Inbetween Literacy Desirings and Following Commands: Rethinking Digitalization in Swedish Early Childhood Education

The study explores how digitalisation in kindergarten is shaped by the interaction between children’s and teachers’ perceptions, bodies, and materiality in everyday practices. The aim is to understand how digitalisation emerges in the interaction between children, teachers, technology, and policy. The study views digitalisation as a relational process, and not just as an instrumental implementation of technology. The research question is: How can digitalisation in kindergarten be understood when viewed as constituted by, and experienced through, the interactions between children’s and teachers’ perceptions, bodies and materiality?

The children showed an exploratory approach to the interactive floor, and they used it to express their ‘literacy desirings’, understood as the exploratory, surprising and unexpected ways in which children interact with materials, other people, ways, time, space, language, and bodies, through play and exploration. The teacher’s role was characterised by supporting the children’s exploration, but also by setting boundaries for the activity. The study shows how the digital tool alters the educational space, creating new opportunities for both play and learning, but also new challenges, such as managing conflicts. The study concludes that it is important to recognise children’s ‘literacy desirings’ and provide them with space for exploration in digital learning environments. At the same time, it is important to be aware of the teacher’s role in setting boundaries and providing guidance.

The study used a video ethnographic approach to collect data. The sample consisted of 16 children aged three to six, as well as three teachers from a kindergarten in a medium-sized city in Sweden. The researchers observed and filmed interactions on and around an interactive floor in the kindergarten in October 2018. In addition to video recordings, field notes were also taken to document the researchers’ experiences of the room and changes in activities. A total of 170 minutes of video recording was collected.

Buskqvist, U., Johansson, E., & Hermansson, C. (2023). Inbetween Literacy Desirings and Following Commands: Rethinking Digitalization in Swedish Early Childhood Education. Nordic Journal of Studies in Educational Policy, 9(2), 210–220.