Abstract
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is a concept that is gaining a following worldwide as a cost-effective means for schools to provide 21st-century skills (Bell, 2010) with limited funding. The current paper shows the results of a survey into the opinions and perceptions of parents of Japanese K1-3 students' use of technology, specifically the application of BYOD at this level. This survey was conducted at a private kindergarten in Japan and was administered to 100 parents of K1-3 students. Results of this survey showed that even at this age, students have access to and use a variety of devices within the home environment under the guidance of parents. In addition, device time usage varied significantly by household, with some children allowed to use devices for over 90 minutes per day. However, when asked if they would accept BYOD at the K1-3 level, the answers were overwhelmingly negative. Thus, the results of this survey show that while BYOD was considered acceptable from the higher grades of elementary school, the idea of implementing a BYOD program at the K1-3 level is still a step too far for parents of kindergarten students in Japan.
Highlights
Mobile devices have become synonymous in our modern-day society
The devices include gaming consoles, tablets, smartphones, and many of the devices had internet capabilities. This is in line with what is seen in Japanese society (Statista, 2020) and demonstrates that Japan is well placed to implement Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) to provide the 21st-century skills (Mills & Thanyawatpokin, 2020) required of the digital natives of today (Prensky, 2001)
More parents and educators realize the positives it can have on 21st-century skills and the negative of BYOD can bring to the formal classroom environment
Summary
Mobile devices have become synonymous in our modern-day society. It has been said for some time that we have reached a mobile saturation of sorts, with those in developed countries such as Japan nearing 100% ownership status (Statista, 2020). In Japan, the third-biggest economy in the world, it is the new norm to see devices in every facet of daily life. Many people wonder how they would survive without using their devices, even for just a day. When mobile device use in education is discussed, the arguments for and against the use of technology in education can at times be polarizing.
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