Cooperation for developing digital competence in preschool – Challenges for teacher education – students – practicum preschools

Abstract

The article focuses on preschool teacher education in Sweden. The purpose of the study is to explore and analyse opportunities for and impediments to cooperation around digital competence among three groups: preschool teacher students, local teacher educators, and teacher educators at a university. The study presented in the article is performed through focus group discussions. It has proceeded analytically from the design theory concept agency. The results show the three groups diverse statements. The informants agree primarily about the status of preschools in terms of the supply and use of digital resources. The greatest difference emerges about the cultural resources—if, how, and why the digital resources are used. Despite the negative experiences of the students, the discussions reveal a concrete desire for cooperation in all three focus groups, emphasizing the importance of using preschool teachers as a resource for development of digital competence.