FACTORS AFFECTING EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT (ECD) IN RURAL CHINA

Received: 13.06.2021; Revised: 22.07.2021, Accepted: 15.09.2021, Published Online: 30.09.2021

Hani Fatima

Center for Experimental Economics in Education, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, China.

Ai Yue

Assistant Professor with the Center for Experimental Economics in Education, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, China.

Yaojiang Shi

Professor of Economics at Shaanxi Normal University in Xi’an, China and the founding director of CEEE, Email: fatimahanizain@outlook.com

ABSTRACT

The parent to child relationship plays a very important role in the early development of a child. This paper reviews the recent literature on the early childhood development (ECD) among rural children of age 0-3 years and briefly discusses the factors responsible for the delays in ECD. Recent literature on ECD in rural China has found high rates of delays in cognitive and non-cognitive development of young children and has highlighted poor parenting practices and nutrition as the primary causes of these delays. Appropriate ECD interventions are needed to improve child development in poor rural areas of China.

Keywords: Early Childhood Development (ECD), Rural China, Cognitive and non-cognitive development, poor parenting practices.