Digital tools boost science learning in preschools, study finds
A new study shows that tablets, digital microscopes, and video animation tools help preschool teachers engage children with science concepts more effectively. The research offers guidance for schools and edtech companies developing early-learning solutions, suggesting that thoughtful tool selection matters more than technology alone.
Originaltitel: The Role of Digital Tools for Teaching and Learning Science Content in Preschool
The overarching aim of this thesis is to provide knowledge about how digital tools support the teaching and learning of science content in a preschool context. The thesis empirically explores the following research question: "How does the use of digital tools support the teaching and learning of science content in the preschool context?" The thesis draws on a sociocultural perspective on learning, and on the theoretical framework of Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) and its Refined Consensus Model. The results are based on four papers focusing on teachers’ considerations on using digital tools, their experiences of implementing slowmations, children’s and teachers’ engagement with science content and – finally – children’s conceptions of science content when constructing slowmations. Data were collected using the reflection tool Content Representation (CoRe), video recordings, stimulated recall interviews and the construction of a digital artefact: a slowmation. The overall results show that preschool teachers use digital tools, such as tablets, digital microscopes and projectors, to create an environment, visualise the content, recreate engagement with the content and facilitate communication about the content. The teachers’ considerations on using digital tools reflect different aspects of teachers’ PCK, such as knowledge about children’s learning needs and processes. Additionally, constructing a slowmation provided children with repeated opportunities to revisit and represent the content, and made children’s conceptions about the content explicit. The thesis contributes to thick descriptions of how teaching and learning of science content supported by digital tools is intended, enacted and reflected. The synthesised findings from the individual papers demonstrate that digital tools play versatile but interrelated roles in shaping environments, practices and processes, acting in catalytic, reinforcing and transformative ways. The results of the thesis highlight the importance of teachers providing opportunities for informed consideration of the purpose, methods and selection of digital tools in science education. Reflective tools, like Content Representation, are valuable artefacts for teachers to develop their science teaching, based on purposeful considerations. Digital tools can be used to support child-centred and content-focused teaching. It is vital that the digital tools used to support science teaching and learning in preschools are thoughtfully integrated, based on their contribution to the teaching process and their relevance to the specific content being taught.