NEEDS OF GENERATION ALPHA AND ACTIVITIES OF SELF-ACTUALISATION THROUGH MUSIC IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

Abstract

A challenge for educational professionals is how to know and understand a child. Given that each generation has a set of characteristics that are inextricably linked to the time and prevailing culture in which it grows up, it is essential in early childhood and preschool education to address children's current needs in a timely manner. Today's children growing up in the 2010-2025 timeframe are referred to as the Alpha Generation. Theorists, together with practitioners of early childhood education, espouse a humanistic orientation to the preschool education curriculum that focuses on the image of the child and the attitudes and actions that arise from it. Although the National Curriculum for Early and Preschool Education in the Republic of Croatia integrates digital technologies as one of the key competencies for lifelong learning, there is still insufficient knowledge about the current generation of children and a discrepancy in the perception of the provision of more modern educational strategies. In accordance with these settings, musical activities that favor the use of digital music technology in work with children can also stimulate children's purposeful motivation and support their self-actualization. This paper problematizes the possibilities of self-actualization of children of the "Alpha generation," incorporating as a starting point the National Curriculum for Early Childhood and Preschool Education and its possibilities, Abraham Maslow's humanistic theory and the benefits of using digital music technology in work with preschool children.