Adult views on learning and development in Hong Kong preschool children

Abstract

The present study compares the views of 198 parents and 51 teachers of a sample of 4-year-old children on early learning and development and their reciprocal roles in promoting such learning. Generally parents and teachers have similar rankings for eight overall categories of early learning and development. The major difference is for preacademics, that parents rank as the most important category and teachers rank as amongst the least important. Mother’s occupation was the only family background variable to affect the rankings. Comparisons between parents and teachers by type of preschool and locality indicate a similar pattern to the overall sample. Moreover, parents and teachers agree that teachers are primarily responsible for preacademics and self-expression, parents for self-sufficiency and social skills with adults, and both groups hold joint responsibility for language and social skills with peers. Neither group takes primary responsibility for promoting motor-physical and self-assessment skills.

本研究比較四歲兒童的家長和老師，在幼兒早期學習及發展上之見解，及探討他們在促進兒童學習時的相互角色。研究對象涉及198位四歲兒童的家長和51位教師。概括而言，家長和老師在八項早期學習和發展的類別排列次序上大致相同。主要分別是家長認為學術訓練是最重要，而老師列它為其中最不重要的一項。在家庭背景方面，母親的職業是唯一影響兒童早期學習和發展的因素。家長與老師在學前教育機構類型和地區方面相比，調查結果大致相同。家長和老師同意後者是主要負責幼兒的學術訓練和教導自我表達，前者主要負責幼兒自立能力和與成人社交的技巧訓練。在幼兒的語言和同輩間社交的技巧訓練方面，家長和老師則有共同的責任；相反，幼兒的體能發展及自我評估，家長及老師認為都不是他們的首要責任。