The study was developed as a teacher-research project during initial teacher education – Masters
Degree of Early Childhood and Primary Education, in Portugal. It analysed the interactions between
children of 3 to 6 years old, during the use of the computer as a free choice activity, confronting
situations between peers of the same age and situations between peers of different ages. The focus of
the analysis was the collaborative interactions. This was a qualitative study.
Children could choose the computer, amongst other interest areas, and work for around an hour in
pairs. In the computer, children used mainly educational games. During four weeks, the interactions
between the pairs were audio recorded. Field notes and informal interviews to the children were also
used to collect data. Eleven children were involved in the study with ages ranging from 3 to 6 years
old. Baseline data on children’s basic computer proficiency was collected using the Individualized
Computer Proficiency Checklist (ICPC) by Hyun. The recorded interactions were analysed using the
types of talk offered by Scrimshaw and Perkins and Wegerif and Scrimshaw: cumulative talk,
exploratory talk, disputational talk, and tutorial talk. This framework was already used in a study in an
early childhood education context in Portugal by Amante.
The results reveal differences in computer use and characterize the observed interactions. Seven
different pairs of children's interactions were analysed. More than a third of the interactions were
cumulative talk, followed by exploratory talk, tutorial talk and disputational talk. Comparing same and
mixed age pairs, we observed that cumulative talk is the more present interaction, but in same age
pairs this is followed by exploratory talk whereas in the mixed age pairs it is tutorial talk that has the
second largest percentage. The pairs formed by the children were very asymmetrical in terms of age
and computer proficiency. This lead to the more tutorial interactions, where one children showed the
other or directed him/her on how to play.
The results show that collaboration is present during the use of a computer area in early childhood
education. The free choice of the children means the adults can only suggest pairing suited to specific
interactions between the children. Another way to support children in more exploratory talk interactions
could be by discussing the way the older children can help the younger ones beyond directing or
correcting their work