{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,15]],"date-time":"2026-10-15T06:45:32Z","timestamp":1792046732273,"version":"4.4.0"},"update-to":[{"DOI":"10.12688\/f1000research.185645.1","type":"new_version","label":"New version","source":"publisher","updated":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,6]],"date-time":"2026-10-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1791244800000}}],"reference-count":24,"publisher":"F1000 Research Ltd","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,6]],"date-time":"2026-10-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1791244800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["f1000research.com"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["F1000Res"],"abstract":"<ns3:p>Background The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning technologies into education creates new opportunities for personalized learning in early childhood education (ECE). Yet limited research has examined how educators interpret and enact AI-responsive curriculum decisions in preschool settings, particularly in culturally diverse contexts. Purpose This study explores educators\u2019 experiences in designing and implementing AI-responsive curricula and develops a conceptual framework explaining how AI can inform curriculum decision-making for young children without displacing teacher judgment. Method An interpretive phenomenological study was conducted at TK Harapan Bangsa, Makassar, Indonesia, with nine adult participants: six preschool teachers, two curriculum specialists, and one AI tool developer-collaborator whose expert interview supplied technical context. Data comprised two in-depth interviews with each teacher, interviews with curriculum specialists and the developer-collaborator, 18 non-participant observations, and analysis of AI-supported planning documents. MAXQDA 2024 supported data management. Giorgi\u2019s phenomenological method was operationalized through first-order meaning units, second-order interpretive themes, and third-order composite constructs. Triangulation, reflexive memoing, an audit trail, member checking, and peer debriefing supported trustworthiness. Findings Three interconnected constructs emerged. Predictive Developmental Tracking describes AI-supported identification of developmental readiness and possible concerns. AI-Responsive Curriculum Adaptation captures teachers\u2019 active interrogation and contextual modification of algorithmic recommendations. Deep Learning as Pedagogical Scaffold positions AI as a support that amplifies, rather than replaces, professional expertise. Together, the constructs informed the AI-Responsive Curriculum Design (ARCD) Framework. Conclusion The ARCD Framework explains AI-responsive curriculum implementation as a relational process combining predictive insight, ecological sensitivity, and educator agency. It offers implications for curriculum policy, teacher professional development, and ethical AI integration in ECE.<\/ns3:p>","DOI":"10.12688\/f1000research.185645.2","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,6]],"date-time":"2026-10-06T11:29:09Z","timestamp":1791286149000},"page":"1172","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.12688\/f1000research.crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Designing an AI-Responsive Early Childhood Curriculum: A Conceptual Framework for Supporting Developmental Learning Trajectories in Preschool Education"],"prefix":"10.12688","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-5807-0886","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Herlina","family":"Herlina","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Early Childhood Education Program Makassar South Sulawesi 90222 Universitas Negeri Makassar"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8859-7184","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Chandra","family":"Apriyansyah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Doctoral Program in Early Childhood Education East Jakarta DKI Jakarta 13320 Universitas Negeri Jakarta"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4818-0456","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rusmayadi","family":"Rusmayadi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Early Childhood Education Program Makassar South Sulawesi 90222 Universitas Negeri Makassar"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7712-0612","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Herman","family":"Herman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Early Childhood Education Program Makassar South Sulawesi 90222 Universitas Negeri Makassar"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"2560","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,6]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"82-115","DOI":"10.1016\/j.inffus.2019.12.012","article-title":"Explainable artificial intelligence (XAI): Concepts, taxonomies, opportunities and challenges toward responsible AI.","volume":"58","author":"A Arrieta","year":"2020","journal-title":"Inf. Fusion."},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"27-40","DOI":"10.3316\/QRJ0902027","article-title":"Document analysis as a qualitative research method.","volume":"9","author":"G Bowen","year":"2009","journal-title":"Qual. Res. J."},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.48550\/arXiv.2108.07258","article-title":"On the opportunities and risks of foundation models.","author":"R Bommasani","year":"2021","journal-title":"arXiv."},{"key":"ref5","first-page":"1877-1901","article-title":"Language models are few-shot learners.","volume":"33","author":"T Brown","year":"2020","journal-title":"Adv. Neural Inf. Proces. Syst."},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4159\/9780674028845","author":"U Bronfenbrenner","year":"1979","journal-title":"The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design."