ChatGPT and Lesson Planning in Early Childhood Education: Insights from Early Childhood Educators in the U.S.

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Abstract

This mixed-methods study explored how early childhood educators in a graduate early childhood certification program in the U.S. engaged with ChatGPT to create developmentally appropriate kindergarten lesson plans integrating math and financial literacy. Participants (n = 67) received training on ChatGPT and completed a survey reflecting on their experiences, prompt refinement, strengths, limitations, and support needs. Findings indicated that most educators found the AI-generated plans to be engaging, age-appropriate, and timesaving, though they noted the need for human oversight and prompt adjustments. The study was framed using the POWER principles (Chen & Lin, 2024), emphasizing purposeful, ethical, and responsible AI use. Results highlight the importance of targeted AI literacy training to empower early childhood educators in integrating generative AI into instructional planning.

Authors

• Saigeetha Jambunathan, New Jersey City University

• J.D Jayaraman, New Jersey City University