well-balanced versatile profile significantly and positively predicted it; children's electronic media use partially mediated these profile-learning quality associations. Conclusion: Parental digital self-efficacy appears to be a meaningful lever for improving preschoolers' learning quality, largely by fostering children's positive (rather than merely reducing negative) electronic media use; interventions may benefit from targeting specific parental self-efficacy profiles to promote developmentally supportive digital practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Frontiers in Education is the property of Frontiers Media S.A. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
| FullText | Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: ehh DbLabel: Education Research Complete An: 192722532 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: The relationship between parental digital self-efficacy, preschoolers' electronic media use, and learning quality—variable-centered and person-center analysis. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Che%2C+Hanbo%22">Che, Hanbo</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> chbdhr@163.com</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Qian%2C+Weihong%22">Qian, Weihong</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Zhao%2C+Yancen%22">Zhao, Yancen</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Frontiers+in+Education%22">Frontiers in Education</searchLink>. 2026, p1-12. 12p. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+outcomes%22">Educational outcomes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Self-efficacy%22">Self-efficacy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Screen+time%22">Screen time</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cluster+analysis+%28Statistics%29%22">Cluster analysis (Statistics)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+cognitive+theory%22">Social cognitive theory</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Background: Drawing on social cognitive theory, this study investigated how parental digital self-efficacy relates to preschoolers' learning quality and whether children's electronic media use helps explain this association. Methods: Data were collected from 1,484 kindergarten children and their parents using the Parental Digital Self-Efficacy Scale, the Preschoolers' Learning Quality Questionnaire, and the Children's Electronic Media Use Questionnaire. We conducted both variable-centered analyses to test mediation pathways (positive vs. negative electronic media use) and person-centered analyses to identify parental digital self-efficacy profiles and compare their associations with children's learning quality. Results: Variable-centered results showed that parental digital self-efficacy significantly enhanced children's learning quality primarily through promoting positive electronic media use, whereas negative use showed only a weak inhibitory effect; the positive-use pathway explained substantially more variance than the negative-use pathway. Person-centered analyses identified five parental digital self-efficacy profiles (information-limited, low-efficiency and lagging, information-coordinated, well-balanced versatile, and safety-pragmatic). Using the information-limited profile as the reference, the low-efficiency and lagging profile significantly and negatively predicted children's learning quality, whereas the well-balanced versatile profile significantly and positively predicted it; children's electronic media use partially mediated these profile-learning quality associations. Conclusion: Parental digital self-efficacy appears to be a meaningful lever for improving preschoolers' learning quality, largely by fostering children's positive (rather than merely reducing negative) electronic media use; interventions may benefit from targeting specific parental self-efficacy profiles to promote developmentally supportive digital practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Frontiers in Education is the property of Frontiers Media S.A. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=192722532 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.3389/feduc.2026.1742963 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 12 StartPage: 1 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Educational outcomes Type: general – SubjectFull: Self-efficacy Type: general – SubjectFull: Screen time Type: general – SubjectFull: Cluster analysis (Statistics) Type: general – SubjectFull: Social cognitive theory Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: The relationship between parental digital self-efficacy, preschoolers' electronic media use, and learning quality—variable-centered and person-center analysis. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Che, Hanbo – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Qian, Weihong – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Zhao, Yancen IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 02 M: 04 Text: 2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 2504284X Titles: – TitleFull: Frontiers in Education Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
