Digital tools in education: Preschool teacher's perspectives on language development in kindergarten

Abstract

The study focuses on utilizing digital technologies within the context of preschool education in the Czech Republic, as viewed through the lens of kindergarten teachers. The objective was to find out teachers' perspectives on using digital technologies with a focus on language development in preschools from the point of view of Czech teachers. The survey method was used for data collection. Responses were collected from 80 preschool teachers from the Czech Republic using an online questionnaire; data was analyzed and discussed quantitatively in descriptive analysis. The study revealed that preschool establishments demonstrate a relatively commendable level of digital technology provisioning, which has grown recently with the help of financial subsidies from the government. However, teachers state that there is a lack of management support for effectively integrating them into the curriculum. The survey revealed that they also have to deal with the organizational arrangements of children when using digital technologies, given the number of children in classes. In our study, we paid special attention to areas of language competence that had developed. It was found that teachers prefer applications with simple language development competencies as opposed to complex language skills. They also prefer to use applications that children can use independently. In conclusion, teachers mostly have a positive attitude towards their utilization, under the condition of limiting their use in time and type of content.