Cultural meetings? Curricula, Digital Apps and Mathematics Education

Abstract

In this paper, we explore whether two digital apps used by young children in a Norwegian kindergarten fulfil the requirements set out in the Norwegian curriculum for early childhood. The Norwegian kindergarten culture is based on a social policy pedagogical approach which in recent years has been under pressure by politicians to move towards a readiness for school approach. Using artefact-centric activity theory, we were able to identify how the apps and their use by young children were likely to contribute to the continuation of the established Norwegian kindergarten culture or was likely to support changes to this culture.