Targeted Poverty Alleviation through Education: Long-term Effect of China’s “One Village One Preschool” Project on Rural Children’s Academic Achievements

doi:10.16382/j.cnki.1000-5560.2020.02.011

Abstract

Abstract:

In 2009, the China Development Research Foundation launched the government-supported public intervention, One Village One Preschool (OVOP) project, which provided access to early childhood education (ECE) to disadvantaged rural and minority children in central and western rural China. From 2009 to 2018, OVOP established about 2300 centers in ten provinces, enrolling over 170000 rural young children, free of charge for all. We analyzed longitudinal data collected from a sample of 1962 children in one county (comparing OVOP attendees to children with no ECE, private ECE, and public ECE), using an inverse probability weighting approach to reducing selection bias in evaluating the effects of OVOP on children’s academic achievement during the first 5 years of elementary school. We found that children who attended OVOP centers attained higher scores in elementary grades than children who received no ECE or attended private township ECE. However, OVOP children scored lower than children who went to well-resourced public township ECE. In addition, the OVOP children had similar growth rates to public-ECE children; both groups improved more quickly than children in the non-ECE or private-ECE group. We conclude with a discussion of the value of providing low-cost ECE to rural children in China.

Key words: targeted poverty alleviation through education, poverty rural areas, “One Village One Preschool” project, academic achievement

Chen Zhao, Si Chen, Yan Cao, Snow Catherine, Mai Lu. Targeted Poverty Alleviation through Education: Long-term Effect of China’s “One Village One Preschool” Project on Rural Children’s Academic Achievements[J]. Journal of East China Normal University(Educational Sciences), 2020, 38(2): 114-125.

