Integration of Digital Technology into an Early Childhood Teacher Preparation Program in China
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Integration of Digital Technology into an Early Childhood Teacher Preparation Program in China Wenwei Luo1,2 · Ilene R. Berson2 · Michael J. Berson2 Accepted: 25 September 2020 © Springer Nature B.V. 2020
Abstract The rapid development of technologies has complicated its adoption and integration into early childhood teacher professional development in China. The government of China has developed policies and provided financial support to improve preschools’ ICT infrastructure. Whereas various studies have examined the digital technology development provided to preservice educators around the world, relatively little is known about technology professional supports for early childhood (EC) preservice teachers in China’s universities. In this research, we focus on a university in the central part of China as a case study to explore preservice teachers’ technology use and self-efficacy while engaged in their field-based student teaching experiences. We collected data through an online questionnaire from 55 participants. Despite preservice educators’ positive attitudes toward digital technologies, the results identified several issues that undermined EC preservice teachers’ self efficacy for technology use and limited their instructional practices integrating technology in the field. Nonetheless, with adequate supports, preservice teachers were more likely to develop high confidence in their practice, suggesting the importance of improving and upgrading the current teacher preparation program and opportunities for field-based implementation. Keywords Technology · Preservice teachers · Early childhood · China
Introduction The rapid development of technologies has complicated their adoption and implementation into teacher professional development all over the world (Brenneman et al. 2019; Rosenberg and Koehler 2015; Wang et al. 2018). In order to develop the capacity of educators to deliver instruction that prepares children for a society dependent on digital innovation, teacher preparation programs across the globe have integrated technology into their curriculum (Tondeur et al. 2012, 2017). Many national policies and curriculum have provided guidance on the use of technology in the early years, such as Australia’s Statement on Young Children and Digital Technologies (Early Childhood Australia 2018) and the U.S. position statement on Technology and Interactive Media as Tools in Early Childhood Programs * Ilene R. Berson [email protected] 1
Department of Early Childhood Education, Hubei University of Arts and Science, Xiangyang, Hubei, China
College of Education, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Ave., EDU 202, Tampa, FL 33620‑5650, USA
2
Serving Children From Birth Through Age 8 (NAEYC & Fred Rogers Center 2012). China is not an exception. Over the past decade, early childhood teacher education programs throughout China have gradually embedded technology into educator preparation, and studies of technological innovations in early childhood practice represent one of the fastestgrowing research a
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