Abstract:

This study proposes a critical re-examination of educational acceleration in early childhood education within the expanding landscape of educational technology. While digital tools are increasingly employed to optimise instructional time and enhance learning outcomes, there is growing concern that such practices may reinforce the dominance of institutional clock time (Chronos) at the expense of children’s lived, developmental time (Kairos). This tension raises important questions about the alignment between technology-driven acceleration and the developmental needs of young learners.

The study is guided by the following central question: how can educational technologies move beyond accelerating learning to support more developmentally attuned temporal experiences for children? To address this, the paper proposes a conceptual framework that brings together phenomenological perspectives on children’s lived time with contemporary approaches to technology-enhanced learning, using Kairos and Chronos as analytical lenses.

Methodologically, the study is designed as a qualitative phenomenological inquiry. It plans to engage early childhood educators and parents across diverse educational settings through focus group discussions, aiming to explore their perceptions of how technology-mediated acceleration shapes children’s temporal experiences. The study also intends to examine emerging pedagogical practices where technology may support flexible pacing, personalised learning, and more responsive temporal structures.

The paper introduces a preliminary concept of “technological temporal justice” as a guiding framework for rethinking the design and use of educational technologies. Rather than positioning technology solely as a tool for efficiency and speed, this perspective emphasises its potential to recalibrate educational time around the child’s developmental rhythms.

By advancing this perspective, the proposed study seeks to contribute to ongoing discussions in digital pedagogy and educational design, offering a critical yet constructive approach to the role of technology in shaping more humane and responsive early learning environments.

Keywords:

Early Childhood Education, Technology.