Preschool Children’s Interaction with ICT at Home

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to determine preschool students‘ usage profile of information and communication technology (ICT). To investigate children‘s use of ICT, a questionnaire was completed by the parents of 703 children, age 4-6. Frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation were used to describe the interaction. In addition, inferential statistics were used to compare the demographic groups. The results of the study reveal that children live in a technologically rich environment. On a typical day, the mean number of minutes children watch TV is 115 and 28 minutes for computer usage. In parallel with this, children have many computer skills. According to gender, boys use computers more than girls. Furthermore, males have more computer skills than girls. In addition, the effect of parents‘ educational level and monthly income on children‘s ICT usage skills was determined. The results imply that children live in a technological rich environment and have basic skills to interact with ICT.