Status and Determinants of Early Childhood CognitiveDevelopment in Poor Rural China

doi:10.16382/j.cnki.1000-5560.2019.03.002

Abstract

Abstract:

With the rapid aging population and economic globalization, cognitive capital has become critical for sustainable economic development in China. Early childhood cognitive development has a lasting impact later in life, which is vital to China's national development. The current study used the Bayley Scale of Infant and Toddler Development Ⅲ to study a sample of children in impoverished areas of western China. We used this data to describe the status of early childhood development in China and analyze determinants of cognitive development during early childhood. The results show that cognitive developmental delays are common among rural children in underdeveloped areas. The proportion of children showing developmental delays is 40% and above. It also reveals significant rural-urban differences, with urban children tending to show higher levels of cognitive development (The proportion of children showing developmental delays is 25.53% in urban areas and 43.78% in rural areas). Our findings also show that parenting behavior and parenting knowledge of caregivers are closely related to the level of infants' cognitive development. However, when controlling for Hukou type, the relationship between parenting behavior and cognitive development becomes insignificant. We believe this may be due to the difference between urban and rural areas in both the "quality and quantity" of parenting behaviors. To bridge this gap, it's suggested that the Chinese government not only strengthen and improve public policies and service systems for the development of children aged 0-3, but also invest in education and parenting training to ensure that caregivers pay more attention to cultivating awareness, knowledge, and good behavior in their children. All this can help to effectively improve the status of children's early cognitive development in rural areas.

Key words: impoverished rural areas, infants, cognitive development, parenting knowledge, parenting behavior

Li Ying Jia Miqi Zheng Wenting Tang Lei Bai Yu. Status and Determinants of Early Childhood CognitiveDevelopment in Poor Rural China[J]. Journal of East China Normal University(Educationa, 2019, 37(3): 17-32.

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