Chapter 5: Q-Inquiry: Can Digital Technology Ease Chinese Parents’ Concerns About Their Children’s Transition From Kindergarten to Primary School Education?

The current study considers whether digital technology can ease Chinese parents’ stress over the impact of de-elementarization in kindergarten education in China. In this study, 35 statements representing Chinese people’s subjective opinions about the link-up between kindergarten and primary school education [幼小衔接] were generated based on the literature review and the parent-participants’ responses to the questionnaire in the study. Q methodology enabled 15 young parents (N = 15) to model their subjective views of “幼小衔接” through operating Q-sorts of the 35 statements. These 35 statements were statistically grouped by factor analysis. The researchers identify four types of young parents’ subjective viewpoints of the role of online digital education resources in preparing children for the transition from kindergarten to primary school education: (a) in need of well-designed online digital education resources for the insufficient transition curriculum, (b) in need of the transition curriculum and no need of online digital educational resources, (c) in need of the transition curriculum and well-designed online digital educational resources, (d) the limited role played by online digital education resources in transition preparation in terms of “child readiness.” The current study enriches the literature on the link-up between kindergarten and primary school education and the digital technologies’ contribution to the process. The research findings will have significant applications in transitioning curriculum development and informing policy decisions regarding the missing “alignment” between kindergarten and primary education.