Contemporary trends and developments in early childhood education in China

Zhu, Jiaxiong; Zhang, Jie

doi:10.1080/09575140802163584

Cited by 123 publications

(98 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Pressure caused by such academic competition makes parents anxious about academic achievements as soon as their children reach preschool age. As a result of this, Chinese parents are more in favor of drilling the memorization of many verses of songs and poems, and obedience toward the elderly rather than creativity or learning through play (Zhu & Zhang, 2008). Unaware of the benefits of developmentally appropriate curriculum and child-oriented education theory, many parents request kindergartens to focus on academic subjects like mathematics and reading.…”

Section: Cultural Beliefsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Influential philosophies written by Dewey, Piaget, and Vygotsky are becoming popular and widely introduced among early childhood education practitioners in contemporary China. Curriculum approaches such as High Scope, Integrated Theme-based Curriculum, Project Approach, Reggio Emilia, and Montessori are being widely integrated into both public and private kindergartens (Zhu & Zhang, 2008). According to Li and Li's work (2003), some trials of implanting Reggio Emilia and Montessori curriculum have proven to be unsuccessful in the Chinese sociocultural context (as cited in Zhu & Zhang).…”

Section: Foreign Influencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…First, the Kindergarten Work Regulations and Procedures was issued by the National Education Committee of the People's Republic of China in 1989 as an effort to promote and measure curriculum reform in Early Childhood Education (Zhu & Zhang, 2008). It emphasizes the following aspects: (1) child-initiated activities, (2) individual differences, (3) the importance of play, (4) an integrated curriculum, and (5) the process of activities (Zhu & Zhang).…”

Section: Educational Policiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exploring the Quality of Early Childhood Education in China: Implications for Early Childhood Teacher Education

Szente

2009

Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education

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The following article introduces an exploratory study that was designed to measure the quality of early childhood education within its ever changing sociocultural context utilizing the Early Childhood Learning Environment Rating Scale-Revised (ECERS-R) in 40 classrooms in Beijing, China. Implications for early childhood teacher education, including the education of children with exceptional needs are addressed along with recommendations for future research.The development of Chinese early childhood education is following a distinctive trend of integrating Western educational philosophy into national curriculum guidance for classroom practices. This integration process encountered many challenges due to strong influences by unique Chinese cultural and economic characteristics and requires investigation in terms of what constitutes a high quality early childhood program in mainland China. Research on the global quality of early childhood education to help international scholars and practitioners understand philosophical change in classroom applications in China is scarce. Therefore, the main purpose of this article is to present an exploratory study conducted in public kindergarten classrooms using the Chinese version of Early Childhood Environment Rating Scales-Revised and provide implications for teacher education. Introduction to the Early Education System in ChinaThe population in China exceeds 1.3 billion people representing 56 national tribes from 23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, and 4 municipalities (National Bureau of Statistics of China, 2006). Beijing, as the capital city and municipality, has over 13 million people, which is more than the number found in New York City. In order to reduce the overwhelming population density China has enforced a one-child-per-family policy throughout the nation since 1978. Being an only child, a Chinese child faces great parental expectations regarding academic achievement starting in the early years. The limited years of compulsory education provided by the Chinese government apply to children from Grades 1 to 9 in both urban and rural areas. Prior to first grade, children usually attend early childhood programs called kindergartens, which are full-day programs serving children ages 3 to 6. Facilities for children before age 3 are considered nursery schools. Traditionally, children under 3 are more likely to stay home with grandparents. In this article we focus on kindergarten programs and the corresponding early childhood teacher education programs. Public Versus Private KindergartensKindergartens in China can be divided into two categories: private and public based on funding sources. Public kindergarten means the government-whether at the federal, province, city, or local town level-has full ownership of the school. There are generally three types of public kindergartens: (1) department of education related, (2) state organization or corporation related, and (3) local town or county related (Pang, Liu, & Hu, 2008). More than half of the Chinese people reside in rur...

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Section: Cultural Beliefsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Foreign Influencementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Educational Policiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exploring the Quality of Early Childhood Education in China: Implications for Early Childhood Teacher Education

Szente

2009

Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education

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“…phenomenon can be explained by two major factors: (a) the one-child policy; and (b) the effect it has brought to China as its economy grows and modernizes (Freeman, 1998;Li et al, 2005;Zhu & Zhang, 2008).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…First, China's one-child policy has had a profound impact on the issue of quality childcare and accessible childcare centers (Freeman, 1998;Li et al, 2005;Zhu & Zhang, 2008). The way parents care for young children always reflects their cultural values and their expectations of childrearing (Freeman, 1998).…”

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confidence: 99%

How Are Notions of Childcare Similar or Different among American, Chinese, Japanese and Swedish Teachers?

Izumi-Taylor

Lee

Franceschini

2011

Research in Comparative and International Education

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The purpose of this study was to examine similarities and differences in the perceptions of childcare among American, Chinese, Japanese and Swedish early childhood teachers. Participants consisted of 78 American teachers, 156 Chinese teachers, 158 Japanese teachers, and 157 Swedish teachers. The results of quantitative analysis revealed that these teachers had perceptions about childcare that were both similar and different. Both Chinese and Swedish teachers focused on the importance of gender equality in relation to childcare more than Japanese and American teachers did. Although American, Chinese and Swedish teachers viewed children developing attachments with their mothers in a positive light regardless of whether they are blood related, Japanese teachers considered that children's attachments should be only with their biological mothers because they value blood relations between the child and the mother. Both American and Japanese teachers shared similar notions about group care, indicating positive perceptions about such care, but their notions were not as strong as those of their Chinese and Swedish counterparts. The implications for early childhood education are presented.The provision of affordable and accessible childcare is an important political and social issue in many nations,

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Comparative Education

2014

Education and Learning

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Contemporary trends and developments in early childhood education in China

Cited by 123 publications

References 3 publications

Exploring the Quality of Early Childhood Education in China: Implications for Early Childhood Teacher Education

Exploring the Quality of Early Childhood Education in China: Implications for Early Childhood Teacher Education

How Are Notions of Childcare Similar or Different among American, Chinese, Japanese and Swedish Teachers?

Comparative Education

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