Practitioner perspectives: Children’s use of technology in ...

Practitioner perspectives: Children's use of technology in the

Early Years

Dr Susie Formby National Literacy Trust

March 2014

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Copyright

? National Literacy Trust 2014. You may report on findings or statistics included in this report if you accredit them to the National Literacy Trust.

Suggested reference for this report is: Formby, S (2014). Practitioner perspectives: Children's use of technology in the Early Years. London: National Literacy Trust.

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? Acknowledge that the content is the work of the National Literacy Trust and provide appropriate references in any publications or accompanying publicity;

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Table of contents

Table of contents .........................................................................................................................i Figures and Tables ......................................................................................................................i Foreword.................................................................................................................................... iv Executive summary.....................................................................................................................v Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1 What practitioners do ................................................................................................................. 3 Access to books, tablet computers and technology.................................................................... 3 Activities in the setting................................................................................................................ 3

Reading-related and other activities in the setting .................................................................. 3 How often children look at or read books and how often they use tablet computers in early years setting ........................................................................................................................... 5 Is there a difference in the frequency of print activities if settings have access to a tablet computer? .............................................................................................................................. 6 How are tablet computers used in early years settings? ......................................................... 7 Confidence and enjoyment......................................................................................................... 9 Children's confidence and enjoyment ..................................................................................... 9 Why children enjoy books and technology ................................................................................11 Attitudes to using technology in the early years.........................................................................13 Supporting learning at home .....................................................................................................15 Access, activities and attitudes in different settings...................................................................16 Access to books and looking at or reading stories .................................................................16 Access and use of tablet computers ......................................................................................16 Practitioners' confidence using books and tablet computers with children .............................17 Children's confidence and enjoyment using books and tablet computers ..............................18 Practitioners' attitudes to the use of tablet computers............................................................19 What this means....................................................................................................................19 Do settings with outstanding Ofsted ratings have a different profile of responses to other settings?................................................................................................................................19 Conclusions ..............................................................................................................................20 Appendix...................................................................................................................................21 Tables and data.....................................................................................................................21 References ...............................................................................................................................52

Figures and Tables

Figure 1: Access to books or tablet computers in early years settings........................................ 3 Figure 2: Percentage of practitioners who engage in reading-related activities with children at least once in a typical week........................................................................................................ 4 Figure 3: Percentage of practitioners that say they engage in other activities to support children's learning and development at least once in a typical week .......................................... 4 Figure 4: Activities on tablet computers...................................................................................... 7 Figure 5: Percentage of practitioners who use a tablet computer for creative activities, accessing resources, interactive activities or class activities....................................................................... 8 Figure 6: Percentage of practitioners who said they were very or fairly confident using books, tablet computers or technology .................................................................................................. 9

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Figure 7: Children's confidence and enjoyment of looking at books and printed text or using tablet computers ? with and without an adult.............................................................................10 Figure 8: Children's confidence and enjoyment of looking at books and printed text or using tablet computers ? with and without an adult.............................................................................11 Figure 9: Why do practitioners think children enjoy looking at or reading books........................12 Figure 10: Why do practitioners think children enjoy using tablet computers.............................12 Figure 11: Barriers to using technology in setting......................................................................13 Figure 12: Percentage of practitioners who agree with the statement that `to help them get on at school, it is important children learn to use computers and other technology from an early age' .................................................................................................................................................14 Figure 13: Percentage of practitioners who agree with the statement that 'traditional objects such as books, toys and alphabet blocks are more educational than computer-based games with sounds and letters'.............................................................................................................14 Figure 14: Parent's barriers.......................................................................................................15 Figure 15: Percentage of practitioners that are very or fairly confident using books or tablet computers with children ............................................................................................................18

Table 1: Percentage of practitioners who say children look at books or stories with or without an adult in a typical week ................................................................................................................ 5 Table 2: Percentage of children that use a touch screen with or without an adult in a typical week .......................................................................................................................................... 5 Table 3: Percentage of children who have access to use of a touch screen with or without an adult in a typical week ................................................................................................................ 5 Table 4: Percentage of practitioners that support children in book-related activities with children in a typical week......................................................................................................................... 6 Table 5: Percentage of practitioners that engage in other activities to support children with children in a typical week ........................................................................................................... 6 Table 6: Percentage of children who look at stories in a typical week with or without an adult ..16 Table 7: Percentage of children who use a tablet computer with or without an adult in a typical week .........................................................................................................................................17 Table 8: Percentage of children who use a tablet computer with or without an adult in a typical week (those who have a tablet computer) .................................................................................17 Table 9: Percentage of children who are confident using books................................................18 Table 10: Percentage of practitioners who say children are confident using a tablet computer .19 Table 11: Sample characteristics ..............................................................................................22 Table 12: Books available in the setting ....................................................................................23 Table 13: Percentage of practitioners who have access to tablet computer and the mean number of tablet computers in settings......................................................................................24 Table 14: Percentage of practitioners who have access to resources such as technology, tablet computers and books in their setting.........................................................................................25 Table 15: Percentage of practitioners that support children with book-related activities in their setting in a typical week ............................................................................................................25 Table 16: Percentage of practitioners that support children with other activities in their setting in a typical week ...........................................................................................................................25 Table 17: Percentage of children who look at or read stories in a typical week with an adult.....26 Table 18: Percentage of children who look at or read stories in a typical week without an adult27 Table 19: Percentage of children who use a tablet computer with an adult in a typical week.....28 Table 20: Percentage of children who use a tablet computer without an adult in a typical week29

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Table 21: Percentage of children who have access to and use a tablet computer with an adult in a typical week ...........................................................................................................................30 Table 22: Percentage of children who have access to and use a tablet computer without an adult in a typical week ...............................................................................................................31 Table 23: Percentage of practitioners who are confident using books with children ..................32 Table 24: Percentage of practitioners who are confident using a tablet computer with children.33 Table 25: Percentage of practitioners who have a touch screen and are confident using it with children .....................................................................................................................................34 Table 26: Percentage of practitioners who are confident using technology in general with children .....................................................................................................................................35 Table 27: Percentage of children who are confident using books with an adult .........................36 Table 28: Percentage of children who are confident using books without an adult ....................37 Table 29: Percentage of children who are confident using a tablet computer with an adult .......38 Table 30: Percentage of children who are confident using a tablet computer without an adult ..39 Table 31: Percentage of children who enjoy looking at or reading books with an adult..............40 Table 32: Percentage of children who enjoy looking at or reading books without an adult.........41 Table 33: Percentage of children who enjoy using a tablet computer with an adult ...................42 Table 34: Percentage of children who enjoy using a tablet computer without an adult ..............43 Table 35: Percentage of children who have access to a tablet computer and are confident using it with an adult ...........................................................................................................................44 Table 36: Percentage of children who have access to a tablet computer and are confident using it without an adult ......................................................................................................................45 Table 37: Percentage of children who have access to a tablet computer and enjoy using it with an adult .....................................................................................................................................46 Table 38: Percentage of children who have access to a tablet computer and enjoy using a it without an adult.........................................................................................................................47 Table 39: Percentage of practitioners who think tablet computers are central or supplemental to structured activities or to free play.............................................................................................48 Table 40: Percentage of practitioners who would like to increase use of tablet computers in their setting .......................................................................................................................................49 Table 41: Percentage of practitioners who agree with the statement that `to help them get on at school, it is important children learn to use computers and other technology from an early age' .................................................................................................................................................50 Table 42: Percentage of practitioners who agree with the statement that `traditional objects such as books, toys and alphabet blocks are more educational than computer-based games with sounds and letters'....................................................................................................................51

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