Redefining early childhood pedagogy: Validating a digital-era competency model for innovation, creativity, and social interaction

Education Transformation in the Industrial Revolution 4.0 era demands early‑childhood teachers to possess pedagogical competencies that are not only theoretical but also innovative, creative, and contextual. These competencies are essential for supporting the holistic development of young children, encompassing cognitive, social, emotional, and motor dimensions. This study aimed to develop and validate a Pedagogical Competency Model 4.0, consisting of four main constructs: learning innovation, creativity, social interaction, and pedagogical implementation. This study employed a quantitative approach to test a theoretical model using Confirmatory Factor Analysis and group invariance testing to assess the validity and reliability of the theoretical constructs of the Early Childhood Education Teacher Competency Model 4.0. The participants were 351 teachers recruited from various schools across Indonesia. The competency model was evaluated using an instrument administered on a four‑point Likert scale. The results indicated that the model exhibited excellent fit with all goodness-of-fit indices meeting acceptable thresholds. All constructs demonstrated strong convergent validity, discriminant validity, and high reliability. The novelty of this study lies in the development of a Pedagogical Competency 4.0 model that integratively combines four essential elements for early childhood education learning that are relevant in the digital era. This model can serve as both a conceptual framework and a measurement instrument for the comprehensive development and evaluation of teachers’ competencies. Its practical implications include contributions to policies aimed at improving Early Childhood Education teacher quality, competency-based training programs, and the design of curricula that are responsive to the challenges of 21st-century education.