What Do Teachers Say about Young Children’s ICT Skills? An Investigation of Three Kindergartens in China

Abstract

Information and communication technology (ICT) has become a ubiquitous component of many people's daily lives. While some kindergartens have begun to pay attention to young children's ICT skills, little is known about how teachers perceive this shift and in what ways they are emphasising these skills in kindergartens. Such research is particularly uncommon in China. This study explored how teachers perceive the significance of children's ICT skills and how they taught these skills in kindergartens in China. By interviewing fifteen teachers in three kindergartens in Nanjing, this study found that participants generally considered ICT skills to be an important capability for children although they had various interpretations of their definition. Additionally, it was found that participants had different perceptions of how children could learn ICT skills in kindergartens. The analysis suggested that a clearer and shared definition of ICT skills should be provided by policymakers.