Teaching Materials and Pedagogy for the Social Domain in Taiwanese Preschools: Core Themes of Curriculum Design
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65150/EP-jsshrs/V2E8/2026-18Keywords:
Social Domain, teaching materials, young childrenAbstract
The overall issue of assessment during early childhood, and its relationship to school readiness and other educational decisions, has been widely debated. The expansion of early childhood education and care enrollment, advances in scientific knowledge about early childhood development, and increasing attention to public expenditure have necessitated careful consideration of which assessment tools should be used, as well as why and when they should be administered. More specifically, the disconnection between the recognized importance of children’s social and emotional development and the relatively limited attention given to these domains in educational programming and assessment has long been a concern. In recent years, however, increasing attention has been devoted to social and emotional development during early childhood, given its importance for both concurrent and later well-being and mental health, as well as learning and academic success. Teachers often view children’s “readiness to learn” and “teachability” as reflected in positive emotional expression, enthusiasm, and the ability to regulate emotions and behaviors (Denham, 2006). Accordingly, young children’s social development constitutes a fundamental dimension of holistic development. It not only influences their interpersonal relationships, emotional regulation, and engagement in learning but is also closely associated with later mental health, academic achievement, and social adjustment. Through interactions with peers, teachers, family members, and the broader community, young children gradually develop competencies in communication, cooperation, empathy, problem-solving, and understanding social norms. Therefore, early childhood education should not focus exclusively on cognitive and language development but should also recognize social development and social-emotional competence as essential components of early childhood curriculum and pedagogy. Accordingly, there is a need for early childhood curricula to provide meaningful social learning experiences through which children can develop social understanding, interpersonal competence, empathy, cooperation, and a sense of belonging. This also highlights the importance of developing appropriate teaching materials and pedagogical approaches for the social domain in preschool education, particularly those grounded in children’s everyday experiences and social interactions. This study explores the core issues in curriculum design for teaching materials and pedagogical approaches in the social domain of Taiwanese preschools.
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