An integrated model of teaching innovation, creativity, social interaction, and ICT competence in predicting pedagogical competence of early childhood teachers

This study examines the structural relationships among teaching innovation, creativity, social interaction, training intensity, Study Program, ICT competence, and pedagogical competence among in-service early childhood teachers in Indonesia. A quantitative explanatory design was employed, with data collected from 351 early childhood teachers who are alumni of PGPAUD, PIAUD, and PKAUD programs. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4. The findings reveal that social interaction is the strongest predictor of pedagogical competence, followed by creativity and teaching innovation. ICT Competence demonstrates a significant but modest direct association with pedagogical competence and functions as a weak mediator. Teaching innovation shows the strongest relationship with ICT, indicating that exposure to innovative instructional practices during teacher preparation is positively related to digital skills development. Conversely, training participation and Study Program are not significantly associated with ICT or pedagogical competence, suggesting inconsistencies in training quality across programs. The structural model explains 66.1% of the variance in pedagogical competence, indicating strong predictive power. This study contributes an integrated competence model incorporating social, creative, and technological dimensions of early childhood teacher preparation, with practical implications for curriculum design and training program development.