Welcome to Francis Academic Press

International Journal of New Developments in Education, 2026, 8(4); doi: 10.25236/IJNDE.2026.080406.

Supply-side Reform of Preschool Education Major Courses in the Era of Negative Population Growth: A Paradigm Shift from "Discipline-based" to "Competency-based"

Author(s)

Xiaoxue Ke

Corresponding Author:
Xiaoxue Ke
Affiliation(s)

College of Tourism and Arts, Hainan Technology and Business College, Haikou, 570203, Hainan, China

Abstract

The trend of negative population growth continues to solidify, driving a deep transformation in China's preschool education industry from "scale expansion" to "quality improvement." Integrated childcare and digitalization have become mainstream development directions, imposing higher demands on the comprehensive professional competencies of preschool education specialists. Currently, China's preschool education curricula remain centered on "disciplinary orientation," facing challenges such as disconnect from industry needs, insufficient practical focus, and content homogenization, making it difficult to meet contemporary requirements. This study employs literature review, questionnaire surveys, and interviews to analyze the current state and challenges of preschool education curricula in the era of negative population growth. It explores the connotation, necessity, internal logic, and supporting conditions for transitioning from "disciplinary orientation" to "competency orientation" in curriculum supply, proposing reform pathways across five dimensions: curriculum objectives, content, teaching, evaluation, and support. The research demonstrates that paradigm transformation in curriculum supply is an inevitable choice to address structural mismatches between talent supply and demand and to promote the connotative development of preschool education. It provides theoretical and practical references for related curriculum reforms.

Keywords

negative population growth; preschool education major; supply-side reform of curriculum

Cite This Paper

Xiaoxue Ke. Supply-side Reform of Preschool Education Major Courses in the Era of Negative Population Growth: A Paradigm Shift from "Discipline-based" to "Competency-based". International Journal of New Developments in Education (2026), Vol. 8, Issue 4: 37-42. https://doi.org/10.25236/IJNDE.2026.080406.

References

[1] Liu C. Optimization Path of Curriculum System for Preschool Education Majors in Higher Vocational Colleges under the Background of "Integration of Preschool and Child Care" [J]. Shanxi Education, 2024, (36): 26-28.

[2] Xu X C, Li Y. Curriculum system reconstruction and practical innovation for cultivating outstanding talents in preschool education [J]. Journal of Teacher Education, 2020, 7 (03): 92-98.

[3] Zhong Q Q. Theory and Practice of Ability Based Education: A Discussion on Curriculum Reform in Preschool Education [M]. Beijing: Education Science Press, 2022.