Public or private: How Chinese parents make childcare decisions for their children?
Open Access
Author:
Xu, Biqiao
Graduate Program:
Educational Theory and Policy (MA)
Degree:
Master of Arts
Document Type:
Master Thesis
Date of Defense:
June 26, 2021
Committee Members:
Kevin Kinser, Program Head/Chair Maryellen Schaub, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor Katerina Bodovski, Committee Member
Keywords:
Early Childhood Education Parental Childcare Selection Chinese Context
Abstract:
This qualitative study explored parental childcare decision-making process from the perspectives of middle-class families living in metropolitan areas in China. Findings based on interviews with 10 Chinese mothers whose children were of preschool-age demonstrated that the selection process is a series of decisions encountered in three or four phases. After considering familial practical constraints, parents narrowed down their options and compared the quality among selected preschools. Further, parents of eligible children also participate in the public preschool lottery system, although most have a back-up plan in case they lose the lottery. The results not only provided support for the existing conceptual frameworks of childcare decision-making by presenting the dynamic and complex process, but also revealed one prominent barrier—the lack of informational intervention—during the whole selection process.
