SpringerLink
Log in

Mobile devices in early childhood education: teachers’ views on benefits and barriers

  • Published:
Education and Information Technologies Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Mobile devices and, in particular, tablets have become increasingly popular in young children’s lives; however, there is limited empirical evidence regarding early childhood teachers’ perceptions on mobile technology-learning in early years. This study investigated teachers’ views on mobile devices’ usage in early childhood education classrooms, focusing on their perceived benefits, barriers and their concerns. A questionnaire with open ended questions was completed by 30 early childhood education teachers, in Greece. The primary perceived benefits regarded the facilitation of the educational process, the interactive learning environment and the support of children’s learning and development. Major perceived barriers were related to the lack of (or limited) resources/equipment, the limited teacher training opportunities and lack of funding, while key concerns regarded the constraint of hands-on experiences, children’s concentration, and cyber safety issues. Implications for pre-service and in-service teacher training, educational policy and practice, as well as links between home and school are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
EUR 32.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or Ebook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price includes VAT (United Kingdom)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

(n.a)

References

  • Al-Jarrah, J. M., Talafhah, R. H., & Al-Jarrah, T. M. (2019). ESL teacher perceptions of using educational mobile applications to develop the language skills of ESL elementary school students. European Journal of Foreign Language Learning, 4(1), 65–86. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2257442.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baran, E. (2014). A review of research on mobile learning in teacher education. Educational Technology & Society, 17(4), 17–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blackwell, C. (2014). Teacher practices with mobile technology: Integrating tablet computers into the early childhood classroom. Journal of Education Research, 7(4), 1–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen, L., Chen, T.-L., Lin, C.-J., & Liu, H.-K. J. (2019). Preschool teachers’ perception of the application of information communication technology (ICT) in Taiwan. Sustainability, 11(1), 114. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11010114.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clarke, L., & Abbott, L. (2016). Young pupils’, their teachers’ and classroom assistants’ experiences of iPads in a Northern Ireland school: Four and five years old, who would have thought they could do that? British Journal of Educational Technology, 47(6), 1051–1064. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12266.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Creswell, J. W. (2012). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eutsler, L., Mitchell, C., Stamm, B., & Kogut, A. (2020). The influence of mobile technologies on preschool and elementary children’s literacy achievement: A systematic review spanning 2007–2019. Educational Technology Research and Development., 68, 1739–1768. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-020-09786-1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grant, M.-M. (2019). Difficulties in defining mobile learning: Analysis, design characteristics, and implications. Educational Technology Research & Development, 67(2), 361–388. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-018-09641-4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gray, C., Dunn, J., Moffett, P., & Mitchell, D. (2017). Mobile devices in early learning: Evaluating the use of portable devices to support young children’s learning. Report commissioned by Irish Education Authority.

  • Hatzigianni, M., Gregoriadis, A., Karagiorgou, I., & Chatzigeorgiadou, S. (2018). Using tablets in free play: The implementation of the digital play framework in Greece. British Journal of Educational Technology, 49(5), 928–942. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12620.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heljakka, K., & Ihamäki, P. (2019). Ready, Steady, Move! Coding Toys, Preschoolers, and Mobile Playful Learning. In P. Zaphiris, & A. Ioannou (Eds.), Learning and Collaboration Technologies. Ubiquitous and Virtual Environments for Learning and Collaboration (pp. 1–12). HCII 2019, LNCS 11591. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21817-1_6.

  • Herodotou, C. (2017). Young children and tablets: A systematic review of effects on learning and development. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 34(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12220.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kalogiannakis, M., & Papadakis, S. (2019). Evaluating preservice kindergarten teachers’ intention to adopt and use tablets into teaching practice for natural sciences. International Journal of Mobile Learning & Organization, 13(1), 113–127. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJMLO.2019.096479.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kalogiannakis, M., Ampartzaki, M., Papadakis, S., & Skaraki, E. (2018). Teaching natural science concepts to young children with mobile devices and hands-on activities. A case study. International Journal of Teaching and Case Studies, 9(2), 171–183. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJTCS.2018.090965.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kucirkova, N. (2014). iPads in early education: Separating assumptions and evidence. Frontiers in Psychology, 5(715) https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/.

  • Kumi-Yeboah, A., & Campell, K. S. (2015). Emerging use of tablets in K-12 environments: Issues and implications in K-12 schools. In H. An, S. Alon, & D. Fuentes (Eds.), Tablets in K-12 education: Integrated experiences and implications (pp. 46–63). Hershey: IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-6300-8.ch004.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • MacCallum, K., & Bell, H. R. (2019). Improving teaching practice in early childhood supported by Mobile technology. In Early Childhood Development: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications (pp. 1066–1082). IGI Global, Information Resources Management Association (USA).

  • Neumann, M. M. (2014). An examination of touch screen tablets and emergent literacy in Australian preschool children. Australian Journal of Education, 58(2), 109–122. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004944114523368.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neumann, M. M. (2018). Using tablets and apps to enhance emergent literacy skills in young children. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 42, 239–246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2017.10.006.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neumann, M. M., Merchant, G., & Burnett, C. (2018). Young children and tablets: The views of parents and teachers. Early Child Development and Care., 190, 1750–1761. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2018.1550083.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nikolopoulou, K. (2019). Mobile technologies and early childhood education. In M. Tsitouridou, J.A. Diniz, & T. Mikropoulos (Eds.), Technology and Innovation in Learning, Teaching and Education (pp. 444–457). TECH-EDU 2018, CCIS 993, Springer Nature Switzerland AG. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20954-4_33.

