Web pedagogical content knowledge of early childhood education professionals

Abstract

Early childhood education is the first step of education in which children have their initial experiences with school and learning. Thus, early childhood education (ECE) teachers are expected to be qualified in pedagogy and teaching to have permanent and effective learning among children. With the changing world, technology and the web are becoming an inevitable necessity for children in early childhood, especially during the pandemic in which the web has become the only way to continue teaching via distance education. Therefore, web pedagogical content knowledge of teachers and other professionals related to ECE who will directly or indirectly affect previous experiences with children gains importance to provide meaningful experiences. As a result, the current study aims to explore ECE teachers, pre-service teachers, and academicians' web pedagogical knowledge. To reach this aim, the researchers use case study, one of the qualitative research designs. An interview protocol was applied to participants, and their web pedagogical content knowledge was explored via semi-structured questions. Data analysis was made by NVivo software and two researchers. After the data analysis, it was found that participants generally are not familiar with the WPCK. Still, they use the web in their classroom such as to find new activities in their classroom. Also, most participants argue that the pandemic contributes them to develop their experiences while distance education. As a result, the findings were discussed with the related literature.

Keywords

• Early childhood
• Pre-service teachers
• Academicians
• WPCK
• Distance education

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