The Impacts of Workplace Advantage, Learning Intentions, and Technology Skills on the Use of Information Technology-Assisted Instruction by Early Childhood Pre-Service Teachers

The practical value and usefulness of IT-assisted instruction for Taiwanese preschool children are popular topics in academic and practical settings. The purpose of this study was to survey early childhood pre-service teachers’ attitudes regarding the workplace advantage of IT-related pedagogy and their learning intentions regarding IT-based applications for teacher education in Taiwan. The researcher used a survey to collect data, and analyzed the data through structural equation modeling. The value obtained for the model fitness indices using the confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the measurement model demonstrated an acceptable level of fitness. The results demonstrate positive relationships among the hypotheses for pre-service teachers' attitudes regarding preschool infrastructure, workplace advantage, and utility value. The findings revealed that pre-service teachers consider IT-assisted instruction to be a useful tool for enhancing their teaching knowledge and abilities. Their perceptions of IT-related applications as useful positively influenced their learning intentions in IT-related courses in teacher education and their perception of the importance of advancing their technology skills to assist young children in preschool learning. The implications of the findings are also discussed. INTRODUCTION The integration of information technology (IT) into teaching and learning activities is an important pedagogical innovation and a practical development for young children. IT-applied instruction helps young children have more learning opportunities, motivates them to learn, increases their interest in learning, and gives them a sense of autonomy in the advancement of their cognitions and skills (Abramovich & Cho, 2009; Ljung-Djarf, 2008). When provided with the ability to access IT applications for assistance during instructional activities, young children acquire more vocabulary, and develop useful language skills (Bittman, Rutherford, Brown, & Unsworth, 2011). Their access to IT significantly correlates with higher performance in the verbal, perceptual-performance, and general cognitive domains (Fish et al., 2008). Interest in the use of IT applied instructions is positively correlated with cognitive and social development in young children. Some preschools in Taiwan have begun to integrate IT-related applications into their teaching practices, constructing user-friendly IT-assisted learning environments, and advancing teachers’ technology skills to improve student’s learning experiences. A critical factor for applying IT to instructional development and pedagogical advancement for young children is the attitude of the early childhood teacher regarding the advantages of using IT-related applications in the preschool classroom. The early childhood teachers’ experiences with IT during professional development and teacher education influences their perceptions regarding its integration into their pedagogical approach. Their intentions to use IT in their teaching activities also affects their instructional beliefs and practices (Chai, 2010; Wong, Gao, Chai, & Chin, 2011). Most early childhood in-service teachers indicate that IT-related courses in their prior pre-service education did not significantly improve their IT literacy or aid them in developing superior IT-related competencies. Thus, they do not perceive themselves as being competent in basic or advanced applications of IT-related instruction (Goktas, Yildirim, & Yildirim, 2009). The availability of IT in preschool classroom affects the development of young children’s computer skills and the understanding of early childhood pre-service teachers. The workplace experiences of early childhood pre-service teachers encourage their interest in preschool instructional strategies and advancements in classroom activities and constructive learning styles. Their experiences with IT-assisted learning during their teacher education, influences their attitudes regarding the usefulness and the ease of use of IT in both the university context and future work environments (Edmunds, Thorpe, & Conole, 2012; Sackes, Trundle, & Bell, 2011; Sims & Walsh, 2009). Following other trends in the innovative use of IT, teacher education increasingly uses IT applications to provide pre-service teachers more opportunities for learning and training to advance their level of IT literacy in academic and practical settings (Gomez, Sherin, Griesdorn, & Finn, 2008). Teacher education plays an important role in preparing pre-service teachers with the necessary knowledge and skills to improve their academic, social, and intellectual development through the application of IT. Teacher education also develops pre-service teachers’ TOJET: The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology – April 2015, volume 14 issue 2