{"title":"ChatGPT in early childhood STEM education: Can it be an innovative tool to overcome challenges?","authors":"Hilal Uğraş, Mustafa Uğraş","doi":"10.1007/s10639-024-12960-0","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of using ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence-supported tool, to overcome the challenges in the implementation of early childhood STEM education based on teachers’ views. In the study, a case study, which is a qualitative research method, was used. The participants of the study consisted of 43 early childhood teachers specialized in the field of STEM education who were determined by purposeful sampling method. Within the scope of the study, a training program was developed for teachers to integrate ChatGPT into early childhood STEM education and teachers voluntarily participated in this program. During the training process, the researchers collected data through observation reports and semi-structured interviews conducted after the training. The collected data were subjected to content analysis using MAXQDA software, and themes, categories and codes were identified. The findings revealed the teachers’ views that the use of ChatGPT in early childhood STEM education would be beneficial. It was determined that ChatGPT would provide advantages such as guidance, effective use of existing materials, the opportunity to design student-specific activities, and the potential to complete teachers’ missing knowledge. However, teachers also think that ChatGPT may cause negative situations such as technological addiction, regression in social skills, damage to the teacher-student relationship and misinformation. In conclusion, ChatGPT can benefit students’ education.</p>","PeriodicalId":51494,"journal":{"name":"Education and Information Technologies","volume":"27 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.8000,"publicationDate":"2024-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Education and Information Technologies","FirstCategoryId":"95","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-12960-0","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of using ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence-supported tool, to overcome the challenges in the implementation of early childhood STEM education based on teachers’ views. In the study, a case study, which is a qualitative research method, was used. The participants of the study consisted of 43 early childhood teachers specialized in the field of STEM education who were determined by purposeful sampling method. Within the scope of the study, a training program was developed for teachers to integrate ChatGPT into early childhood STEM education and teachers voluntarily participated in this program. During the training process, the researchers collected data through observation reports and semi-structured interviews conducted after the training. The collected data were subjected to content analysis using MAXQDA software, and themes, categories and codes were identified. The findings revealed the teachers’ views that the use of ChatGPT in early childhood STEM education would be beneficial. It was determined that ChatGPT would provide advantages such as guidance, effective use of existing materials, the opportunity to design student-specific activities, and the potential to complete teachers’ missing knowledge. However, teachers also think that ChatGPT may cause negative situations such as technological addiction, regression in social skills, damage to the teacher-student relationship and misinformation. In conclusion, ChatGPT can benefit students’ education.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Education and Information Technologies (EAIT) is a platform for the range of debates and issues in the field of Computing Education as well as the many uses of information and communication technology (ICT) across many educational subjects and sectors. It probes the use of computing to improve education and learning in a variety of settings, platforms and environments.
The journal aims to provide perspectives at all levels, from the micro level of specific pedagogical approaches in Computing Education and applications or instances of use in classrooms, to macro concerns of national policies and major projects; from pre-school classes to adults in tertiary institutions; from teachers and administrators to researchers and designers; from institutions to online and lifelong learning. The journal is embedded in the research and practice of professionals within the contemporary global context and its breadth and scope encourage debate on fundamental issues at all levels and from different research paradigms and learning theories. The journal does not proselytize on behalf of the technologies (whether they be mobile, desktop, interactive, virtual, games-based or learning management systems) but rather provokes debate on all the complex relationships within and between computing and education, whether they are in informal or formal settings. It probes state of the art technologies in Computing Education and it also considers the design and evaluation of digital educational artefacts. The journal aims to maintain and expand its international standing by careful selection on merit of the papers submitted, thus providing a credible ongoing forum for debate and scholarly discourse. Special Issues are occasionally published to cover particular issues in depth. EAIT invites readers to submit papers that draw inferences, probe theory and create new knowledge that informs practice, policy and scholarship. Readers are also invited to comment and reflect upon the argument and opinions published. EAIT is the official journal of the Technical Committee on Education of the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) in partnership with UNESCO.