Media-educational Habitus of Future Educators in the Context of Education in Day-Care Centers

Abstract

This research explores these questions: (1) How are the forms of media-educational habitus of future educators shaped? (2) What conditions influence whether or not media education is done in day-care centers? The qualitative study consists of six semi-structured interviews with media education teachers in educator training, four focus group discussions with future educators in the second year of their courses and four group discussions with future educators in their third year. Data reveals two different forms of habitus: 'The day-care center as shelter against 'bad' electronic media' (type I) and 'media education and the inclusion of electronic media as parts of the day-care center' (type II). These beliefs and attitudes will be a factor in the continuing integration of media education instructional practices in German day-care centers. The appropriate use of media and technology in preschool education is of growing interest in Europe. Following the debate about the results of the PISA surveys, official educational manuals (" Bildungspläne ") have been designed for every German state (cf. Wildgruber and Becker-Stoll 2011, 61). These manuals describe the educational tasks either of day-care centers (where the age-range of the children is from zero to six years) or of both day-care centers and primary schools. The aim of their implementation is to enhance the quality of education in those educational institutions by defining the criteria for their educational work (cf. Mienert 2007, 3). The Bildungspläne stipulate the range of educational tasks, which the educators must include in their educational activities. One of the educational tasks mentioned in the Bildungspläne relates to media. Often media is not named separately, but is combined with other educational tasks like the promotion of language skills (cf. Meister 2012; Friedrichs and Meister 2014). In the Bildungsplan of North Rhine-Westphalia an increased use of media in the curriculum and media education are combined as one of the ten educational tasks that educators should incorporate into their work. The other educational elements specified for day-care centers are: motor development; body, health and food; language and communication; social, cultural and intercultural education; artistic and aesthetic education; religion and ethics; mathematical education; scientific and technical education and ecological education (cf. MSW NRW and MFKJKS 2010). Media education is also included in educator training (cf. MSW NRW 2013). The establishment of the use of media and of media education in the Bildungspläne and in training scheme schedules can be regarded as part of the response to the debate around the quality and the professionalization of early childhood education (cf. Bergs-Winkel 2010, 18; Smidt and Schmidt 2012, 244; Wildgruber and Becker-Stoll 2010). Given its being fixed in the Bildungspläne and the training scheme schedules, one might conclude that media education is regarded as highly significant in day-care centers, is much practiced there and is perceived as an important task by educators at the centers.