Integration of Digital Technology into an Early Childhood Teacher Preparation Program in China

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.