Open Educational Resources in Professional Development: Attitudes and Intentions to Use Among Early Childhood Educators

Elena- Andreea Boitan; Mariana Momanu

Open Educational Resources in Professional Development: Attitudes and Intentions to Use Among Early Childhood Educators

Abstract

This study examined early childhood educators’ attitudes toward Open Educational Resources (OER) in professional development, as well as the relationship between their level of professional training, their attitudes toward OER and their intention to use digital technologies in educational practice. The research was grounded in a theoretical framework based on technology acceptance models, alongside the principals of open pedagogy and continuous professional development. Statistical analysis revealed significant correlations between the level of professional training and positive attitudes toward OER, as well as between attitudes toward OER and the intention to integrate technology into teaching and learning activities. These findings highlight the role of OER not only as tools for free access to educational content but also as catalysts for teachers’ digital competence and innovation in early childhood education.

Keywords

Ethical Statement

Authors confirm that the manuscript has not been published elsewhere or is not currently under review by another journal. The authors wish to acknowledge the use of ChatGPT in the writing of this paper. This tool was used to help improve the language and grammar in the paper. The paper remains an accurate representation of the authors’ work and intellectual contributions.

References

Adedoyin, O. B., & Altinay, F. (2023). Open educational resources: Evaluation of students' intention to use and motivation to create. British Journal of Educational Technology, 54, 1790–1813. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13313
Ambrose, E. S., Ogbomo, E. F., & Akporhonor, B. A. (2024). Awareness, attitudes, skills, and open educational resources usage among open and distance learners. Record and Library Journal, 10(1),138-150. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/381769139_Awareness_attitudes_skills_and_open_educational_resources_usage_among_open_and_distance_learners
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2017). Research Methods in Education (8th ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315456539
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly, 13(3), 319–340. https://doi.org/10.2307/249008
Getenet, S., Cantle, R., Redmond, P., & Albion, P. (2024). Students’ digital technology attitude, literacy and self-efficacy and their effect on online learning engagement. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 21(7). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-023-00437-y
Grimus, M. (2020). Emerging technologies: Impacting learning, pedagogy and curriculum development. În M. A. Peters, R. Heraud, & P. Jandrić (Eds.), Emerging technologies and pedagogies in the curriculum (pp. 127–152). Singapore: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-0618-5_8
Gui, Q., Omar, M. K., & Harithuddin, A. S. M. (2026). Teachers' professional development on self-efficacy, attitudes, and digital competencies in the digital era. Acta Psychologica, 265, 106683. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.106683

Ilomäki, L., Paavola, S., Lakkala, M., Kantosalo, A. (2016). Digital competence-an emergent boundary concept for policy and educational research. Education and Information Technologies, 21(3), 655-679. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-014-9346-4
Issa, A. I., Ibrahim, M. A., Onojah, A. O., & Onojah, A. A. (2020). Undergraduates’ attitude towards the utilization of open educational resources for learning. International Journal of Technology in Education and Science (IJTES), 4(3), 227–234. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342446289_Undergraduates'_Attitude_towards_the_Utilization_of_Open_Educational_Resources_for_Learning
James, R., & Bossu, C. (2014). Conversations from south of the equator: Challenges and opportunities in OER across broader Oceania. RUSC. Universities and Knowledge Society Journal, 11(3), 78–90. https://doi.org/10.7238/rusc.v11i3.2220
Kim, B. W., Lee, W. G., Lee, B. R., & Shon, J. G. (2015). Influencing factors in OER usage of adult learners in Korea. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 16(2), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v16i2.2051
Li, M., Vale, C., Tan, H., & Zhang, Y. (2025). Factors influencing the use of digital technologies in primary mathematics teaching: Voices from Chinese educators. Education and Information Technologies, 30, 12573–12608. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-13309-3
Merjovaara, O., Eklund, K., Nousiainen, T., Karjalainen, S., Koivula, M., Mykkänen, A., & Hämäläinen, R. (2024). Early childhood pre-service teachers' attitudes towards digital technologies and their relation to digital competence. Education and Information Technologies, 29, 14647–14662.
Mishra, S., Sharma, M., Sharma, R. C., Singh, A., & Thakur, A. (2016). Development of a scale to measure faculty attitude towards open educational resources. Open Praxis, 8(1), 55–69. https://openpraxis.org/articles/10.5944/openpraxis.8.1.236
Otto, D. (2021). Driven by emotions! The effect of attitudes on intention and behaviour regarding open educational resources (OER). Journal of Interactive Media in Education, 2021(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.5334/jime.606
Ramirez-Montoya, M. S., Mena, J., & García-Peñalvo, F. J. (2017). In-service teachers’ self-perceptions of digital competence and OER use as determined by a xMOOC training course. Computers in Human Behavior, 77, 356–364. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.09.010
Serin, H., & Bozdağ, F. (2020). Relationship between teachers’ attitudes towards technology use in education and autonomy behaviors. TOJET: The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, 19(3), 25–35. https://tojet.net/articles/v19i3/1937.pdf
Stolovitch, H. D., Keeps, E. J. & Rosenberg, M. J. (2017). Training through transformation. Trei Publishing
Teo, T. (2013). An initial development and validation of a Digital Natives Assessment Scale (DNAS). Computers and Education, 67, 51–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2013.02.012;
UNESCO. (2002). Forum on the impact of open courseware for higher education in developing countries: Final report. Paris. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000128515

