Pre-service Teachers’ Perceptions of Instructional Design for Early Childhood Mathematics: Navigating an Authoring Tool

Abstract

This study forms part of a broader investigation into an innovative training course of technology integration in Early Childhood Education. Conducted within the framework of a teacher training course on incorporating technology into mathematics instructional planning, this work explores the perceptions of pre-service early childhood teachers about this innovation. The training was designed to actively engage the participants in evaluating the pedagogical value of a technological tool, encouraging reflective and critical thinking. Data were collected from 28 participants through two open-ended questions and analysed thematically. Overall, participants expressed positive perceptions towards integrating technology into educational planning, highlighting the benefits of using varied representations to support mathematics instruction. Nevertheless, a notable challenge reported was the difficulty of mastering the technological tool, which may hinder effective application. Despite this, the findings suggest that the training contributed to participants’ confidence and provided essential skills for future practice. The study also identifies specific areas for improvement in teacher preparation programmes to better address the challenges of educational technology integration.