Outdoor Play and Digitalization in Early Childhood Education: Exploring Kindergarten Practices in Tirana
Outdoor Play and Digitalization in Early Childhood Education: Exploring Kindergarten Practices in Tirana

Summary/Abstract: Early childhood experiences are crucial for children's development and their preparation for future challenges. Activities and play, particularly outdoor play, significantly contribute to skill acquisition across all areas of development. This study focuses on outdoor activities and play in preschool institutions. The sample consisted of N=332 teachers of children aged 3–6 years from public (N=248) and private (N=84) institutions in the city of Tirana, who responded to a questionnaire measuring aspects related to the educational program in kindergartens. The study aimed to identify certain aspects related to the outdoor spaces and infrastructure of the institutions, the frequency of outdoor activities and play, and to examine differences between public and private kindergartens. Additionally, it explored how digital tools and resources, such as tablets, interactive whiteboards, and online educational platforms, are being integrated into the educational process, particularly in support of outdoor learning experiences. The results indicated that various types of outdoor activities were conducted daily in all kindergartens. The most frequent activities included nature-oriented activities (jumping, spinning, balancing; two to three times per week; M=5.51, SD=1.306), crafts using natural recyclable materials (M=4.31, SD=1.728), games exploring the inanimate world (once to twice per week; M=4.26, SD=1.877), and games exploring the living world (once to twice per week; M=4.02, SD=1.829). Comparisons between kindergartens revealed similarities in terms of outdoor spaces and infrastructure (t=-2.840, p=.005), but nature-oriented activities were reported more frequently in private kindergartens (t=-4.212, p<.001). No differences were identified in the frequency of other outdoor activities. In line with the findings, it can be concluded that the outdoor spaces and infrastructure in kindergartens were suitable and diverse enough to support outdoor activities. Outdoor environments were utilized daily for activities and play. The study identified some of the main outdoor activities in kindergartens but did not determine the time spent on these activities or whether all children were involved

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