Exploration of Singapore's National Level Early Childhood Education Curriculum: Focus on Change and Significance

Objectives The purpose of this study was to exlore the Singaporean early childhood education curriculum, which emphasizes competency-based education, and to examine insights that can be applied to our own early childhood education curriculum. A literature review was conducted comparing and analyzing the characteristics, significance, and implications of the Singaporean early childhood education curriculum before and after its revision. Methods A literature review was conducted comparing and analyzing the characteristics, significance, and implications of the Singaporean early childhood education curriculum documents before and after revision. Results Firstly, through the revision process, the Singaporean early childhood education curriculum expanded its understanding of children's learning, and emphasized values, socio-emotional competencies, and learning dispositions. Additionally, it streamlined learning areas and altered area names. These changes are aimed at laying the foundation for learning essential for adapting to future society, fostering lifelong learners from early childhood, and enabling them to grow. Secondly, the Singaporean early childhood education curriculum emphasizes the learning of competent learners and underscores the importance of learning experiences tailored for this purpose. It emphasizes the formation of children's competencies and consistently stresses the intention and role of educators. Furthermore, it encourages interest in assessing children's learning, providing guidance on specific learning content and observable behaviors. Conclusions Through exploring the Singaporean early childhood education curriculum, insights were gained into various content and structures that can be incorporated into educational curriculum documents. It also suggests the need for reflection on the scope of documents that contain this content.