Figures/Tables 5

References 29

1	新华网. (2017). 教育部: 到2020年全国学前教育三年毛入学率达到85%. 取自新华网(2017年9月28日): http://www.xinhuanet.com/politics/2017-09/28/c_1121741001.htm.
2	庞丽娟, 韩小雨.. (2010). 中国学前教育立法: 思考与进程. 北京师范大学学报(社会科学版), (5), 14- 20. doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1002-0209.2010.05.002
3	彭俊英, 鄢超云.. (2011). 关于发展乡镇中心幼儿园的一些思考——基于对四川省30所乡镇中心幼儿园的调查. 幼儿教育, (7), 10- 12. doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1004-4604.2011.07.004
4	中华人民共和国教育部. (2017). 中国教育概况——2016年全国教育事业发展情况.取自中华人民共和国教育部网站(2017年11月10日): http://www.moe.edu.cn/jyb_sjzl/s5990/201711/t20171110_318862.html.
5	Aboud, F. E., & Hossain, K.. (2011). The impact of preprimary school on primary school achievement in Bangladesh. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 26 (2), 237- 246. doi: 10.1016/j.ecresq.2010.07.001
6	Aboud, F. E., Hossain, K., & O’Gara, C.. (2008). The Succeed Project: Challenging early school failure in Bangladesh. Research in Comparative and International Education, 3 (3), 295- 307. doi: 10.2304/rcie.2008.3.3.295
7	Andrew, A., Attanasio, O., Fitzsimons, E., Grantham-McGregor, S., Meghir, C., & Rubio-Codina, M.. (2018). Impacts 2 years after a scalable early childhood development intervention to increase psychosocial stimulation in the home: A follow-up of a cluster randomised controlled trial in Colombia. PLoS medicine, 15 (4), 1- 19.
8	Arbour, M., Yoshikawa, H., Willett, J., Weiland, C., Snow, C., Mendive, S.,... & Treviño, E.. (2016). Experimental impacts of a preschool intervention in Chile on children's language outcomes: Moderation by student absenteeism. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 9 (sup1), 117- 149. doi: 10.1080/19345747.2015.1109013
9	Baker‐Henningham, H., Walker, S., Powell, C., & Gardner, J. M.. (2009). A pilot study of the Incredible Years Teacher Training programme and a curriculum unit on social and emotional skills in community pre‐schools in Jamaica. Child: Care, Health and Development, 35 (5), 624- 631. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2214.2009.00964.x
10	Berlinski, S., Galiani, S., & Manacorda, M.. (2008). Giving children a better start: Preschool attendance and school-age profiles. Journal of public Economics, 92 (5−6), 1416- 1440. doi: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2007.10.007
11	Bernal, R., & Fernández, C.. (2013). Subsidized childcare and child development in Colombia: effects of Hogares Comunitarios de Bienestar as a function of timing and length of exposure. Social Science & Medicine, 97, 241- 249.
12	Bowne, J. B., Yoshikawa, H., & Snow, C. E.. (2016). Experimental impacts of a teacher professional development program in early childhood on explicit vocabulary instruction across the curriculum. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 34, 27- 39. doi: 10.1016/j.ecresq.2015.08.002
13	Britto, P. R., Yoshikawa, H., & Boller, K.. (2011). Quality of Early Childhood Development Programs in Global Contexts: Rationale for Investment, Conceptual Framework and Implications for Equity. Social Policy Report, 25 (2), 1- 31. doi: 10.1002/j.2379-3988.2011.tb00067.x
14	Gan, Y., Meng, L., & Xie, J.. (2016). Comparison of school readiness between rural and urban Chinese preschool children. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 44 (9), 1429- 1442. doi: 10.2224/sbp.2016.44.9.1429
15	Leyva, D., Weiland, C., Barata, M., Yoshikawa, H., Snow, C., Treviño, E., & Rolla, A. (2015). Teacher–child interactions in Chile and their associations with prekindergarten outcomes. Child Development, 86(3), 781-799.
16	Luo, R., Zhang, L., Liu, C., Zhao, Q., Shi, Y., Rozelle, S., & Sharbono, B.. (2012). Behind before they begin: The challenge of early childhood education in rural China. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 37 (1), 55- 64. doi: 10.1177/183693911203700107
17	Malmberg, L. E., Mwaura, P., & Sylva, K.. (2011). Effects of a preschool intervention on cognitive development among East-African preschool children: A flexibly time-coded growth model. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 26 (1), 124- 133. doi: 10.1016/j.ecresq.2010.04.003
18	Mwaura, P. A., Sylva, K., & Malmberg, L. E.. (2008). Evaluating the Madrasa preschool programme in East Africa: A quasi‐experimental study. International Journal of Early Years Education, 16 (3), 237- 255. doi: 10.1080/09669760802357121
19	Noboa-Hidalgo, G. E., & Urzua, S. S.. (2012). The effects of participation in public child care centers: Evidence from Chile. Journal of Human Capital, 6 (1), 1- 34. doi: 10.1086/664790
20	Opel, A., Ameer, S. S., & Aboud, F. E.. (2009). The effect of preschool dialogic reading on vocabulary among rural Bangladeshi children. International Journal of Educational Research, 48 (1), 12- 20. doi: 10.1016/j.ijer.2009.02.008
21	Raine, A., Mellingen, K., Liu, J., Venables, P., & Mednick, S. A.. (2003). Effects of environmental enrichment at ages 3–5 years on schizotypal personality and antisocial behavior at ages 17 and 23 years. American Journal of Psychiatry, 160 (9), 1627- 1635. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.160.9.1627
22	Rao, N., Sun, J., Pearson, V., Pearson, E., Liu, H., Constas, M. A., & Engle, P. L.. (2012). Is something better than nothing? An evaluation of early childhood programs in Cambodia. Child Development, 83 (3), 864- 876. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2012.01746.x
23	Sylva, K., Melhuish, E., Sammons, P., Siraj-Blatchford, I., & Taggart, B. (Eds.). (2010). Early childhood matters: Evidence from the effective pre-school and primary education project. New York: Routledge.
24	Vernon-Feagans, L., Garrett-Peters, P., Willoughby, M., Mills-Koonce, R., & Family Life Project Key Investigators.. (2012). Chaos, poverty, and parenting: Predictors of early language development. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 27 (3), 339- 351. doi: 10.1016/j.ecresq.2011.11.001
25	Wang Pengcheng, Gong Xin.. (2018). Family Income and Preschool Attendance: An Empirical Research based on CFPS Survey Data. Exploring Education Development, 15, 18- 26.
26	Wong, H. L., Luo, R., Zhang, L., & Rozelle, S.. (2013). The impact of vouchers on preschool attendance and elementary school readiness: A randomized controlled trial in rural China. Economics of Education Review, 33, 53- 65. doi: 10.1016/j.econedurev.2013.03.004
27	Yoshikawa, H., Weiland, C., Brooks-Gunn, J., Burchinal, M., Espinosa, L., Gormley, W., Ludwig, J., Magnuson, K., Phillips, D. & Zaslow, M. (2013). Investing in our future: The evidence base on preschool education. Retrieved from: https://www.fcd-us.org/assets/2016/04/Evidence-Base-on-Preschool-Education-FINAL.pdf.
28	Zhang, L. (2013). Preschool experience, school readiness, self-regulation, and academic achievement: A longitudinal study in rural China. Hong Kong: HKU Theses Online (HKUTO).
29	Zhang, S.. (2017). Effects of attending preschool on adolescents’ outcomes: Evidence from China. Applied Economics, 49 (27), 2618- 2629. doi: 10.1080/00036846.2016.1243217

