The Informatics Educational Field in Standard Primary Education Curricula: A Comparative Analysis and Methodological Implications for the Training of Future Primary School Teachers

Abstract

The digitalization of education within the framework of the «New Ukrainian School» reform imposes new demands on the development of information and communication competence in younger students and on the methodological training of future primary school teachers to foster it. The coexistence of several standard curricula for grades 1-4, each with different approaches to implementing the informatics educational field, presents additional challenges in designing the course «Methods of Teaching Informatics». The aim of this article is to conduct a comparative analysis of the approaches to implementing informatics education in the standard curricula for grades 1-4 developed under the leadership of O. Savchenko and R. Shyyan, in the context of modern challenges of educational digitalization, and to identify methodological implications for the scientific and methodological substantiation of the content and structure of the «Methods of Teaching Informatics» course in the training of future primary school teachers. The research employed the following methods: comparative analysis of the standard curricula led by O. Savchenko and R. Shyyan; content analysis of regulatory documents; theoretical analysis of scientific and pedagogical literature on teaching informatics; synthesis of the analysis results; and theoretical modelling. Results: The comparative analysis revealed fundamental differences in approaches: the technological-content approach of O. Savchenko's curriculum focuses on acquiring specific technical computer skills and developing logical and algorithmic thinking through six content strands; whereas R. Shyyan's curriculum employs a competency-based integrative approach, emphasizing digital literacy, critical thinking, cybersecurity, and ethics through five content strands. Methodological implications for the training of future primary school teachers have been identified. Conclusions: An updated course content for «Methods of Teaching Informatics» has been developed, integrating the strengths of both the technological-content and competency-based integrative approaches. This course ensures the formation of methodological and informatics competence in future primary school teachers in response to current challenges in educational digitalization. The identified methodological implications offer specific guidelines for modernizing teacher training and require further empirical validation in the practice of higher pedagogical education institutions.