Quality Assessment of Chinese Preschools: Developing a Culturally Relevant Measure

This book presents the development of the Chinese Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (CECERS), a culturally appropriate tool for assessing the quality of Chinese preschools.

It provides insights into the developmental profile and pedagogical characteristics of Chinese preschools, which have been the main type of children’s services in China over the past three decades. The conceptual framework of CECERS is based on cultural contexts and refers to ECERS, an international quality assessment tool for early childhood education (ECE), and combines the essential elements of ECE quality (e.g., teacher-child interactions) with additional components tailored to the situation of Chinese preschools (e.g., group educational activities). A series of studies involving over 200 preschools and 500 classrooms were conducted to ensure the validity and reliability of the CECERS in different areas of China. The content of CECERS has been continuously adapted according to the results of these verification studies. The author also discusses issues related to improving the quality of Chinese preschools and proposes relevant policy recommendations.

The book will be an essential read to students and scholars of educational theory and Chinese studies. It will also serve as an interesting reference for cross-cultural scholars in the field of ECE research.

Kejian Li is a full professor at the College of Child Development and Education, Zhejiang Normal University, China. He is also the Director of the Early Childhood Education Evaluation Committee of China National Society of Early Childhood Education. Professor Li’s research focuses on educational evaluation and policies in the field of early childhood education, drawing on cross-cultural perspectives. His work significantly contributed to the development of national and provincial regulations relating to quality evaluation and improvement of early childhood education.