Getting Poor and Rural Chinese Children Ready for School: Caregivers' Perceptions of School Readiness

Abstract

The Chinese government has enacted various policies to increase provision of early childhood education for children from socially disadvantaged families living in rural areas and to enhance the quality of services. However, comparatively little effort has been devoted to enhancing the home learning environment of poor and rural children through parenting interventions. Against this background, this study examined caregivers' perceptions of school readiness and their practices to promote children's preparedness for school. Participants were 165 caregivers of children (M age = 86.83 months, including 82 girls) who had just enrolled in Primary 1 in a poor county in southwest China. Among them, 80 were mothers, 63 were paternal grandmothers and the rest were fathers or other family members. Participants were surveyed (11 questions using a Likert-scale) on the home learning environment (for e.g., How often does the caregiver read with the child?) and asked to complete 4 open-ended questions on school readiness (for e.g., What should preschools do to help children get ready for school?). Results indicated that children had few cognitive stimulating materials at home. Further, caregivers seldom read stories or played games with children. Caregivers thought that children should have basic school knowledge, social skills, good learning habits and discipline, and moral behavior in order to be ready for school. They believed that preschools had the responsibility to get children academically prepared for primary schools. On the other hand, they felt that they were responsible for meeting children's basic health and social needs and for monitoring their learning. Findings have implications for promoting family involvement in enhancing the school readiness and development of children in rural China.