ENVIRONMENTAL (ECOSYSTEM) METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH IN PREPARING FUTURE TEACHERS TO DEVELOP DIGITAL HYGIENE IN PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

Abstract

The article highlights the problem of preparing future educators to shape the digital hygiene of preschool children in the context of rapid digitalization of childhood and the growing influence of the digital environment on the development of the child's personality. It is argued that early exposure of children to digital technologies, along with expanding educational opportunities, is accompanied by a number of risks to physical, mental, and social health, which necessitates targeted pedagogical influence and the creation of a digitally safe educational environment in preschool institutions. The leading role of future educators as designers and managers of such environments is emphasized. The purpose of the article is to provide a theoretical justification for the environmental (ecosystem) methodological approach in preparing future educators to shape the digital hygiene of preschool children. The research process involved the use of methods of theoretical analysis, synthesis, generalization, and systematization of scientific sources, which made it possible to reveal the essence of the environmental (ecosystem) approach and its methodological potential in professional pedagogical education. The article analyzes the educational, digital, and social environment of preschool-age children as interrelated components of a unified educational and digital ecosystem. It has been proven that the environmental (ecosystem) approach provides a holistic view of the process of forming digital hygiene, focuses the professional training of future educators on the integration of pedagogical, digital, and social factors, and promotes coordination between preschool education institutions, families, and the digital space. The principles for implementing an environmental (ecosystem) approach in the training of future educators have been defined, in particular the principles of integrity, interaction, safety, variability, and partnership with the family. It has been substantiated that the implementation of these principles in the process of professional training contributes to the formation of future educators' readiness to manage the digital educational environment of a preschool education institution. It is concluded that the environmental (ecosystem) approach is an effective methodological basis for training future educators to shape the digital hygiene of preschool children and meets the modern challenges of preschool education.