TUI vs GUI: Comparing the learning benefits in kindergarten children.

Looking for new ways to enable a thorough and consistent learning, we wanted to know at what extent a tangible interface (TUI) is more efficient than a graphical interface (GUI) in terms of teaching/learning. This  project compares a TUI and a GUI with the same content  and it was carried with two groups of kindergarten children aged 4 to 5 years. Group A, composed by 18 children, experienced the tangible interface. Group B, composed by 23 children, interacted with the graphical interface. After the interaction children were asked to go in another room and draw what they had seen.

The children that interacted with the graphical interface drew mostly just the tooth with germs and sometimes the brush.

The drawings from the children that interacted with the tangible interface are very complete and detailed. The majority of the children drew themselves holding the toothbrush, they drew not only the tangible objects but also the surrounding scenery, their friends or the other children. Actually some of the drawings are so detailed, that someone, who does not know the system setup can reconstruct it based on the drawings.

(video)