Chinese young children’s work education under the impact of the global pandemic and digitalization

Abstract

ABSTRACT Work education constitutes a unique element of early childhood education for Chinese young children. The COVID-19 pandemic and the associated school closures have forced children to study online, making work education almost impossible. This study aimed to examine the status quo and the profiles of early work education done by Chinese parents. 1564 Chinese parents with young children (aged 3–6 years) completed an online survey. Nine parents were interviewed. Findings indicated that: (1) parents scored the highest on resilience education, followed by responsibility and creativity; (2) three profiles of work education emerged: the least level, the medium level, the highest level; (3) there were significant effects of regions, household income, and educational levels; (4) the pandemic and digitalization rendered work education more intelligent, while also reducing children’s work practice in the outdoor; and (5) parents raised concerns about early digital addiction. Implications for early childhood education are also discussed.