Proposing a Participatory Action Research Framework for AI in Early Childhood Education

Öz

The rapid integration of Artificial Intelligence into early childhood education presents substantial ethical risks, including data privacy violations and algorithmic bias. This situation creates a pressing need for a structured model to guide responsible development. The purpose of this study is to propose a conceptual framework based on participatory action research, which serves as an ethical compass for the field. This theoretical paper utilizes a conceptual framework development model that synthesizes AI’s educational potential with the collaborative principles of PAR and the philosophy of child-centered design. The proposed model involves diverse participants, specifically children aged three to six, their families, and educators, as active partners in the technology's lifecycle. Data collection tools conceptualized within this framework include focus group discussions, creative play sessions, and storytelling workshops designed to capture stakeholder voices authentically. The analysis process is grounded in an iterative cycle of planning, action, observation, and reflection. The procedure details a three-phase implementation consisting of exploration, co-creation, and evaluation phases. The results of this conceptual synthesis offer a novel theoretical tool that reframes AI development from a top-down imposition to a bottom-up process of co-creation. The study concludes with suggestions for policymakers to establish comprehensive ethical principles and for researchers to conduct longitudinal studies on the sustained impacts of co-designed AI tools on children’s development.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• artificial intelligence
• early childhood education
• participatory action research
• ethical framework
• child-centered design

Destekleyen Kurum

None

Etik Beyan

Declaration of Competing Interests: The author declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. Ethical Declaration: As this study is entirely theoretical and conceptual in nature, and does not involve any primary data collection from human or animal subjects, ethics committee approval was not required. Declaration of Generative AI Use: The conceptual framework and analyses presented in this paper are entirely the author's own work. Generative AI tools were utilized solely for proofreading purposes. The final manuscript was thoroughly reviewed and revised by the author.

Teşekkür

The author is grateful to the anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments and suggestions, which substantially improved the quality of this paper.

Erken Çocukluk Eğitiminde Yapay Zeka için Katılımcı Eylem Araştırması Çerçevesi Önerisi

Öz

Yapay zekanın erken çocukluk eğitimine hızla entegre edilmesi, veri gizliliği ihlalleri ve algoritmik önyargı gibi önemli etik riskler ortaya çıkarmakta ve bu durum, yapay zekanın sorumlu bir şekilde geliştirilmesine rehberlik edecek bir modele acil bir ihtiyaç doğurmaktadır. Mevcut yaklaşımlar, etik ilkeleri ve paydaşların sesini yapay zeka tasarımının merkezine yerleştirmek için genellikle yapılandırılmış bir metodolojiden yoksundur. Bu makale, bu boşluğu, alan için bir etik pusula görevi görecek Katılımcı Eylem Araştırmasına dayalı kavramsal bir çerçeve önererek ele almaktadır. Çerçeve, yapay zekanın eğitim potansiyelini Katılımcı Eylem Araştırması işbirliğine dayalı ilkeleri ve çocuk merkezli tasarım felsefesi ile birleştirir. Bu çerçeve, ortak tasarım için yapılandırılmış, döngüsel bir süreci ana hatlarıyla ortaya koyarak, çocukları, aileleri ve eğitimcileri teknolojinin yaşam döngüsünde aktif ortaklar olarak güçlendirmektedir. Bu modeli detaylandırarak, makale araştırmacılar, uygulayıcılar ve politika yapıcılar için yeni bir teorik araç sunmakta ve yapay zekanın geleceğinin sadece yenilikçi değil, aynı zamanda eşitlikçi ve temelde çocuk odaklı olmasını sağlamayı amaçlamaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• yapay zeka
• erken çocukluk eğitimi
• katılımcı eylem araştırması
• etik çerçeve
• çocuk merkezli tasarım

Destekleyen Kurum

Yok

Etik Beyan

Declaration of Competing Interests: The author declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. Ethical Declaration: As this study is entirely theoretical and conceptual in nature, and does not involve any primary data collection from human or animal subjects, ethics committee approval was not required. Declaration of Generative AI Use: The conceptual framework and analyses presented in this paper are entirely the author's own work. Generative AI tools were utilized solely for proofreading purposes. The final manuscript was thoroughly reviewed and revised by the author.

Teşekkür

The author is grateful to the anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments and suggestions, which substantially improved the quality of this paper.

Kaynakça

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