Poster #93 - Chinese Mothers and the Double-Reduction Policy (“Shuangjian”): Reactions and Perceived Implications for Children's Development

• In Event: Poster Session 10

Abstract

China’s Double-Reduction Policy is a national educational policy that was released in July 2021. It requires “a reduction in the total amount and time required by school homework and a reduction in the burden of off-campus or after-school academic tutoring programs” (Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China, 2021). It is one of several policies intended to support China’s Three-Child Policy, which was released in May 2021 to further boost population growth. These policies will foreseeably have a huge impact on daily life of families and children, since Chinese parents are highly devoted to parenting and especially to their children’s academic achievement. However, how Chinese mothers perceive and react to the Double-Reduction Policy and its impact on their academic-related parenting beliefs and practices and child outcomes has not been studied.

The present study is part of a larger study that investigates Chinese mothers’ parental beliefs and practices in the context of China’s evolving population policies. The data are based on semi-structured online interviews conducted in Chinese Mandarin with primarily highly educated Chinese mothers (target sample size= 40). All mothers live in Shandong Province, China and have two children (firstborn child primary to high school age, second child born after 2016). Interview questions include mothers’ perceptions of the Double-Reduction Policy, how they think this policy will affect their children’s development (especially academic development), what they do to help their children succeed in school, and how they think this policy will affect their parenting beliefs and practices. Interviews will be transcribed and coded in Chinese using Dedoose software. All 40 interviews will be completed by November, and data analysis will be completed by January, 2023.

Based on the 20 interviews conducted so far, we have identified some preliminary findings. Most of these mothers indicated support for the Double-Reduction Policy, but they also expressed some concerns. Whether these mothers think this policy will affect their children’s (academic) development tends to be positively associated with the school grade levels of their children, the higher the grade levels the higher they predict the effect of the policy. The influence of this policy on these mothers’ parenting also appears to be positively associated with the school grade level of their children: the higher the school grade level, the more they expressed that they would keep a close eye on the policy and make adjustments to their parenting practices. Most mothers expressed that although this policy aims to relieve children’s heavy academic workload, they try to take over perceived teachers’ roles through measures such as buying more academic workbooks and exam sheets, and giving more academic tutoring.

Authors

• Yanzhen Kuang, University of Connecticut
  Presenting Author

• Sara Harkness, University of Connecticut