GADGET AND THE INTERNET FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD DISTANCE LEARNING

Abstract

The use of gadgets and the internet in early childhood can have both positive and negative impacts. The use of child-adapted gadget technology as a medium for distance learning can create an interactive and engaging environment. However, excessive use of gadgets can cause several problems, including sleeping difficulty, decreased quality of work, lack of concentration, and the need for treatment, pharmacological and psychological treatment. The purpose of this study is to describe parents' perceptions of the gadgets’ benefits as a medium for distance learning (DL) in the Cirebon District, West Java, Indonesia. It employed the uses and gratification theory as a framework. The data collection technique utilized a google form questionnaire that was distributed and answered as many as 80. The data were analyzed using SPSS and interpreted using quantitative descriptive methods. The results showed that parents agreed and considered it very important that distance learning was carried out using gadgets and the internet, distance learning was carried out in the afternoon after returning from work, and the features needed and deemed necessary were WhatsApp and video call. Parents agreed that gadgets had benefits during distance learning for early childhood development, including getting stimulation from the teacher, reducing children's boredom at home, and meeting and communicating with classmates even though it was shorter and more virtual. The field findings revealed that parents faced several obstacles in the form of difficult locations to reach by the internet, inadequate gadget devices, parents' knowledge of application features on gadgets, and economic limitations to meet quota needs.