Early experiences and child development across China : influences of early education policy, preschool and home learning environments

Abstract

Early learning experiences significantly affect children’s lifelong developmental trajectories. Since 2010, China has implemented several national policies to ensure every preschool-aged child’s participation in high-quality preschool education. While the formulation of such policies may address the disparities in children’s learning and development, it is necessary to understand not just where the disparities exist, but the mechanisms that contribute to them over time. This thesis examines the variations in children’s preschool and home learning experiences and the relations among preschool experiences, home learning environments (HLEs), and child outcomes in China. Four interrelated studies were conducted. Study One examined the changes in preschool attendance and the associations among family socioeconomic status (SES), urbanicity, and preschool attendance. Parent-reported data on 9,271 three- to six-year-olds from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016) were used. Results indicated that over time there were (i) increased preschool attendance rates (PAR) among four- to six-year-olds; (ii) decreases in regional differences in PAR; and, (iii) a narrowing of the gap in PAR between children of more and less educated mothers. Younger children, children from families with lower levels of incomes and maternal education, and from less economically developed areas were less likely than other children to attend preschools. Study Two explored how family SES was related to HLEs and parental expenditure on children’s early learning. Data on 6,912 three- to five-year-olds and their parents from the CFPS (2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016) were used. More educated and higher-income parents and those living in urban areas provided more home learning activities and spent more money on children’s early learning than their counterparts. However, lower-income parents spent a larger percentage of their incomes on children’s early learning than did other parents. From 2010 to 2016, average parental expenditures on early learning increased consistently, but the SES gap in expenditures broadened. Study Three systematically reviewed twenty-nine peer-reviewed journal articles to examine the factors related to preschool quality and the association between preschool quality and child outcomes in China. The included studies investigated the quality of preschools serving children aged three to six years using standardized quality measures. Preschool quality was consistently reported to be related to teachers’ education, salaries, Zhicheng, teacher-to-child ratio, preschool type, and geographic region. The review precluded conclusions about the relation between preschool quality and child outcomes. Study Four investigated the associations among observed preschool quality, parent-report HLEs, and directly assessed early developmental outcomes. Participants were 622 children (M = 57.75 months; 300 girls) from 54 classrooms in Shanghai and Guizhou. Preschool quality was modestly but significantly associated with child outcomes, after adjusting for child, family, program characteristics, and geographic region. HLEs were not significantly related to child outcomes. Subgroup analyses indicated that preschool quality was more strongly related to the outcomes for children in rural areas and those of less educated mothers. The findings suggest that HLEs, preschool quality, and family background characteristics influence child development substantially. Implications of the findings for policy and practice are discussed.