  • Nikolopoulou, K. (2020a). Preschool teachers’ practices of ICT-supported early language and mathematics. Creative Education, 11(10), 2038–2052. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2020.1110149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nikolopoulou, K. (2020b). Preschool children’s use of tablet at home and parents’ views. In S. Papadakis & M. Kalogiannakis (Eds.), Mobile learning applications in early childhood education (pp. 209–229). Hershey: IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-1486-3.ch011.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Nikolopoulou, K., & Gialamas, V. (2015a). ICT and play in preschool: Early childhood teachers’ beliefs and confidence. International Journal of Early Years Education, 23(4), 409–425.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nikolopoulou, K., & Gialamas, V. (2015b). Barriers to the integration of computers in early childhood settings: Teachers’ perceptions. Education and Information Technologies, 20(2), 285–301.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nikolopoulou, K., Gialamas, V., Lavidas, K., & Komis, V. (2020). Teachers’ readiness to adopt mobile learning in classrooms: A study in Greece. Technology, Knowledge and Learning. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-020-09453-7.

  • Ofcom (2019). Children and parents: Media use and attitudes report 2018. Making sense of Media.

  • Otterborn, A., Schönborn, K., & Hultén, M. (2019). Surveying preschool teachers’ use of digital tablets: General and technology education related findings. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 29, 717–737. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-018-9469-9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Outhwaite, L. A., Gulliford, A., & Pitchford, N. J. (2017). Closing the gap: Efficacy of a tablet intervention to support the development of early mathematical skills in UK primary school children. Computers & Education, 108, 43–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Palaiologou, I. (2016). Teachers’ dispositions towards the role of digital devices in play-based pedagogy in early childhood education. Early Years, 36(3), 305–321. https://doi.org/10.1080/09575146.2016.1174816.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Papadakis, S., & Kalogiannakis, M. (2017). Mobile educational applications for children. What educators and parents need to know? International Journal of Mobile Learning and Organization, 11(3), 256–277. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJMLO.2017.085338.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Papadakis, S., & Kalogiannakis, M. (2020). A research synthesis of the real value of self-proclaimed mobile educational applications for young children. In S. Papadakis & M. Kalogiannakis (Eds.), Mobile learning applications in early childhood education (pp. 1–19). Hershey: IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-1486-3.ch001.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Papadakis, S., Kalogiannakis, M., & Zaranis, N. (2018a). The effectiveness of computer and tablet assisted intervention in early childhood students’ understanding of numbers. An empirical study conducted in Greece. Education and Information Technologies, 23(5), 1849–1871. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-018-9693-7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Papadakis, S., Kalogiannakis, M., & Zaranis, N. (2018b). Educational apps from the android Google play for Greek preschoolers: A systematic review. Computers & Education, 116, 139–160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2017.09.007.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Papadakis, S., Zaranis, N., & Kalogiannakis, M. (2019). Parental involvement and attitudes towards young Greek children’s mobile usage. International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction., 22, 100144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcci.2019.100144.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stephen, C., & Edwards, S. (2018). Young children playing and learning in a digital age: A cultural and critical perspective. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vaughan, M., & Beers, C. (2017). Using an exploratory professional development initiative to introduce iPads in the early childhood education classroom. Early Childhood Education Journal, 45(3), 321–331. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-016-0772-3.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wishart, J. (2018). Mobile learning in schools: Key issues, opportunities and ideas for practice. NY: Routledge.

Download references

Funding

This research did not receive any grant.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Early Childhood Education, School of Education, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Navarinou 13A, 10680, Athens, Greece

    Kleopatra Nikolopoulou

Authors
  1. Kleopatra Nikolopoulou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kleopatra Nikolopoulou.

Ethics declarations

Approval was obtained from the ethics committee of the University department. The procedures used in this study adhere to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Code availability

(n.a)

Additional information

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Appendix

Appendix

If you use mobile devices in class (for educational purposes)

If you do not use mobile devices in class (for educational purposes)

In your opinion, what are the benefits of using mobile devices in ECE classrooms?

In your opinion, what are the barriers regarding mobile devices’ usage in ECE classrooms?

What is the frequency of mobile devices’ usage in your class?

• daily

• 2–4 times per week

• once per week

• once per month or less

What is the way of mobile devices’ usage in ECE classroom?

What are your concerns regarding mobile devices’ usage in ECE classrooms?

What are the barriers regarding mobile devices’ usage in ECE classrooms?

What are your concerns regarding mobile devices’ usage in ECE classrooms?

In your opinion, are there any benefits (which ones) of using mobile devices in ECE classrooms?

What are children’s emotions when they use these devices in class?

What are the conditions under which you would use mobile devices in the classroom?

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Nikolopoulou, K. Mobile devices in early childhood education: teachers’ views on benefits and barriers. Educ Inf Technol 26, 3279–3292 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-020-10400-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-020-10400-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation