Practitioner's perspective on young children's use of mobile technology

Srisontisuk, Pinsuda (2022). Practitioner's perspective on young children's use of mobile technology. In: Rienties, Bart; Hampel, Regine; Scanlon, Eileen and Whitelock, Denise eds. Open World Learning: Research, Innovation and the Challenges of High-Quality Education. Routledge Research in Digital Education and Educational Technology. New York, USA: Routledge, pp. 225–236.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003177098-19

Abstract

In an increasingly digitalised world where everyone seems to have a smartphone, Chapter 16 presents some of the findings from our research with practitioners about their perspective towards mobile touch screen technology (MTST). Data collection in this research includes detailed semi-structured interviews with nine practitioners across two different pre-school settings in the UK. The research examined their general attitudes towards MTST, what roles they believe this new technology can play in the early childhood curriculum, and the reasons for these beliefs. The findings included five main themes: (1) Ubiquity of Technology, (2) Ability in using MTST, (3) Use in Moderation, (4) Value of MTST in Early Childhood Education, and (5) Negative aspects of MTST. These interviews are part of a design based-research project that recognises the unique experience and expertise that early years practitioners have in working with young children and pulling on this knowledge to build a more integrated way of introducing these new forms of technologies. We conclude with some recommendations for early years educational settings to consider when deciding to implement these devices.