THE APPLICATION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TECHNOLOGY IN EARLY CHILDHOOD LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

Authors

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools are becoming more and more prevalent in early childhood education, but their effects on language development and the pedagogical settings in which they work best have not yet been thoroughly examined. This review takes a sociocultural stance and uses the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) theory to analyze AI-assisted language learning. Sixteen peer-reviewed empirical papers representing study contexts from various nations and regions that were published since 2021 and indexed in Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus were combined. Three types of AI tools are the main focus of current research: speech-based systems, social robots, and conversational agents/chatbots.The results show that children's linguistic engagement and participation during learning activities, story comprehension, and vocabulary acquisition all consistently gain from AI. According to ZPD, AI works best when it serves as a kind of scaffolding, facilitating interactional processes like dialogic prompting, instant feedback, and cooperative attention, and when these interactions are coordinated with kids' developmental needs under the direction of educators or caregivers. Overall, AI technologies show great promise for improving early language development when they are developed and used to supplement rather than replace socially mediated education. To support theory-informed and evidence-based integration of AI in early childhood language education, future research should make more use of longitudinal designs, expand validation across cross-cultural and multilingual contexts, and more precisely define scaffolding mechanisms.

Author Biographies

Yuxi Zhang, Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.

YU-XI ZHANG is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at the Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). Her research interests include AI in education and technology innovation in teaching and learning, with a particular focus on the application of AI technologies in early childhood education, language learning, and educational robotics.

She previously participated in the 2020 research project “The Role of Yellow River Culture in Promoting the Rise of Central Plains,” funded by the Henan Federation of Social Sciences.

Her recent academic outputs include the published article “Investigating the Effects of AI-Supported Instructional Design on Early Childhood Language Development Through AI Modeling” in the International Journal of Arts and Social Science (Vol. 8, Issue 12, December 2025), as well as “The Impact of AI Educational Robots on Early Childhood Mathematics Education: A Systematic Literature Review” (August 2025). She has also completed the study “Development and Design of Artificial Intelligence Robot-Assisted Chinese Language Education Modules for Young Children: A Study Based on the DDR Model” (September 2025).In addition, her paper “The Effects of Different Types of Screen Use on Children’s Academic Performance in Online Learning Contexts” has been accepted for publication by the journal Cognitive Strategies in Study (December 2025). She is also a co-author of “A Legal and Policy Analysis of Early Childhood Education Management,” which has been accepted by Cadernos de Direito Actual (accepted on 25 December 2025; scheduled for publication in No. 30 [2025] or No. 31 [2026]).She also presented her paper “Application of Artificial Intelligence Robot-Assisted Teaching in Early Childhood Language Education: A Systematic Literature Review” at the MICED 2025 academic conference in October 2025.

Hazrati Binti Husnin, Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.

Dr. Hazrati Binti Husnin is a senior lecturer at the Centre for Teaching and Learning Innovation, Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). She has over ten years of academic experience in instructional design, educational technology, and information and communication technology. Her research interests include interactive media, information systems, and the integration of innovative technologies in teaching and learning. She has published numerous academic papers, including articles indexed in major scholarly databases.

Intan Farahana Binti Kamsin, Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.

Dr. Intan Farahana Binti Kamsin is a senior lecturer at the Centre of Innovation Studies in Learning and Teaching (Information Technology & Resources), Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). She is engaged in teaching and research related to innovation in teaching and learning, educational resources, and information technology. She is based at the UKM Bangi campus in Selangor, Malaysia.

Downloads

Published

2026-05-05

How to Cite

Zhang, Y., Husnin, H. B., & Kamsin, I. F. B. (2026). THE APPLICATION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TECHNOLOGY IN EARLY CHILDHOOD LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT. International Online Journal of Education and Teaching, 13(2), 1–16. Retrieved from https://iojet.org/index.php/IOJET/article/view/2306

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 2 (2026): CURRENT ISSUE

Section

Articles

License

Authors retain copyright to their work, licensing it under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License and grant the journal exclusive right  of first publication with the work simultaneously and it allows others to copy and redistribute the work for non-commercial purposes, with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in IOJET and provided that no changes were made on the article.