Media education in Slovene preschools: A review of four studies

Abstract

In Slovenia, the concept of media literacy has been integrated into the formal education system, including early childhood education. The Preschool Curriculum sets certain goals to be followed in educating preschool children on media-related topics. Research done in other Member States of the EU points to the conclusion that the actual implementation and delivery of media education is both fragmented and inconsistent as well as dependent on the interests and motivation of individual preschool teachers.They are the ones who, in accordance with their professional capacity and autonomy, include the goals set in the curriculum into an actual learning process in preschools, also determining the timing and manner of this. The aim of this article is to review, compare, and analyse the data from recent research on the media education of preschool children in Slovenia in order to better understand how preschool teachers in Slovenia assess their capacity to work with media as well as their media literacy levels, which media they use, and how the media education is conducted in the groups of preschool children.