ICT Use in Preschool Science Education: A Case Study of Some Private Nursery Schools in Ekiti State

Abstract

This research reveals ICT uses in Ekiti preschool education and explores this use of ICT for science education. This case study is part of a wider research project concerning the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for teaching main natural science’s concepts and mathematics in early year’s classroom. The study was conducted during 2013-2014 school year and pupils participated in the study. The integration of ICT into preschool education has become a high priority for everybody involved in the learning process. The Mathematics and Science Achievement Test was given to pupils and semi-structured interviews with young children were conducted in 16 preschool classes in Ekiti state. Pupils in the control group received only the traditional science instruction about natural sciences (solubility, recycling) and mathematical concepts (comparison, classification and general knowledge of numbers). Pupils in the experimental group received only the science instruction with the use of ICT for the same topics. Both the experimental and the control groups consisted of classes from the same participating schools. The incorporation of ICT in early year’s classes in private schools in Ekiti state should be considered as a means of an obligatory modernization of learning and teaching methods.The results of the research showed that teaching and learning through ICT as an innovative teaching method can be successful for understanding the concept of numbers and natural sciences phenomena at preschool level.

Keywords: Preschool Εducation, Mathematics, Solubility, Recycling, ICT.