},{"key":"ref7","article-title":"Universal design for learning guidelines version 2.2.","year":"2018"},{"key":"ref43","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"701-740","DOI":"10.1613\/jair.1.16882","article-title":"A Scoping Study on AI Affordances in Early Childhood Education: Mapping the Global Landscape, Identifying Research Gaps, and Charting Future Research Directions.","volume":"81","author":"J Chen","year":"2024","journal-title":"Journal of Artificial Intelligence Research."},{"key":"ref46","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"379","DOI":"10.1145\/3613905.3650770","author":"J Chin","year":"2024","journal-title":"CHI\u201924 Extended Abstracts of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems."},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"80-88","DOI":"10.1177\/1558689812437186","article-title":"Triangulation 2.0.","volume":"6","author":"N Denzin","year":"2012","journal-title":"J. Mixed Methods Res."},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"155-174","DOI":"10.1080\/0305764X.2020.1815653","article-title":"Digital\u2013play as a pedagogical tool: Early childhood educators creating digital learning environments.","volume":"51","author":"M Fleer","year":"2021","journal-title":"Camb. J. Educ."},{"key":"ref17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.5281\/zenodo.20839910","article-title":"Interview Instrument and Transcript for Research Entitled {Designing an {AI}-Responsive Early Childhood Curriculum: A Conceptual Framework for Supporting Developmental Learning Trajectories in Preschool Education}.","author":"H Hasan","year":"2026","journal-title":"Zenodo."},{"key":"ref21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"436-444","DOI":"10.1038\/nature14539","article-title":"Deep learning.","volume":"521","author":"Y LeCun","year":"2015","journal-title":"Nature."},{"key":"ref22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"102274","DOI":"10.1016\/j.lindif.2023.102274","article-title":"ChatGPT for good? On opportunities and challenges of large language models for education.","volume":"103","author":"E Kasneci","year":"2023","journal-title":"Learn. Individ. Differ."},{"key":"ref23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"100074","DOI":"10.1016\/j.caeai.2022.100074","article-title":"Explainable artificial intelligence in education.","volume":"3","author":"H Khosravi","year":"2022","journal-title":"Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence."},{"key":"ref49","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/10901027.2025.2552973","article-title":"Culturally responsive AI module in early childhood teacher education: An action research.","author":"X Li","year":"2025","journal-title":"Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education."},{"key":"ref48","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.54675\/ZJTE2084","author":"F Miao","year":"2024","journal-title":"AI Competency Framework for Teachers."},{"key":"ref26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"117-175","DOI":"10.1207\/s1532690xci0102_1","article-title":"Reciprocal teaching of comprehension-fostering and comprehension-monitoring activities.","volume":"1","author":"A Palincsar","year":"1984","journal-title":"Cogn. Instr."},{"key":"ref34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","year":"2000","journal-title":"From neurons to neighborhoods: The science of early childhood development.","DOI":"10.17226\/9824"},{"key":"ref44","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"5494-5508","DOI":"10.1080\/10494820.2023.2217864","article-title":"Artificial Intelligence (AI) literacy in early childhood education: An intervention study in Hong Kong.","volume":"32","author":"J Su","year":"2024a","journal-title":"Interactive Learning Environments."},{"key":"ref45","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"6496-6508","DOI":"10.1080\/10494820.2023.2266490","article-title":"Powerful or mediocre? Kindergarten teachers\u2019 perspectives on using ChatGPT in early childhood education.","volume":"32","author":"J Su","year":"2024b","journal-title":"Interactive Learning Environments."},{"key":"ref40","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"642-668","DOI":"10.17763\/1943-5045-86.3.366","article-title":"Cross-pollinating culturally sustaining pedagogy and universal design for learning: Toward an equity-centered framework.","volume":"86","author":"F Waitoller","year":"2016","journal-title":"Harv. Educ. Rev."},{"key":"ref41","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"89-100","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1469-7610.1976.tb00381.x","article-title":"The role of tutoring in problem solving.","volume":"17","author":"D Wood","year":"1976","journal-title":"J. Child Psychol. Psychiatry."},{"key":"ref42","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1839-1850","DOI":"10.1038\/s41562-024-02004-5","article-title":"Promises and challenges of generative artificial intelligence for human learning.","volume":"8","author":"L Yan","year":"2024","journal-title":"Nature Human Behaviour."},{"key":"ref47","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"em2793","DOI":"10.29333\/ejmste\/18068","article-title":"Applications of generative AI in early childhood education: A systematic review.","volume":"22","author":"Y Zhang","year":"2026","journal-title":"Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education."