Adapting Early Childhood Curriculum to Technology: Insights from South Sulawesi, Indonesia

Digital technologies have emerged as a revolutionary influence in early childhood education, altering how young learners interact with their surroundings. This transition in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, necessitates curricular modifications that align with children’s developmental requirements. Nonetheless, scant empirical research has investigated how adaptive curriculum design meets these requirements in technology-driven environments. This research investigated adaptable curriculum development for early childhood education within technology-integrated environments in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. A mixed-methods approach was employed to gather data from 175 participants, comprising teachers, school leaders, supervisors, and education officials. Furthermore, a structured questionnaire was quantitatively analyzed using Partial Least Squares–Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4. The findings indicated substantial correlations between professional development and digital confidence (β = 0.421, p 0.50; CR > 0.70). The findings suggest that robust professional training enhances educators’ digital preparedness and positively affects their curriculum development in early learning environments. Thematic analysis utilizing NVivo revealed persistent problems, including infrastructural deficiencies, absence of peer mentoring, and discrepancies in local curricular norms. The synthesis of findings indicates that adaptable curriculum design necessitates policy alignment, equal access to digital resources, and teacher autonomy in contextualizing content. This study provides actionable insights for creating an adaptable, technology-responsive curriculum and advocates for ongoing professional development and infrastructure investment. Stakeholders are advised to enhance early childhood education in technologically advancing contexts.