Effects of Teachers’ Media Utilization and Computational Thinking on Sustainable Development in Early Childhood Education

Abstract

(1) Background: The study aims to analyze the degree of media use among early childhood teachers and the correlations between their computational thinking, playfulness, creativity, and problem-solving abilities. It confirms a strong correlation between playfulness and problem-solving abilities and investigates whether higher levels of computational thinking are associated with higher levels of playfulness. This research is positioned within the context of sustainable development in early childhood education, emphasizing the importance of integrating digital literacy and computational thinking skills to promote sustainability. (2) Methods: The research was conducted on teachers working in daycare centers and kindergartens in Jeju Island, South Korea. A total of 203 questionnaires were collected, employing descriptive statistics, frequency analysis, Pearson’s correlation coefficient analysis, one-way ANOVA, and multiple regression analysis. (3) Results: The study found that teachers’ degree of media literacy affects their media use. Additionally, the higher the degree of computational thinking, the more significant the effect on early childhood teachers’ playfulness. Furthermore, early childhood teachers’ playfulness, creativity, and problem-solving skills were all significantly correlated overall. (4) Conclusions: The findings suggest that if teachers take an interest in IT media and find ways to use it positively, it will have a positive effect on early childhood education. Moreover, increasing computational thinking skills will enable the effective use of various tools, positively impacting teachers’ roles. The study proposes that enhancing early childhood teachers’ playfulness, creativity, and problem-solving skills will contribute to sustainable development in early childhood education.