Abstract
Existing studies have explored parental play beliefs in the developed coastal cities in mainland China, leaving parents in developing areas unstudied. This study aimed to understand how these understudied parents view and engage in their children’s play at home, using Bronfenbrenner’s process–person–context–time (PPCT) model. Eight families were interviewed and observed to explore parental beliefs and practices regarding young children’s play at home. Thematic analysis showed that most parents appreciated the importance of play in children’s early development but did not know how to scaffold their children’s play activities. In addition, the high SES families supported child-led play (i.e., free play), whereas the lower SES families adopted traditional rule-based and adult-driven modes. Therefore, more parent education programs and support should be provided to lower SES families in these developing areas.
Highlights
China has launched a series of early childhood education (ECE) reforms to import a child-centered approach from Western societies to replace the teacher-directed pedagogy prevalent in Chinese preschools
Previous studies conducted in developed coastal cities in China, such as Shanghai [2], Shenzhen [3], and Fuzhou [4], have suggested that Chinese parents have transformed their traditional views about play to cope with tensions between their host beliefs based on Chinese traditional cultures and guest ECE notions and practices imported from the West
Parental play beliefs and practices in developing areas remain unknown [5]. To fill this gap in research, this study explored how parents living in the developing area of China viewed and engaged in their children’s play at home
Summary
China has launched a series of early childhood education (ECE) reforms to import a child-centered approach from Western societies to replace the teacher-directed pedagogy prevalent in Chinese preschools. Previous studies conducted in developed coastal cities in China, such as Shanghai [2], Shenzhen [3], and Fuzhou [4], have suggested that Chinese parents have transformed their traditional views about play to cope with tensions between their host beliefs based on Chinese traditional cultures and guest ECE notions and practices imported from the West. Parental play beliefs and practices in developing areas remain unknown [5]. To fill this gap in research, this study explored how parents living in the developing area of China viewed and engaged in their children’s play at home. The findings will provide empirical evidence about the nuanced differences in play beliefs and engagements between parents from different social backgrounds
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