Peer-reviewed article
Activity-tracking assemblages in Finnish early childhood education and care
Antti Paakkari, Maiju Paananen, Susan Grieshaber ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This peer-reviewed study examines how activity-tracking devices are used in Finnish early childhood education and care settings. Researchers interviewed staff about wearable bracelets that measure children's physical activity and analyzed how these technologies function within broader systems of rules, discourses and practices. The study documents how trackers categorize children as active or inactive and describes educators' attempts to use the devices for pedagogical purposes.
Key points
- Activity-tracking devices are supplied by manufacturers collaborating with early childhood education providers in Finland
- Trackers create assemblages where devices, discourses, rules and practices become entangled
- The technology produces categorizations of children as active or inactive
- Staff attempted to game or circumvent the algorithms
- Educators explored using trackers as pedagogical tools
Limitations
The document does not report on outcomes for children's health, development or well-being, nor does it evaluate whether tracker use produces any benefit or harm. It appears to be a qualitative analysis of technology use rather than an intervention study assessing child outcomes.
Abstract
Children’s activity-trackers have recently gained popularity to ensure sufficient exercise for children attending Finnish Early Childhood Education and Care settings. Device manufacturers collaborate with public and private providers and supply children with bracelets that measure activity. We interviewed staff who used trackers during 2021, and approach these technologies as assemblages where devices are entangled with discourses, rules and practices. Three events show how assemblages produced children as active/inactive; gaming the algorithm, and educators seeking to use the devices pedagogically.