Barriers to Digitalization in a Preschool Institution

This article explores the barriers to implementing digital applications in a small group setting from the perspective of preschool care and education organizations. The author discusses the benefits and challenges of digitalization in preschool education institutions and maps the current opportunities and limits in transforming some traditional practices into digital form, with an emphasis on defining the barriers from the perspective of educators. The study explores the barriers to implementing digital applications from the perspective of direct participants in the educational process, from the standpoint of school management and educators. A mixed-methods research design was used for the study, which concluded with quantitative and qualitative methods based on the principle of sequential design implemented in two steps: a questionnaire survey among respondents and direct observation of the phenomenon under study. The study findings point to the fact that, while digitalization can be productive in the learning and development process, it has to be introduced carefully regarding the context of policy and teacher training, and it has to be monitored continually. The study further calls for the practical enactment of the TPACK model to enhance the integration of digital tools in preschool education. There is a need for long-term assessments and further studies on how digitalization affects the learning achievements of young children in the long run. Received: 2 April 2025 / Accepted: 15 June 2025 / Published: 05 July 2025