Peer-reviewed article
How AI-enhanced learning activities contribute to digital literacy in pre-service pre-school teachers.
Zhu W, Vorawattanachai P ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined how AI-enhanced learning activities affect digital literacy in pre-service early childhood teacher students at a Chinese university. 212 student teachers participated in AI-enhanced activities for one semester. The research found that engagement with these activities was positively linked to digital literacy development, with particularly strong effects on information usage and organization skills.
Key points
- Students showed moderate overall digital literacy levels
- Information usage and organization skills were the strongest areas
- Metacognition and problem-solving were relatively weaker
- AI-enhanced learning activities were significantly positively related to all dimensions of digital literacy
- Structural equation modeling confirmed AI activities made significant positive contribution to overall digital literacy
Limitations
This study focuses on teacher training rather than child well-being outcomes. It does not measure whether improved teacher digital literacy translates into better learning experiences or outcomes for the young children these teachers will work with.
Abstract
Introduction This study examined the contribution of AI enhanced learning activities to the digital literacy of preservice early childhood education student teachers. Methods A quantitative post-intervention explanatory design was used involving 212 Early Childhood Education students at a university in Jiangxi Province, China, who participated in AI-enhanced learning activities for one semester. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation, and SEMPLS. Results Students demonstrated a moderate level of digital literacy, with information usage and organization showing the highest scores, while metacognition and problem-solving were relatively lower. Engagement in AI-enhanced learning activities was positively and significantly related to all dimensions of digital literacy. SEM results further showed that AI-enhanced learning activities made a significant positive contribution to overall digital literacy. Discussion These findings suggest that integrating AI enhanced learning activities into pre-service teacher education may support the development of student teachers' digital literacy and better prepare them to integrate AI meaningfully in early childhood settings.