This study examined parental perception of the importance of friendship and five other educational outcomes from 101 Chinese parents of children with autism spectrum disorders between the ages of 3 and 12 years. Results showed Chinese parents considered friendship less important than social skills, emotional development, and physical skills and…

This study examined Chinese preschoolers' affective experiences during organized activities. One-on-one child interviews were conducted in which children were asked to rate their general affect during each organized activity in which they participated, and then provide reasons for their responses. Child-reported emotional engagement was related to…

Background and Aim: Physical activity is an important means to promote the comprehensive and healthy development of children's bodies and minds. The national health strategy and population policy adjustment, the development of kindergartens, and the deterioration of children's physical health have all worked together to bring unprecedented…

The preschool age is an important period in the development of children's emotional abilities. The face and body are both vital carriers of emotional information and adults readily match the emotional cues coming from these two modalities. However, it is unknown whether preschoolers have this ability or not. In the current study, 36 preschoolers…

Executive function (EF) is essential for developing social competence (SC) in early childhood. However, previous research has primarily taken a general perspective of SC and overlooked its components. Furthermore, although EF and SC are known to influence each other across childhood, the mechanisms of this interaction remain unclear. Therefore,…

Screen time may have a significant association with children's development, yet limited research has examined the specific moderating role of family and child characteristics in this relationship. In this study, we investigated the relationship between screen time exposure and children's development and moderating effects of the family environment…

This study explored the socioemotional experiences of Wuhan preschool children and their parents, focusing on father-child relationships during lockdown. Mixed methods were employed with semi-structured interviews with 12 families and an online questionnaire involving 748 parents. The results show that the parents were generally positive about the…

Linking classroom quality to separate domains of child development might neglect the transactional interactions across developmental domains. This research utilized latent profiles across academic and social-emotional development to explore which aspects of classroom quality can predict children's profiles at the classroom level. Data were drawn…

Implementing STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education in early childhood education has received increasing attention in recent years. STEM process skills developed during the early years have lifelong positive effects on young children. In this study, we developed the Children's STEM Habits of Mind Questionnaire (CSHMQ)…

Research Findings: Self-regulation is an important determinant of children's developmental outcomes, but little research has explored its different facets simultaneously. This study aims to explore a sample of Chinese children's behavioral, cognitive and emotional self-regulation characteristics by examining their gender and age differences,…

China has made significant progress in enhancing maternal and child health over the past 70 years but geographic-based disparities in early childhood development remain. This study investigated trends in urban-rural gaps in early childhood development and the factors that influence them by leveraging secondary data from the China Family Panel…

Research Findings: The impact of the newly launched "two-child policy" on young children's social development has not been empirically studied. This study examined the possible mediating and moderating factors in the relationship between parenting styles and social competence in Chinese preschoolers. A sample of only children…

Overparenting is an emerging topic in parenting research and has gained increasing attention in media. Most studies have focused on adolescents and young adults in Western countries, while it remains unclear whether overparenting is related to young children's outcomes in non-Western contexts. The present study aimed to examine the mechanism by…

This study examined the emergence of digital literacy in early childhood among 2272 parents with at least one child under age six in central China. Findings revealed that: (1) there was a significant age difference in early digital literacy, with television literacy emerging first, followed by touchscreen, artificial intelligence, and personal…

Assessment of progress toward UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 requires measurement of the proportion of children aged 24 to 59 months developmentally on track in health, learning, and psychosocial well-being (Indicator 4.2.1). UNICEF's methodological work culminated with the development of the Early Childhood Development Index 2030 (ECDI2030) to…