The Dimensions of Reflection Coding Scheme: A New Tool for Measuring the Impact of Designing for Reflection in Early Childhood

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Reflection is a critical metacognitive skill that’s essential to creative discovery. As we design interactive technologies for reflection, how might we measure the impact of our designs? In this paper, we develop a coding scheme to explore reflective moments in the speech and language of young children during child-computer interaction. Using cross-disciplinary theories — from the learning sciences to cognitive neuroscience — we define and describe 13 reflective processes occurring within Baumer’s 3 conceptual dimensions of reflection. We then use this framework to measure the impact of a child-robot storytelling interaction with twelve children ages 4–5, and offer developmentally-appropriate transcript examples for each reflective process. This coding scheme provides a practical tool for exploring the impact of our designs on early childhood reflection, and can be used to guide design iteration.