Early Childhood Teachers' Views towards using Constructivist Internet-Based Environments to Support Children's Learning Activities: A Mixed-Methods Study

Abstract

AS ONLINE TECHNOLOGY HAS become increasingly pervasive in children's lives, this study explores: (1) early childhood teachers' views and preferences for use among the various functions of a Constructivist Internet-Based Environment (CIBE) in early childhood settings; and (2) whether early childhood teachers' technology-related knowledge (ECTTK) can predict their preferences. By employing a mixed-methods study with 168 pre-K teachers in Singapore, our findings indicate that: (1) the five functions of CIBE cater to the different curriculum activities, including thematic-based learning, instruction of content knowledge, group project work, children's free play and science learning; and (2) teachers' general technological knowledge, technological content knowledge, and technological pedagogical knowledge are able to predict their preferences for using a CIBE. We discuss these findings and make suggestions regarding ways to optimise the adoption of a CIBE to cater to a broad spectrum of early school learning activities.