Home-School Cooperation in Rural Kindergartens: A Survey Study with Chinese Kindergarten Teachers

Home-school cooperation in children's education is complex. It could be even more complex in rural contexts, due to the potential contributions of isolated location, insufficient resources, a lack of teachers' professional competence, parental absence or parents' limited understandings about education. A questionnaire survey was designed to explore the views of 1526 Chinese rural kindergarten teachers on home-kindergarten cooperation. The purposes of the study were to analyse 1) how the rural teachers perceived and experienced home-kindergarten cooperation; 2) what personal and professional factors influenced teachers' perspectives and experiences; and 3) similarities and differences of teachers' views. Two results emerged from the study. Firstly, common themes concerning teachers' regular communications with parents were identified. Secondly, it is also the case that home-school cooperation was subjected to limited cooperative activities and a lack of organisational structures in the kindergartens. The study concludes with a discussion of some implications of the positive and challenging factors for encouraging cooperative home-school relationships in rural kindergartens.