Monitoring early development and learning of young children in China : findings from adult report and direct assessment

Abstract

This thesis evaluates progress towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Target 4.2 in China, which aims to ensure access to quality early childhood development, care, and pre-primary education for all children by 2030. Two indicators are used to monitor progress: Indicator 4.2.1 measures the "proportion of children aged 24-59 months who are developmentally on track in health, learning, and psychosocial well-being," and Indicator 4.2.2 focuses on the "participation rate in organised learning (one year before the official primary entry age)." Study One analyses China's current status and challenges in meeting SDG Target 4.2. Although significant progress has been made in providing one year of pre-primary education, as evidenced by SDG Target Indicator 4.2.2 data, less attention has been given to measuring SDG Target Indicator 4.2.1. Consequently, there is limited information available on children's developmental status nationwide. UNICEF developed a parent report measure, the Early Childhood Development Index 2030 (ECDI2030), to assess SDG Target Indicator 4.2.1. However, concerns remain regarding the tool's cross-cultural comparability and neutrality, with no consensus on the optimal method for assessing children's development at the population level. Both direct assessment and adult report have strengths and limitations in generating population-based data on early childhood development. Comparisons between methods can help determine the most effective way of measuring SDG Target Indicator 4.2.1. Previous studies documenting young children's development in China have not systematically compared the reliability and validity of different approaches to measuring child development. Hence, Studies Two, Three, and Four address this research gap. Study Two conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of international literature to investigate the concordance between different methods in assessing young children's learning and developmental competencies across contexts. An analysis of 43 studies revealed moderate relations among direct assessment, parent report, and teacher report, bolstering the case for using multiple methods when collecting population-level data on child development. Study Three measured the developmental status of 309 children (Mage = 49.66, SD = 5.50) using direct assessment and parent report longitudinally. It also compared the results of parent and teacher reports, showing that both overestimated children's direct assessment scores. Parent report was not as sensitive as direct assessment in describing and predicting children's development at disaggregated levels, and teacher report may not reflect the differences in development across socioeconomic status and urbanicity. Study Four explored the appropriateness of the ECDI2030 in assessing SDG Target Indicator 4.2.1 of 45 children aged 2 years (Mage = 30.06 months, SD = 3.49). The ECDI2030 results were associated with children's urbanicity and showed different developmental patterns across domains. However, not all items have effectively captured the variations in the development of 2-year-olds. In conclusion, this thesis underscores potential issues in measuring SDG Target Indicator 4.2.1. There are disadvantages associated with relying on a single measure to assess development. Further research is needed to develop psychometrically robust and contextually relevant, population-based measures of early childhood development in China. These measures will continue to support the trend of evidence-based early childhood education policymaking.