The Master's Thesis by Alice Boscolo Bragadin, born within the DataChildMap project

After the pandemic, the evidence of the pervasiveness and influence of digitalization on social interactions and daily activities has become increasingly clear and unavoidable within the current society.

Based on this consideration, it is fundamental to ask about the main implications at the socio-educational level and to establish links with the research objectives of the DataChildMap project. Dr. Alice Boscolo Bragadin's master's thesis is located in this space of reflection and collaboration. She is a collaborator of the DataChildMap project and, under the supervision of her thesis supervisor, Professor Raffaghelli, analyses the above-mentioned topic in her research entitled Early Childhood in the Post-Digital Era: Documentation Practices and Professional Development Perspectives among Socio-Pedagogical Educators (EPI) and Educational Services.

The main focus is on the impact that the phenomenon of the digitalization of society can have on the growth and development of children: a conceptual node that requires special skills, critical thinking, and responsibility on the part of educational actors.

Here are Dr. Boscolo Bragadin's answers to our interview!

What is one of the most relevant aspects of your thesis?

The fact that the use of digital devices in early childhood settings is analysed is one of the most important aspects of my work. Studies on the use of technology are usually considered in a context related to adulthood. In fact, there are still hardly any studies on the use of technology in early childhood centres and on the methods of training educators in its use. Data literacy is crucial for stakeholders in educational institutions to develop critical thinking and enrich the required set of professional competences within the early childhood education and care (ECEC) system. For these reasons, I believe that the research was conducted on an open topic that requires further and deeper exploration, which makes the study significant. 

In your opinion, which aspect was the most "complicated" that you developed in your work?

Certainly, analysing the interviews and the corresponding data processing An investigation of the practises of design, documentation, and evaluation in early childhood centres was carried out by conducting 15 semi-structured interviews with early childhood educators with at least one year of professional experience in the Veneto region and, in one case, in Friuli Venezia Giulia.

During the analysis, relevant aspects emerged concerning the difficulties encountered by educators in transferring documentary material from paper to digital material, and it proved difficult to summarise these considerations in the diagrams. Another problem we encountered was the limited bibliographic material on educators' attitudes towards digital devices in early childhood centres.

What are the possible socio-cultural consequences of your analysis?

Educational services are undergoing a period of transition towards digitization that is not yet fully supported by adequate professional training. In fact, this research has revealed the need for a systemic approach to digital competence, opening new possibilities but also highlighting consequences for the professionalism of early childhood educators. Developmental training programs should provide educators with the opportunity to explore the pedagogical value of tools while simultaneously assessing the influence these devices can have on children's learning. This would establish an avant-garde educational community oriented towards critically and responsibly engaging with the digital realm within a professional dynamic focused on continuous learning and improvement.

For further information and to delve deeper into the topic, you can download the complete abstract at the following link: https://thesis.unipd.it/handle/20.500.12608/54427 

Curated by Romina Malghera and Maria Valentini