Utilization of Electronic Nursery Games and Mental Skills Development in Preschoolers in Public Early Child Care Centres in Rivers State

Abstract

The study determined the relationship between the utilization of electronic nursery games and mental skills development in preschoolers in public early child care centres in Rivers State. The study had three objectives, three research questions, and three corresponding null hypotheses. A correlational research design was adopted, targeting a population of 7,589 preschoolers in nursery three (transition class) in public early child care centres across Rivers State. A sample of 755 preschoolers was selected using a stratified random sampling method. Data were collected using two researcher-designed instruments: The Brain Games Observational Checklist (BGOC) and the Mental Skills Checklist (MSC). The instruments were validated by three experts in Early Childhood Education and Measurement and Evaluation, yielding reliability coefficients of 0.83 and 0.78, respectively, established using the split-half method. The collected data were analyzed using inferential statistics, Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation to answer the research questions and inferential statistics (multiple regression analysis) to test the null hypotheses at a 0.05 significance level. Findings revealed that the use of electronic nursery games significantly enhanced preschoolers’ mental skills in terms of attention, concentration, and visualization. Shadow Brain Teasers were found to be the most effective across all domains, while Optical Illusion, Memory Games, and Colour Words had a more pronounced effect on visualization. Based on the findings, recommendations include encouraging school administrators and educators to integrate electronic nursery games into preschool curricula, ensuring guided instruction, and further exploring individual differences in cognitive benefits through future research.