Protecting and Scaffolding: How Parents Facilitate Children's Activities in Public Space in Urban China

Abstract

Purpose During the past decades, China has seen a rapid urbanization that has (re)shaped not only its city landscape but also (re)created public space where children live, play, and learn. However, little research has focused on how urban public space influences young children's learning and development and how parents navigate children's development in the public space. Therefore, this research aims to study how public space influences parents’ engagement with their young children. Design/Approach/Methods This study is informed of Bronfenbrenner's Processes, Person, Context, and Time (PPCT) model that sees children's learning as complex and multilateral interactions among various stakeholders including schools, families, and environment. It employed ethnographic approach to study the interactions between children and their parents in a public playground in a Western Chinese city. Findings It found that parents realized public space had been reshaped by urbanization. While they accompanied their children to play, they actively monitored children's safety and cultivated children's physical and social development. In this process, male parents tended to contribute more than they would do in other settings. Originality/Value This study fills the gap by providing a nuanced study exploring how parents fulfill their responsibilities in an integral space of children's development, which has rarely been explored.