Objectives The purpose of this study was to explore the learning community experiences of pre-service early childhood teachers using AI and their experiences in the process of planninglessons with AI.
Methods This qualitative study selected five secon...
Objectives The purpose of this study was to explore the learning community experiences of pre-service early childhood teachers using AI and their experiences in the process of planninglessons with AI.
Methods This qualitative study selected five second- and third-year undergraduate students as research participants, and a learning community was operated for a total of 10 sessions over 12 weeks. Data were collected through reflection journals, interviews,and discussion records,which were qualitatively analyzed.
Results The results of the study revealed the following. First, through learning community activities using AI, pre-service early childhood teachers experienced the formation of multifaceted relationships, growth through collaboration, and processes of cooperation with and judgment about AI. Second, in the process of planning lessons using AI, pre-service early childhood teachers experienced improvements in the logical coherence of activity goals and content development, a contextual approach to understanding young children’s developmental levels through indirect experiences, and the planning of diverse interactions by constructing hypothetical situations. The lesson planning process using AI was found to involve anticipating and planning from multiple perspectives with support related to young children’s developmentallevels,interests, and interactions.
Conclusions The findings of this study confirm the importance of learning community experiences within teacher education programs and suggest that pre-service early childhood teachers should be supported in critically utilizing educational contexts and professional judgment when planning lessons using AI. The results are expected to serve as foundational data for the systematic design of AI-based education and the development of support strategies within future teacher educationprograms.