Authors
Yanan Lu, Lin Shi, Ahmad Faudzi Musib
Published in
PloS one. Volume 21. Issue 11. Pages e0348052. Epub Nov 13, 2026.
Abstract
Competency-based reforms increasingly position preschool music as a foundation for children's holistic development. Yet in China, an operational and locally grounded framework of music subject key competencies for preschool children aged 3-6 remains under-specified, limiting the alignment of curriculum goals, classroom activities, and process-oriented assessment.
This study used an inductive qualitative design. Purposive stratified sampling and snowball sampling were used to recruit 30 participants (kindergarten teachers, managers, and preschool/music education experts) from model kindergartens and universities in Henan Province. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted. Data were managed in NVivo 12 Plus and analyzed using an inductive qualitative approach informed by grounded theory coding procedures.
The analysis yielded a seven-dimension framework of music subject key competencies-Music Aesthetic Perception, Artistic Expression, Musical Social Skills, Cultural Understanding, Autonomous Development, Imagination and Creativity, and Physical Movement-together with 24 secondary indicators and observable behaviours. The framework conceptualises early music learning as an integrated developmental process linking perception, embodied action, creative expression, social participation, and cultural meaning-making.
The framework offers music-centered, practice-grounded guidance for preschool music curriculum design and process-focused assessment, and provides a foundation for subsequent scale development, observation tools, and intervention studies in early childhood music education.
PMID:
43024612
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 14 Nov 2026.
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