You Don’t Have to Re-invent the Wheel to Implement Technology Activities in Early Childhood Education

The study investigates how technological activities are carried out in kindergarten and what knowledge children can learn about the five dimensions of technology. The research questions are: 1) How is technological education conducted in the interaction between kindergarten teacher and children in technological activities in kindergarten? 2) What knowledge related to the five dimensions of the nature of technology becomes possible for children to learn when intersubjectivity is established in the interaction?

The results show that kindergarten teachers used clear and sensitive methods to create purposeful activities that also allowed for play. This helped the children understand four of the five aspects of technology, including how technology works and is used. However, there was a lack of knowledge about the history of technology, which according to the researchers behind the study indicates the need for further research.

The data were collected through video recordings of technological activities in three Swedish kindergarten groups, involving eleven children (2-5 years) and four kindergarten teachers over a period of five weeks. Activities included knowledge about wheels, trains and train stations, design and creation activities. The video recordings enabled the analysis of both verbal and non-verbal communication between participants.

Eliasson, S., Peterson, L., & Lantz-Andersson, A. (2023). You Don’t Have to Re-invent the Wheel to Implement Technology Activities in Early Childhood Education. Early Childhood Education Journal. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-022-01441-z

Online year: 2023

Issue year: 2024

Review year: 2023