	全体样本人数=1962	“一村一园” 人数=647	县城公立幼儿园人数=451	其他类型幼儿园人数=667	无学前教育经历人数=197
女孩比例	47%	49.1%	48.8%	43.2%	49.2%
独生子女	55.1%	55.6%	56.1%	54.6%	53.3%
留守儿童	31.7%	41.5%	22.2%	32.2%	39.4%
特殊需要儿童	6.1%	8.9%	3.1%	5.2%	7.1%
特困家庭	10.2%	16.2%	3.7%	7.2%	15.7%
父母为监护人	52.4%	43.6%	63.7%	52.5%	45.2%
母亲农业户口	75.6%	99.3%	29.1%	84.1%	95.9%
父亲农业户口	80.2%	98.4%	30.4%	82.3%	98.3%
母亲年龄	27.41（4.39）	27.11（4.45）	27.55（4.40）	27.61（4.29）	27.38（4.48）
平均分：一年级	70.79（9.26）	70.59（8.98）	73.72（9.16）	70.14（9.04）	66.92（9.56）
平均分：三年级	78.14（6.06）	78.15（5.76）	80.16（5.58）	77.70（6.14）	74.97（6.21）
平均分：五年级	77.55（6.49）	78.85（6.20）	80.28（5.72）	75.91（6.24）	72.58（5.51）

	一年级		三年级		五年级
	系数	标准误差	系数	标准误差	系数	标准误差
OLS 模型结果
“一村一园”	0.41^***	0.08	0.52^***	0.08	0.96^***	0.08
其他幼儿园	0.36^***	0.08	0.44^***	0.08	0.51^***	0.08
县城公立幼儿园	0.74^***	0.08	0.85^***	0.08	1.18^***	0.08
R²	0.05	0.06	0.14
IPW 模型结果
“一村一园”	0.41^***	0.08	0.53^***	0.09	0.98^***	0.07
其他幼儿园	0.36^***	0.08	0.45^***	0.09	0.54^***	0.07
县城公立幼儿园	0.75^***	0.09	0.86^***	0.09	1.20^***	0.07

	学业成绩
		系数	标准误差
固定效应
截距	γ₀₀	?0.35^***	0.05
年	γ₁₀	?0.08^***	0.02
“一村一园”	γ₀₁	0.25^***	0.07
其他幼儿园	γ₀₂	0.34^**	0.08
县城公立幼儿园	γ₀₃	0.63^***	0.10
一村一园　年	γ₁₁	0.13^***	0.02
其他幼儿园　年	γ₁₂	0.04^*	0.02
县城公立幼儿园　年	γ₁₃	0.10^***	0.02
随机效应
第二层初始值	σ₀²	0.06	0.24
第二层变化速率	σ₁²	3.33	1.83
拟合优度
?2LL	16312.53
AIC	16348.53
BIC	16468.78

[1]	Jianzhen Zhang, Xiaoyu Liang. Analysis of the Influence of Family Background on Students’ Subject Choices under the New College Entrance Examination System: Empirical Investigation Based on Survey Data in Zhejiang Province [J]. Journal of East China Normal University(Educational Sciences), 2023, 41(6): 47-58.
[2]	Hao Lei, Xue Li. Does the Digital Tools-supported Teaching Have an Impact on Students’ Learning Results:Meta-Analysis Evidence from 137 Experiments and Quasi Experiments [J]. Journal of East China Normal University(Educational Sciences), 2022, 40(11): 92-109.
[3]	Program China Development Research Foundation “One Village One Preschool”. Targeted Poverty Alleviation in Education: Effect Evaluation of the 10th Anniversary of Ledu “One Village One Preschool” Program [J]. Journal of East China Normal University(Educational Sciences), 2021, 39(7): 107-126.
[4]	Wanpeng Lei, Hongmei Ma, Huaming Huang. Evaluate Teaching Performance by Residuals of Student Achievement [J]. Journal of East China Normal University(Educational Sciences), 2021, 39(7): 84-91.
[5]	Zeng Zhaobing, Yao Jijun. Identifying the “Best Evidence”: How to Use Meta-analysis to Conduct a Literature Review—A Case of STEM Education’s Effect on Students’ Academic Achievement [J]. Journal of East China Normal University(Educational Sciences), 2020, 38(6): 70-85.
[6]	Liu Jian, Zhao Liman, Du Xiaofeng, Xu Guanxing. A Study of the Warning Mechanism and the Ideal Matching Pattern between Sleep Time and Academic Achievement of High-school Students [J]. Journal of East China Normal University(Educational Sciences), 2020, 38(3): 71-79.
[7]	Zhao Jin, Wang Huan, Guan Hongyu, Shi Yaojiang, Robin Li, Scott Rozelle. Targeted Poverty Alleviation through Education: A Study of Myopia Among Rural Students in China and Prevention and Control Policy Recommendations [J]. Journal of East China Normal University(Educational Sciences), 2020, 38(3): 117-125.