The purpose of this study is to examine whether there is a mediating effect of digital competency in the effect of play teaching efficacy of kindergarten teachers on digital play support capabilities, and for the purpose of this study, research questi...
The purpose of this study is to examine whether there is a mediating effect of digital competency in the effect of play teaching efficacy of kindergarten teachers on digital play support capabilities, and for the purpose of this study, research questions were set as follows.
Question 1. What is the general trend of kindergarten teachers' play teaching efficacy, digital competency, and digital play support competency?
Question 2. What is the relationship between kindergarten teachers' play teaching efficacy and digital play support capabilities and digital capabilities?
Question 3. What is the mediating effect of digital competency in the effect of kindergarten teachers' play teaching efficacy on digital play support capabilities?
In order to achieve these research goals, this study surveyed 313 teachers working in kindergartens and collected data. The SPSS 29.0 program was used to perform descriptive statistical analysis, correlation analysis, hierarchical regression analysis, and bootstrapping on the collected data. The results of the analysis of this study are as follows.
First, the general trend of kindergarten teachers' play teaching efficacy, digital competence, and digital play support capacity was found to be generally high. The efficacy of play teaching was highest in the order of expectation of the results of play teaching and belief in the efficacy of play teaching, and digital competence was highest in the order of digital information and literacy acquisition, digital citizenship, understanding of digital education policies and curricula, digital communication and cooperation, digital professional development, implementation of digital education and content creation, and operation of digital education environment. In addition, the digital play support capability was found to be high in the order of digital play response and communication, understanding digital play, digital play observation, and digital play operation.
Second, as a result of examining the relationship between kindergarten teachers' play teaching efficacy, digital play support capacity, and digital competence, it was found that there was a significant static correlation between both of them.
Third, in the effect of kindergarten teachers' play teaching efficacy on digital play support capabilities, digital competencies were found to play a complete mediating role.
In this study, it is meaningful to examine the effect of kindergarten teachers' play teaching efficacy on digital play support competencies and to verify the mediating role of digital competencies. This means that play teaching efficacy and digital competence are important factors in kindergarten teachers' ability to support digital play. Therefore, it is expected that in-depth research on play teaching efficacy and digital competence, which have a positive impact on kindergarten teachers' digital play support capabilities, and various factors that affect digital play support capabilities, will be further conducted to develop in a positive direction in supporting digital play for young children.