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Teacher Education and Professional Development of Educators, Early Childhood Education

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Elena- Andreea Boitan ^*
0009-0008-5209-2548
Romania

Mariana Momanu
0000-0002-4405-1868
Romania

Publication Date

August 31, 2026

Submission Date

January 14, 2026

Acceptance Date

August 10, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 15 Number: 2

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA43HE96SZ

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Boitan, E.- A., & Momanu, M. (2026). Open Educational Resources in Professional Development: Attitudes and Intentions to Use Among Early Childhood Educators. Journal of Teacher Education and Educators, 15(2), 121-132. https://izlik.org/JA43HE96SZ

AMA

1.Boitan E A, Momanu M. Open Educational Resources in Professional Development: Attitudes and Intentions to Use Among Early Childhood Educators. Journal of Teacher Education and Educators. 2026;15(2):121-132. https://izlik.org/JA43HE96SZ

Chicago

Boitan, Elena- Andreea, and Mariana Momanu. 2026. “Open Educational Resources in Professional Development: Attitudes and Intentions to Use Among Early Childhood Educators”. Journal of Teacher Education and Educators 15 (2): 121-32. https://izlik.org/JA43HE96SZ.

EndNote

Boitan E- A, Momanu M (August 1, 2026) Open Educational Resources in Professional Development: Attitudes and Intentions to Use Among Early Childhood Educators. Journal of Teacher Education and Educators 15 2 121–132.

IEEE

[1]E.- A. Boitan and M. Momanu, “Open Educational Resources in Professional Development: Attitudes and Intentions to Use Among Early Childhood Educators”, Journal of Teacher Education and Educators, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 121–132, Aug. 2026, [Online]. Available: https://izlik.org/JA43HE96SZ

ISNAD

Boitan, Elena- Andreea - Momanu, Mariana. “Open Educational Resources in Professional Development: Attitudes and Intentions to Use Among Early Childhood Educators”. Journal of Teacher Education and Educators 15/2 (August 1, 2026): 121-132. https://izlik.org/JA43HE96SZ.

JAMA

1.Boitan E- A, Momanu M. Open Educational Resources in Professional Development: Attitudes and Intentions to Use Among Early Childhood Educators. Journal of Teacher Education and Educators. 2026;15:121–132.

MLA

Boitan, Elena- Andreea, and Mariana Momanu. “Open Educational Resources in Professional Development: Attitudes and Intentions to Use Among Early Childhood Educators”. Journal of Teacher Education and Educators, vol. 15, no. 2, Aug. 2026, pp. 121-32, https://izlik.org/JA43HE96SZ.

Vancouver

1.Elena- Andreea Boitan, Mariana Momanu. Open Educational Resources in Professional Development: Attitudes and Intentions to Use Among Early Childhood Educators. Journal of Teacher Education and Educators [Internet]. 2026 Aug. 1;15(2):121-32. Available from: https://izlik.org/JA43HE96SZ