Quantitative Study: The Effect of Digital Learning Media Interactivity on Children's Focus

The rapid expansion of digital learning media has intensified debate over which design characteristics most effectively support children's cognitive engagement. This study quantitatively examined the influence of digital learning media interactivity on children's learning focus, addressing a gap between the broader screen-time literature and the specific design features that shape sustained attention. A cross-sectional survey design was employed, involving 116 elementary school-aged children (6-12 years) who regularly used digital learning media, selected through simple random sampling. Data were collected using a validated and reliable structured questionnaire measuring digital learning media interactivity (navigation, responsiveness, feedback, interactive engagement, and learner control) and children's learning focus (selective attention, sustained attention, attentional control, and task engagement) on a five-point Likert scale, then analyzed using descriptive statistics, classical assumption testing, and simple linear regression in IBM SPSS Statistics. Both interactivity (M = 2.95, SD = 0.68) and learning focus (M = 2.95, SD = 0.67) were rated at moderate levels. Regression analysis showed that interactivity significantly and positively predicted learning focus (β = 0.469, t = 5.732, p < .001), with a moderate correlation (r = .473) and the model explaining 22.4% of the variance (R² = .224; F(1,114) = 32.857, p < .001). These findings indicate that interactivity is a meaningful, modifiable design characteristic that enhances children's attentional engagement, offering empirical guidance for teachers, parents, and developers in prioritizing interactive features over passive content delivery to support classroom attention.