Content, Models, and Prospects of Kindergarten Teacher Training in Developed Countries: A Case Study of the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore

As a key component of educational modernization, the core of enhancing preschool education quality lies in the professional development of teachers. Although the current kindergarten teacher training system in China plays an important role in building the teaching workforce, its theoretical framework still lags behind practical exploration. In contrast, developed countries, with their mature education systems and advanced educational philosophies, have accumulated rich experience in kindergarten teacher training. Therefore, this study uses the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore as case studies and applies grounded theory methods along with Nvivo 11 Plus software to code and analyze literature, systematically deconstructing the content system and organizational models of kindergarten teacher training in developed countries. The study finds that the five countries generally construct curriculum frameworks oriented around core competencies, emphasizing the deep integration of practical skills and theoretical knowledge. Additionally, they adopt phased, multi-subject collaborative training models that effectively meet the professional development needs of teachers. Based on these findings, the study proposes four recommendations: (1) constructing a "competency-based" content system; (2) promoting a "multi-cooperative" organizational model; (3) improving the "dynamic closed-loop" quality assurance mechanism; and (4) focusing on "special groups" and "emerging fields," to provide theoretical and practical paths for the systematic reform of kindergarten teacher training in China.