Next Article in Journal
Advancing Artificial Intelligence Literacy in Teacher Education Through Professional Partnership Inquiry
Previous Article in Journal
Let Me Think About It—Establishing “Need to Reflect” as a Motivational Variable in Reflection Processes
Previous Article in Special Issue
Family Diversity from the Perspective of Early Childhood Education Students
 
 
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Modeling Teaching Using Information and Communication Technologies in Early Childhood Education with Functional Diversity: The Case in Spain

by
Dulcenombre de María Fernández-Montoro
1,
Juan Manuel Trujillo-Torres
1,
María-Dolores Benítez-Márquez
2 and
Carmen Rocío Fernández-Fernández
1,*
1
Department of Didactics and School Organization, University of Granada, Cartuja Campus, s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain
2
Department of Applied Economics (Statistics and Econometrics), Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Malaga, El Ejido n° 6, 29071 Malaga, Spain
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(6), 658; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15060658 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 17 February 2025 / Revised: 13 May 2025 / Accepted: 19 May 2025 / Published: 26 May 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cutting-Edge Research on Childhood Special Education)

Abstract

(1) Background: The objective of this study was to verify a model proposed adapted to the case of teachers working in the field of early childhood education of children with functional diversity. The model analyses the relationship between the perceptions, use, and necessity of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and the level of ICT training. (2) Methods: Snowball sampling was used to acquire a random sample of 254 in-service teachers working in early childhood education centers including children with functional diversity in Andalusia (Spain). A partial least squares–structural equation model was developed. (3) Results: A positive relationship between teachers’ perceptions of ICTs and their use was found, corroborating the findings of previous studies on pre-service teachers working with students with functional diversity. However, unlike previous studies, no significant relationship was found between ICT use and needs and the level of ICT training. The novelty of this study is that the participants are in-service teachers, the education context is early childhood, and the model includes age as a control variable, which had a negative impact in this case in Spain. (4) Conclusions: The importance of improving teacher training to optimize the use of ICTs is emphasized. The professionals interviewed highlighted the need for early assessments and increased material and human resources in public educational institutions. The urgency of administrative restructuring to expedite the delivery of financial aid and the recruitment of more specialized professionals is underscored.
Keywords: functional diversity; technologies; ICTs; early childhood education functional diversity; technologies; ICTs; early childhood education

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Fernández-Montoro, D.d.M.; Trujillo-Torres, J.M.; Benítez-Márquez, M.-D.; Fernández-Fernández, C.R. Modeling Teaching Using Information and Communication Technologies in Early Childhood Education with Functional Diversity: The Case in Spain. Educ. Sci. 2025, 15, 658. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15060658

AMA Style

Fernández-Montoro DdM, Trujillo-Torres JM, Benítez-Márquez M-D, Fernández-Fernández CR. Modeling Teaching Using Information and Communication Technologies in Early Childhood Education with Functional Diversity: The Case in Spain. Education Sciences. 2025; 15(6):658. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15060658

Chicago/Turabian Style

Fernández-Montoro, Dulcenombre de María, Juan Manuel Trujillo-Torres, María-Dolores Benítez-Márquez, and Carmen Rocío Fernández-Fernández. 2025. "Modeling Teaching Using Information and Communication Technologies in Early Childhood Education with Functional Diversity: The Case in Spain" Education Sciences 15, no. 6: 658. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15060658

APA Style

Fernández-Montoro, D. d. M., Trujillo-Torres, J. M., Benítez-Márquez, M.-D., & Fernández-Fernández, C. R. (2025). Modeling Teaching Using Information and Communication Technologies in Early Childhood Education with Functional Diversity: The Case in Spain. Education Sciences, 15(6), 658. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15060658

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop