On the Importance of Parents' Mediations and Perceptions as Predictors of Children's Digital Game-basedLanguage Learning

Digital games have become more widespread in recent years, and children's interest in them has significantly changed their learning habits. The growing popularity of digital games makes them an essential tool for homebound language learning. Hence, parents' mediations and practices play a vital role in directing children's education, and their mediation might open up various opportunities. In this quantitative study, parents' mediation and perception of digital games were explored through questionnaires. The results revealed that parents mostly favored 'instructive mediation,' 'conscious co-playing mediation,' and 'restrictive mediation.' The correlational analysis of parents' attitude scale with parents' mediation scale revealed that parents' attitude toward digital games is predictive of parents' mediation. Therefore, parents who favor digital games applied 'instructive' and 'conscious co-playing' mediations. However, parents with negative attitudes applied 'restrictive' mediation. The results revealed that it is important to make parents aware about the educational potential of digital games and shape their attitudes. This study has significant implications for policymakers and early childhood educators to plan for family education regarding the educational potential of digital games. Also, these findings guide the prevention and intervention of other technological devices related to children and adolescents.