METHODOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS FOR IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION IN PRESCHOOL EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

Ensuring quality in preschool education requires more than compliance with curriculum and infrastructure standards: it requires an institutional methodology connecting management decisions with children’s everyday learning experiences. This article analyses the conceptual foundations of quality improvement in preschool educational institutions and proposes an integrated, context-sensitive framework for Uzbekistan. A qualitative conceptual synthesis was conducted using international research on structural and process quality, UNESCO and UNICEF policy documents, OECD publications, and the national preschool regulatory framework. The analysis integrates systemic, child-centred, activity-oriented, competency-based and reflective approaches. Its principal outcome is an Integrated Preschool Quality Improvement Framework consisting of five interconnected dimensions: organisational conditions; pedagogical interactions; curriculum and developmental learning; inclusion and family partnerships; and leadership and continuous quality governance. A matrix of illustrative assessment indicators and a five-stage improvement cycle are proposed to link diagnosis with professional learning and institutional decisions. The article argues that quality assurance should distinguish the provision of resources from the educational quality of actual interactions and should employ formative, non-stigmatising forms of evidence. As the proposed framework has not yet been evaluated in institutions, it is presented as a testable conceptual contribution rather than an empirically proven intervention. The findings provide a foundation for institutional self-evaluation and future pilot research within preschool education management.