Metaphor analysis on pre-service early childhood teachers’ conception of AI (Artificial Intelligence) education for young children

Abstract

This study explored PEC teacher’ (pre-service early childhood teachers’) conception of AI (Artificial Intelligence) education for young children by using metaphor analysis. Through exploring the conceptual metaphors of AI education for young children with 137 undergraduate students majoring in ECE (early childhood education) at I University in the central part of the United States, this present study tried to figure out the educationally meaningful direction of AI education for young children. The surveys were composed with open questions to find out PEC teachers’ metaphor of AI education for young children and they were distributed to research subjects. Collected data were named, classified, categorised, and finally, 7 categories out of 137 metaphors were analysed through the step of confirming. PEC teachers in this study had positive metaphorical concepts such as ‘possibility of play and experience’', ‘future essentials’, ‘innovation and change’, ‘convenience’, ‘assistant teacher’, and negative metaphorical concepts such as ‘double-sided meaning’, ‘Complexity’ of AI education for young children. PEC teachers’ beliefs about teaching-and-learning theory and methods related to AI education in ECE settings can be an important indicator of what thoughts and attitudes teachers will have when they implement the AI-related curriculum. Therefore, since PEC teachers have direct responsibility of planning and implementing AI education at ECE institutions, their conception of AI education in ECE would provide an important insight for shaping AI education for young children in the future.