Journal Article

Home and Preschool Influences on Early Child Development of Chinese and South Asian Children in Hong Kong

Chan, Yau Yu, Rao, Nirmala

2025

Overview

This study considered the influences of the home learning environment and preschool quality on the development of 5-year-old Chinese ( N  = 43) and South Asian ( N  = 32) children in Hong Kong. Children were recruited from two preschools—one admitted only South Asian children, and the other admitted only Chinese children. Children were assessed in individual sessions with the Hong Kong Early Child Development Scale-3. Their parents were surveyed about the home learning environment. Teacher interviews, classroom observations, and document reviews were used to gauge preschool quality. Results of regression analyses indicated that socioeconomic status (SES) was positively associated with language development and pre-academic learning for both Chinese and South Asian children. In contrast, only the SES of Chinese children was related to their knowledge of society and the environment. The frequency of home learning activities was positively associated with language development for Chinese children. Controlling for SES, multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) results revealed that Chinese children performed significantly better than South Asian children in Chinese language and knowledge of society and environment. In contrast, South Asian children did better than Chinese children in pre-academic learning and fine motor development. Interviews revealed that teachers from the two participating preschools needed more professional development. Classroom observations showed that the preschool that admits only South Asian children has limited physical space, which may hinder children’s all-round development. Nevertheless, the teacher interviews and document reviews suggested that regular home-preschool communication and parental participation in preschool activities are high. Implications of the findings are discussed.

• Publisher: Springer Netherlands,Springer Nature B.V
• Subject: Analysis of covariance / Child development / Children / Chinese / Chinese languages / Classroom observation / Classroom Observation Techniques / Classrooms / Day care centers / Education / Educational activities / Educational Environment / Educational Quality / Family Environment / Interviews / Language acquisition / Learning Activities / Learning and Instruction / Learning environment / Motor development / Multivariate analysis / Parent participation / Parent-child relations / Preschool children / Preschool Teachers / Professional development / Professional training / School environment / Socioeconomic status / Sociology / Sociology of Education / Teacher education / Teachers