A Study on the Effects of Technology Utilization Workshops to Improve Pre-service Early Childhood Teachers' Technology, Pedagogy, and Content Knowledge (TPACK)

This study examined the effectiveness of a technology utilization program implemented to cultivate TPACK in prospective early childhood teachers. To this end, the TPACK scores of prospective early childhood teachers were measured using the TPACK test tool before and after participating in the program to verify the difference, and qualitative interviews were conducted about their participation and impressions. As a result, significant differences were found in the overall TPACK score and the TK and TPCK scores. Through the program, prospective early childhood teachers were able to resolve their existing misunderstandings about technology and gain confidence in using technology. Interest in technology-based education increased, as did the willingness and motivation to practice it in the future. The desire to continue learning about the use of technology in the educational field was also heightened. The results confirmed that the technology-utilizing workshop was effective in enhancing TPACK, addressing a critical educational demand, although not uniformly across all domains. These findings are significant as they provide direction for the development of educational programs aimed at improving the technological content teaching knowledge of pre-service early childhood teachers.