The goal of this study was to explore the inter-parental differences and the major clusters of Chinese parenting profile in a sample of preschoolers’ fathers and mothers in urban China. Eighty-six Chinese couples in Shenzhen completed a parenting style questionnaire, and four couples were interviewed to provide additional illumination. A paired t-test was used to find inter-parental differences and cluster analysis was used to find major clusters of parenting profiles. Mothers were more authoritarian than fathers. Three major clusters of parenting profiles were found: easy-going parenting, followed by tiger parenting and supportive parenting. Inter-parental differences existed among these couples, and ‘tiger moms’ and ‘panda dads’ were common in these Chinese families.

The existing literature has established the effects of emotional labor on teachers’ wellbeing indicators and teaching efficacy, leaving its impact on students’ outcomes unexplored. Following Grandey’s integrative model of emotional labor and social-emotional learning (SEL) framework, this study explored the relationship between teachers’ emotional labor, teaching efficacy, and young children’s social-emotional development and learning in early childhood settings. Thirteen preschools were recruited through stratified random sampling in Shenzhen, China. Altogether, 49 classrooms were involved, and three teachers and six children were sampled from each classroom, resulting in a sample of 124 teachers and 241 children. Teachers’ emotional labor strategy, sense of efficacy, and children’s social-emotional development and learning were surveyed. Structural equation modeling has confirmed that teachers’ natural and surface acting predicted their teaching efficacy. Bootstrapped mediation analysis revealed that the mediation paths from teachers’ emotional labor to children’s learning approaches and social-emotional development varied significantly for teachers in different positions. The study implies that different guidelines and training are needed for teachers in different positions to help them cope with varied emotional labor at work and promote their teaching efficacy for young children’s better development.

This study aims to examine the impact of heavy use of tablets on preschoolers’ executive function during the Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS) task using the functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Altogether, 38 Chinese preschoolers (M_age = 5.0 years, SD = 0.69 years, 17 girls) completed the tasks before the COVID-19 lockdown. Eight children never used tablets, while 16 children were diagnosed as the ‘heavy-user’. The results indicated that: (1) the ‘non-user’ outperformed the ‘heavy-user’ with a significantly higher correct rate in the DCCS task; (2) the two groups differed significantly in the activation of the prefrontal cortex (BA 9): the ‘non-user’ pattern is normal and healthy, whereas the ‘heavy-user’ pattern is not normal and needs further exploration.

This study explored the relationships between parenting profiles and young children’s school readiness in urban China. Eighty-six pairs of Chinese parents completed the Chinese Parenting Style Questionnaire (CPSQ), and their children were administered the Bracken School Readiness Composite (BSRC; Bracken, B. A. (1998). Bracken basic concept scale: Revised. San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation.) and Preschool and Primary Chinese Literacy Scale (PPCLS; Li, H. (1999). Development and validation of the Preschool and Primary Chinese Literacy Scale. Psychological Development and Education, 15, 18–24.). A set of statistical analyses was conducted to explore the relationship between the three types of parenting profiles (supportive, tiger and easygoing) and children’s scores in BSRC and PPCLS, and four typical couples were invited to attend semi structured interviews. The results indicated that: (1) Inter-parental consistency in supportive parenting were associated with better children’s school readiness, but not for consistency in easygoing or tiger parenting; (2) Tiger mothers were not associated with better outcomes in either boys or girls; (3) Significant interaction effect was found between child gender and parenting profile. The findings have implications for the theoretical development of parental education and related programmes. Understanding the differentiated parenting styles and practices with boys and girls will help parents and educators to improve their educational practices.

The present study explores the constructs of Chinese mothers’ and fathers’ engagement in toddlers’ play in the daily context. A sample of 238 parents of toddlers (M = 30.43 months, SD = 3.45) completed a newly-developed instrument, the Chinese Parental Involvement in Toddler Play Activity Questionnaire (CPITPAQ), to report their play engagement. First, factor analyses yielded four constructs: physical play, social games and routines, educational play, and object exploration. Second, a set of ANOVAs indicated that: (1) the mothers engaged in toddlers’ play more than the fathers; (2) both mother and father involved themselves more in toddler’s educational play than in other types of play; and (3) fathers and mothers demonstrated different patterns of play engagement with their daughters and sons – specifically, fathers engaged sons more in physical play and object exploration, while mothers engaged daughters more in social games and routines. The finding of differentiated play practices of Chinese mothers and fathers of toddlers will inform the theoretical development of parental education and related programmes.

Research Findings: Since 2011, China has started to loosen its tight on the One-child Policy (OCP), which has impacted parent’s child-rearing beliefs and the provision of home learning environment that constitutes family environment. Utilizing parent-reported data on 4,364 zero- to eight-year-olds from the China Family Panel Study (CFPS, wave 2014) nationwide survey, we examined the relations among family structure, family environment, and child social competence. Analysis indicated that there were significant differences between only- and non-only-child families in terms of their age, urbanicity, family income, and family environment. The three-step latent profile approach revealed two family environment profiles: Modern Family Environment (12.4%) and Traditional Family Environment (86.6%), and that child singleton status was a significant predictor of profile membership. Bootstrap mediation analysis revealed that family environment profile fully mediated the relation between family structure and child social competence. Practice or Policy: The results highlighted the importance of providing a stimulating and supportive family environment, especially in families with multiple children. It also informed policymakers and practitioners of possible pathways to support young children’s development by enhancing the quality of the family environment.