Chinese Kindergarten Teachers’ Opinions on Advanced Technology Use

Abstract

ABSTRACT In early childhood education in China, kindergarten teachers are facing a period of reform and development in which advanced technologies should be integrated into traditional education. This research aims to identify Chinese kindergarten teachers’ opinions on using advanced technologies in their classrooms. The effects of four variables (age of teachers, teaching years, educational backgrounds, economic status of the kindergartens) on kindergarten teachers’ opinions on advanced technologies were analyzed. To serve these purposes, 563 in-service kindergarten teachers in China filled out a questionnaire. This study found that 90.2% of Chinese kindergartens were equipped with advanced technologies and 71.3% of Chinese kindergarten teachers had positive attitudes toward the use of advanced technologies in their classrooms. While computers are the most common technology mentioned, robots (14%) and drones (11%) are also listed as instructional materials of the kindergartens. Based on the results, this study found that most Chinese kindergarten teachers held positive attitudes toward advanced technologies. The findings emphasize that teachers with less than three years of experience are more convinced that advanced technologies have a positive impact on children. In addition, teachers in public kindergartens believed that advanced technologies are more beneficial to children’s development than in private kindergartens.