}],"container-title":["F1000Research"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/f1000research.com\/articles\/15-1172\/v2\/xml","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/f1000research.com\/articles\/15-1172\/v2\/pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/f1000research.com\/articles\/15-1172\/v2\/iparadigms","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,15]],"date-time":"2026-10-15T06:09:08Z","timestamp":1792044548000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/f1000research.com\/articles\/15-1172\/v2"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,6]]},"references-count":24,"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.12688\/f1000research.185645.2","relation":{"has-version":[{"id-type":"doi","id":"10.12688\/f1000research.185645.1","asserted-by":"subject"}],"has-review":[{"id-type":"doi","id":"10.5256\/f1000research.209452.r527774","asserted-by":"subject"},{"id-type":"doi","id":"10.5256\/f1000research.209452.r528542","asserted-by":"subject"},{"id-type":"doi","id":"10.5256\/f1000research.209452.r528542","asserted-by":"object"},{"id-type":"doi","id":"10.5256\/f1000research.209452.r527774","asserted-by":"object"}]},"ISSN":["2046-1402"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2046-1402","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,6]]},"assertion":[{"value":"Indexed","URL":"https:\/\/f1000research.com\/articles\/15-1172\/v2#article-reports","order":0,"name":"referee-status","label":"Referee status","group":{"name":"current-referee-status","label":"Current Referee Status"}},{"value":"10.5256\/f1000research.204905.r508395, Irma Yuliantina, Universitas Panca Sakti Bekasi, Bekasi, West Java, 10 Aug 2026, version 1, 1 approved, 1 approved with reservations","URL":"https:\/\/f1000research.com\/articles\/15-1172\/v1#referee-response-508395","order":0,"name":"referee-response-508395","label":"Referee Report","group":{"name":"article-reports","label":"Article Reports"}},{"value":"<b>Herlina Herlina<\/b>; \n<i>Posted: 27 Aug 2026<\/i>; We would like to sincerely thank Reviewer 1, Irma Yuliantina, for the careful, constructive, and valuable evaluation of our manuscript. We greatly appreciate the reviewer\u2019s insightful comments and suggestions, which have helped us improve the clarity, consistency, and methodological transparency of the manuscript. We have carefully considered the reviewer\u2019s comments and have revised the manuscript accordingly. Our point-by-point response is provided below.  Comment 1 \u2013 Participant-Count Inconsistency \n<b>Reviewer\u2019s Comment:<\/b> \u201cEnsure the number of participants is consistent between the abstract and the methods section. The abstract mentions six teachers and two curriculum specialists, totaling eight participants; however, the methods section lists nine participants by including an AI developer. The author needs to clarify this and use the same number of participants consistently.\u201d \n<b>Response:<\/b> Thank you very much for identifying this important inconsistency. We fully agree that the participant information should be presented consistently and transparently throughout the manuscript. In response to the reviewer\u2019s comment, we have carefully revised the manuscript so that the total number of adult participants is consistently reported as \n<b>nine<\/b>. The participants comprise \n<b>six preschool teachers, two curriculum specialists, and one AI tool developer-collaborator<\/b>. To clarify the different roles of these participants, the six preschool teachers remain the \n<b>primary phenomenological participants<\/b>, as their lived experiences constitute the central empirical focus of the study. The two curriculum specialists and the AI tool developer-collaborator serve as \n<b>expert informants<\/b>, contributing complementary curricular and technical perspectives that support the interpretation of the educators\u2019 accounts and the development of the proposed framework. We have also explicitly clarified the role of the AI tool developer-collaborator as an additional expert informant who provided technical context for interpreting the teachers\u2019 experiences. This distinction ensures that the inclusion of the technical informant does not obscure the phenomenological focus of the study. \n<b>Changes in the Manuscript:<\/b> The participant information has been revised consistently across the \n<b>Abstract \u2013 Method, Methodology \u2013 Participants, and Data Collection Procedures<\/b> sections. Table 1 has also been checked and remains consistent with \n<b>n = 9<\/b>. The revised wording in the Abstract now states: \u201cAn interpretive phenomenological study was conducted at TK Harapan Bangsa, Makassar, Indonesia, with nine adult participants: six preschool teachers, two curriculum specialists, and one AI tool developer-collaborator whose expert interview supplied technical context.\u201d  We believe this revision provides a clearer distinction between the primary phenomenological participants and the additional expert informants while ensuring consistency in participant reporting throughout the manuscript. Once again, we sincerely thank Reviewer 1 for identifying this issue and for helping us improve the methodological clarity and consistency of our manuscript.","URL":"https:\/\/f1000research.com\/articles\/15-1172\/v2#referee-comment-17007","order":1,"name":"referee-comment-17007","label":"Referee Comment","group":{"name":"article-reports","label":"Article Reports"}},{"value":"10.5256\/f1000research.209452.r527774, Diah Andika Sari, Universitas Muhammadiyah Jakarta, Jakarta, Special Capital Region of Jakarta, 15 Oct 2026, version 2, indexed","URL":"https:\/\/f1000research.com\/articles\/15-1172\/v2#referee-response-527774","order":2,"name":"referee-response-527774","label":"Referee Report","group":{"name":"article-reports","label":"Article Reports"}},{"value":"10.5256\/f1000research.209452.r528542, Hardiyanti Pratiwi, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Special Region of Yogyakarta, 13 Oct 2026, version 2, indexed","URL":"https:\/\/f1000research.com\/articles\/15-1172\/v2#referee-response-528542","order":3,"name":"referee-response-528542","label":"Referee Report","group":{"name":"article-reports","label":"Article Reports"}},{"value":"This work was supported by the Indonesian Education Scholarship (BPI), jointly funded by the Center for Higher Education Funding and Assessment (PPAPT), Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, Republic of Indonesia, and the Indonesian Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP), Ministry of Finance, Republic of Indonesia, under Scholarship Award  Chandra Apriyansyah No. 202327091354. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.","order":4,"name":"grant-information","label":"Grant Information"},{"value":"This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.","order":0,"name":"copyright-info","label":"Copyright"}]}}