Play or learn: European‐American and Chinese kindergartners' perceptions about the conflict

Abstract

Most children from both groups identified CLP and shared similar views about their need to complete schoolwork, benefits of learning, negativity of neglecting learning, and ways to resist temptation to play. However, large cultural differences also emerged. Chinese children showed greater awareness of CLP and expressed more positive regard for learning, learning virtues, and receptivity to adult expectations.

From Learning Beliefs to Achievement Among Chinese Immigrant and European American Preschool Children

“…What CCIs appear to change, at least during preschool, is their greater understanding of intellectual benefit, which may reflect their acculturation and internalization of a key characteristic of Western learning (Li, 2012). Yet, at the same time, CCIs also continue to hold on to the three specific culturally based BASLs (Bempechat et al, 2016;Hao & Bonstead-Burns, 1998;Huntsinger & Jose, 2009;Jung et al, 2012;Li, 2015;Li & Wang, 2004;Li et al, 2014;Yamamoto & Holloway, 2010;Yao, 1985;Zhou & Kim, 2006): stronger valuation of school learning, greater awareness of parental involvement in their education, and deference toward teacher authority. Relating back to the documented decreasing trend (Pong & Zeiser, 2012;Su arez-Orozco & Su arez-Orozco, 2001), our findings did not show reduced cultural BASLs during the preschool period.…”

“…This means that there would be some commonalities between the two groups of children. Specifically, both groups would be (a) aware of the intellectual and social benefits from school learning, (b) recognize their need to go to school and learn (obligation) and attach importance and value to learning (i.e., their general attitudes, but not specific to school subjects such as math and reading, which may matter to older school children, Eccles & Wigfield, ; Wigfield et al., ), and (c) reveal their perception of the social support and influence from their parents and teachers (Hypothesis 1, Li, , , ; Li et al., ).…”

“…Regarding possible cultural variations, based on previous research on EA and Chinese children in China (Li, 2004a(Li, , 2004b(Li, , 2015Li & Wang, 2004), we anticipated that EAs would initially express more intellectual benefit (H 2 ), whereas CCIs more social benefit (H 3 ) and obligation (H 4 ). Notably, Li et al's (2010) study found no differences in intellectual and social benefit as well as obligation between EA and CCI 4-year-olds.…”

“…Li, Fung, Bakeman, Rae, & Wei, 2014;Ng, Pomerantz, & Lam, 2007). Research (Lecce et al, 2014;Li, 2015) documents that preschool is the crucial period during which children develop BASLs. Furthermore, preschoolers hold different BASLs.…”

Methodological Strategies to Listen to Children’s Voices: A Systematic Critical Review

“…It is interesting to note that while interviews were the main strategy to listen to children's voices, we found a great variation in their use with regards to conditions, circumstances and material used to elicit children's views. For instance, we found reasonable evidence that interviews were conducted with the help of pictures and images (Baird and Grace, 2017;Baker, Tisak and Tisak, 2016;Cheng Pui-Wah Reunamo, Cooper, Liu and Vong, 2015;Correia and Aguiar, 2017;Li, 2016;Penderi and Rekalidou, 2016), hypothetical situations (Cheng Pui-Wah et al, 2015;Reunamo et al, 2015), with photos children took (Adderley et al, 2015;McEvilly, 2015;Wahle et al, 2017;White, 2015), using dolls (Baird and Grace, 2017;Correia and Aguiar, 2017;Koller and San Juan, 2015;White, 2016), having children drawing while being interviewed (Fleer and Li, 2016) or by using children's drawings (Adderley et al, 2015;Katz and McLeigh, 2017;Leigh, 2015;Wahle et al, 2017). However, there was less emphasis in the use of the "draw and tell" method (Fluckiger, Dunn and Stinson, 2018;O'Rourke et al, 2017;Wahle et al, 2017;Wong, 2015), play-based interviews (Koller and San Juan, 2015), and interviews including a story-telling (Gunnestad, Mørreaunet and Onyango, 2015).…”