Connections and disconnections between home and kindergarten : a case study of a 4‐year old child's digital practices and experiences in early childhood

Abstract

Various studies outline the ‘digital disconnect’ that exists between the digital experiences that children have with technologies at home and at school. It is however important to document the increasingly multimodal technological world that young children are inhabiting. Framed by socio-cultural and ecological theoretical perspectives, this case study of a 4-year old girl investigates how the contexts surrounding the child impact the use of digital technologies and the differences, if any, between the two contexts. Participatory methods are used to gather data from the child participant in relation to her experiences, preferences and interactions with technology, which was triangulated with the views of one parent and her current educator. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis. Four themes emerged as follows: technological uses and competences, child agency and participation, individual and collective funds of knowledge and bridging of children's lifeworlds. Findings indicated that the differences or digital disconnect between the home and the school are not necessarily perceived as negative or limiting, yet there is also room for fluidity and openness to explore these technological spaces as possibilities or bridges for children's participation, engagement and agency in the two lifeworlds.