Information and communication technology and early childhood education in Kampala city, Central Uganda

Abstract

The study investigated the contribution of ICT to early childhood education in Kampala private pre-schools. It sought to establish how ICT infrastructure, ICT procedures and ICT stakeholders contribute and influence early childhood education. A cross sectional survey design was adapted and data was collected using the questionnaire survey, interviews and observation data collection methods from a sample of 205 respondents made up of parents, teachers and children. Data was analyzed using a Pearson’s correlation analysis and the findings revealed that ICT infrastructure had a positive significant contribution to early childhood education, ICT procedures had a positive significant influence on early childhood education and ICT stakeholders had a positive significant influence on early childhood education. The study concluded that ICT infrastructure tools and networks like computers, electronic whiteboards, electronic toys, the internet and other similar devices should continuously be used in pre-schools to aid the education of children. The study also concluded that ICT procedures like having ICT policies were essential to streamline agreed procedures and responsibilities concerned with the education of children while ICT professional development programs were necessary for the improvement of the teachers’ skills. The study finally concluded that ICT stakeholder support was very essential to the success of utilizing ICT in the education of children as long as the parents, teachers and administrators played their respective roles. The study therefore recommended that government pre-schools adopt ICT in their early childhood curriculum to promote the holistic development of children with support from the government, MoES and UNICEF. It also recommended that teachers should continuously use ICT in the education of young children with support from administrators and parents and finally, the study recommended that the government, MoES together with UNICEF should support and oversee the development of ICT policies in the early childhood sector in order to support the holistic development of the children in all pre-schools in the country. Future studies are encouraged to focus on studying ICT and early childhood education using a different research design that allows for collection of data over longer periods of time and also include pre-schools in other areas other than Kampala.