Children's learning in Japan and China: A comparative study of preschool parents' perspectives

Karen Guo
Deakin University, Australia
Yuehong Zhong
Beihua University, China

This article explores parents' perspectives of children's learning, drawing on a comparative research project with a focus on survey data from 200 preschool parents in Japan and China. The findings were compared between the two countries in order to identify common and distinct perspectives in terms of what and how children learn in the families and preschools, and parents' expectations and concerns. Emphasised in the analysis was the importance of situating parents' perspectives within different contexts, acknowledging the subjective, contextual and diverse conceptions of children's learning.
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Authors: Dr Karen Guo is a senior lecturer in early childhood education at the School of Education, Deakin University, Australia. She has strong interests in multicultural education, cross-national education and curriculum and pedagogies in early childhood education and has published many articles in these areas. Email: karen.guo@deakin.edu.au Yuehong Zhong lectures at the School of Early Childhood Education, Department of Education and Technology, Beihua University, China. She has just completed a funded project on innovative approaches in music education in early childhood education. Yuehong has been conducting research in early childhood education and music education in young children. Email: 2844518889@qq.com Please cite as: Guo, K. & Zhong, Y. (2019). Children's learning in Japan and China: A comparative study of preschool parents' perspectives. Issues in Educational Research, 29(4), 1160-1180. http://www.iier.org.au/iier29/guo2.pdf