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Digital Inevitability: Families and the Transformation of Early Childhood Education

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Title: Digital Inevitability: Families and the Transformation of Early Childhood Education
Language: English
Authors: Juan José Sosa-Alonso (ORCID 0000-0001-5615-5536), Ana L. Sanabria Mesa (ORCID 0000-0002-9366-2788), Anabel Bethencourt Aguilar (ORCID 0000-0002-3823-0835), Víctor M. Hernández Rivero (ORCID 0000-0001-5551-463X)
Source: European Journal of Education. 2026 61(1).
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 22
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Early Childhood Education, Preschool Children, Family (Sociological Unit), Family Attitudes, Digital Literacy, Computer Attitudes, Expectation, Familiarity, Educational Attainment, Beliefs, Parent Background
Geographic Terms: Spain
DOI: 10.1111/ejed.70424
ISSN: 0141-8211
1465-3435
Abstract: This study investigates family attitudes toward the use of Digital Educational Resources (DER) in Early Childhood Education (ECE), examining how cognitive (knowledge), evaluative (value beliefs) and dispositional (expectations) factors shape both perceived usefulness and acceptance. Drawing on the Theory of Planned Behaviour and critical digital literacy frameworks, a structural equation model (CB-SEM) was applied to responses from 2029 Spanish families with children aged 3-6. The model included three exogenous constructs--knowledge, evaluation and expectations--and two endogenous variables: perceived utility and agreement with DER use. Findings reveal that while knowledge positively influences perceived usefulness, it does not predict actual agreement. Moreover, perceived usefulness--central in traditional technology acceptance models--neither predicts nor mediates acceptance in this context. Expectations, in contrast, emerged as the strongest predictor of agreement, suggesting that socially driven, future-oriented attitudes prevail over critical pedagogical reasoning. Evaluative beliefs, which included both perceived benefits and concerns, showed modest effects and reflected attitudinal ambivalence, particularly among highly educated families. Educational attainment moderated these relationships: families with higher education displayed greater internal consistency, stronger links between expectations and utility, and a more reflective stance; those with lower education levels relied more on practical evaluations and exhibited higher attitudinal variability. These findings highlight the need to move beyond access-based understandings of the digital divide and to address inequalities in critical engagement with educational technologies. The results also call for more cautious, context-sensitive approaches to DER integration in ECE, resisting deterministic assumptions about their pedagogical legitimacy or inevitable acceptance.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1497840
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
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  Data: Digital Inevitability: Families and the Transformation of Early Childhood Education
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  Data: English
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Juan+José+Sosa-Alonso%22">Juan José Sosa-Alonso</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5615-5536">0000-0001-5615-5536</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ana+L%2E+Sanabria+Mesa%22">Ana L. Sanabria Mesa</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9366-2788">0000-0002-9366-2788</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Anabel+Bethencourt+Aguilar%22">Anabel Bethencourt Aguilar</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3823-0835">0000-0002-3823-0835</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Víctor+M%2E+Hernández+Rivero%22">Víctor M. Hernández Rivero</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5551-463X">0000-0001-5551-463X</externalLink>)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22European+Journal+of+Education%22"><i>European Journal of Education</i></searchLink>. 2026 61(1).
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  Data: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Early+Childhood+Education%22">Early Childhood Education</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Early+Childhood+Education%22">Early Childhood Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Preschool+Children%22">Preschool Children</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Family+%28Sociological+Unit%29%22">Family (Sociological Unit)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Family+Attitudes%22">Family Attitudes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Digital+Literacy%22">Digital Literacy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Computer+Attitudes%22">Computer Attitudes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Expectation%22">Expectation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Familiarity%22">Familiarity</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Attainment%22">Educational Attainment</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Beliefs%22">Beliefs</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Parent+Background%22">Parent Background</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Spain%22">Spain</searchLink>
– Name: DOI
  Label: DOI
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  Data: 10.1111/ejed.70424
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  Data: 0141-8211<br />1465-3435
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  Data: This study investigates family attitudes toward the use of Digital Educational Resources (DER) in Early Childhood Education (ECE), examining how cognitive (knowledge), evaluative (value beliefs) and dispositional (expectations) factors shape both perceived usefulness and acceptance. Drawing on the Theory of Planned Behaviour and critical digital literacy frameworks, a structural equation model (CB-SEM) was applied to responses from 2029 Spanish families with children aged 3-6. The model included three exogenous constructs--knowledge, evaluation and expectations--and two endogenous variables: perceived utility and agreement with DER use. Findings reveal that while knowledge positively influences perceived usefulness, it does not predict actual agreement. Moreover, perceived usefulness--central in traditional technology acceptance models--neither predicts nor mediates acceptance in this context. Expectations, in contrast, emerged as the strongest predictor of agreement, suggesting that socially driven, future-oriented attitudes prevail over critical pedagogical reasoning. Evaluative beliefs, which included both perceived benefits and concerns, showed modest effects and reflected attitudinal ambivalence, particularly among highly educated families. Educational attainment moderated these relationships: families with higher education displayed greater internal consistency, stronger links between expectations and utility, and a more reflective stance; those with lower education levels relied more on practical evaluations and exhibited higher attitudinal variability. These findings highlight the need to move beyond access-based understandings of the digital divide and to address inequalities in critical engagement with educational technologies. The results also call for more cautious, context-sensitive approaches to DER integration in ECE, resisting deterministic assumptions about their pedagogical legitimacy or inevitable acceptance.
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  Data: 2026
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      – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries
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      – SubjectFull: Early Childhood Education
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      – SubjectFull: Preschool Children
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