Factors Affecting Parents’ Choice of Early Childhood Education in Hong Kong: An Exploratory Study (Published)
In Hong Kong, children’s education has become an increasingly important issue for families; parents prefer to provide their children with early childhood education because it is vital for children’s comprehensive development and lifelong learning (Cheung, 2019). While previous studies have focused on the influence of parents’ socio-demographic factors and institutional factors on parents’ choice of early childhood education in Hong Kong (Fung & Lam, 2011; Yuen & Grieshaber, 2009), few studies have looked into other factors such as birth order position of the child within the family and length of residency in Hong Kong. This quantitative research aims to investigate factors affecting parents’ choice of early childhood education in Hong Kong. This paper summarizes factors that parents are concerned with while choosing a school, including parents’ socio-demographic factors and institutional factors. Birth order position of the child within the family and length of residency in Hong Kong are also analyzed in this study. The sample consisted of 2000 parents whose children received or are enrolling in early childhood education in Hong Kong. Data were collected via a self-administered questionnaire; descriptive analysis was used to analyze the socio-demographic characteristics of sampling, and chi-square test and binary logistic regression were carried out to identify factors affecting parents’ choice of early childhood education in Hong Kong. The statistical results reveal that family monthly income and birth order position of the child within the family are main factors affecting parents’ choice, and school hardware and school background have a slightly significant trend with parents’ choice of early childhood education in Hong Kong.
Keywords: Early Childhood Education, Hong Kong, Parents, choice with school