This Project Grant award of $342,906 from the National Science Foundation's STEM Education (CFDA 47.076) program supports research at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey's Newark campus. The project aims to explore how children's early media experiences shape their expectations for learning from digital media devices, and how those expectations impact their STEM learning outcomes. Using a combination of behavioral, physiological, and computational approaches, the research will examine contextual factors that influence children's beliefs about the educational value of digital media, investigate differences in science learning based on children's endorsement of digital media as a learning tool, and test whether instructions can change children's media expectations to increase their use of diverse media for learning. This research seeks to advance understanding of the interplay between children's media experiences, beliefs, and STEM learning, and provide insights to help families and educators design more effective educational experiences in the technology-driven learning environment.