A298: Improving Preschool Teachers' Physical Education Abilities Through Digitalization

The digital transformation of preschool physical activities is crucial for improving the quality of physical education in kindergartens, promoting educational outcomes, and supporting national educational development. However, many preschool teachers lack the knowledge and skills required for intelligent teaching, especially in applying artificial intelligence technologies, resulting in superficial and ineffective digital transformation. This issue stems from the insufficient digital teaching abilities of preschool teachers. This study aims to analyze the current state of these abilities, identify influencing factors, and propose practical improvement pathways to support the digital transformation of preschool physical activities. Method: This study employed a questionnaire survey method, adapted from the "Survey on Preschool Teachers' Information Technology Application Abilities" developed by Yang Zhuanhuan and colleagues. Simple random sampling was used to select 150 teachers from the Fengtai District of Beijing. A Likert 5-point scale was used for responses. The scale, including sub-dimensions, met standards (Cronbach's alpha > 0.8). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) showed a KMO value of 0.872, with Bartlett's test of sphericity indicating significant correlations among variables (X2 = 1285.36, p 0.05). The study found that preschool teachers' scores in the knowledge base dimension were significantly higher than in the technology application, instructional design, evaluation, reflection, and organizational management dimensions. 92% of teachers have basic knowledge of digital teaching, and about 70% use multimedia presentations effectively. However, only 15% apply more advanced digital tools. Key challenges include insufficient competence with complex digital tools, a lack of proactive learning, limited theoretical training opportunities, inadequate infrastructure, and limited experience sharing among teachers. To address these issues, the study recommends specialized training tailored to practical needs, increased hands-on training, improved equipment and network facilities, and greater teacher collaboration. Teachers' digital application abilities currently exhibit adequate awareness, but weak practice due to insufficient depth in technology application. To support the intelligent transformation of preschool physical activities, it is essential to enhance teachers' digital teaching abilities through three pathways: resource support, capacity building, and ecosystem development.