Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
JOURNAL OF EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHER EDUCATION, cilt.46, sa.3, ss.1-19, 2025 (ESCI, Scopus)
The increasing use of digital technology in early childhood education has created the need to prepare teachers for this increasingly digitalized education. However, there is very little research on the effects of teachers’ use of digital technology (DT) in educational settings on their professional development (PD). For the successful use of DT in early childhood education, it is very important to ensure teachers’ PD development. Knowing teachers’ PD preferences and the difficulties they face in using DTs is instructive for providing PD effectively and efficiently. This study aimed to understand the practices preferred by early childhood teachers in developing their PD for using DTs and the challenges they face in this regard. In the study, 16 educators working in three different schools in one of the Midwestern States of the United States were interviewed. The data obtained from face-toface and online teacher interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. In the study, the themes of using mobile applications, participating in educational activities, collaborating with colleagues, and the difficulties experienced in using DTs, which comprised 13 categories, were reached. The study revealed that teachers tried differentways to improve their PD but faced different challenges in using DTs.