Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) self-efficacy refers to students’ belief in their ability to succeed in STEM-related tasks. Although parental involvement is known to positively influence students’ STEM self-efficacy, the relation between different types of parental involvement (e.g., discussions and activities) and students’ STEM self-efficacy across various age and gender groups remains understudied. This study examines the nuanced, age- and gender-specific associations between parental involvement and students’ STEM self-efficacy among primary and secondary students in Hong Kong, a high-performing education system where girls’ performance in Science and Mathematics were higher or similar to boys on the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2018 and 2022 respectively. Data from 712 students (49% female) from 6 primary and 6 secondary schools were collected via an online survey. Students’ demographic information, parental involvement, and STEM self-efficacy were analysed to address the research questions. Multigroup structural equation modelling revealed that primary students’ STEM self-efficacy benefited from parental STEM-related activities, while secondary students benefited from parental STEM-focused discussions. The relationship between parental involvement and STEM self-efficacy was consistent across genders in both age groups, indicating a consistent benefit of parental STEM involvement for both male and female students. The results of this study underscore the critical role of parental involvement in fostering students’ STEM self-efficacy and suggest that educational programs should include age-appropriate parental involvement elements to foster students’ self-efficacy development in STEM. Copyright © 2025 The Author(s).

This study aimed to investigate differences in parental attitudes toward music and support for music education between typically developing children and autistic children with mild or borderline intellectual disability (ID) in Hong Kong. While research highlights the developmental benefits of music for autistic children with ID, few studies explore formal music training in this population, particularly within the context of cultural influences. The study included 148 participants, consisting of 84 parents of typically developing children and 64 parents of autistic children with ID. A questionnaire was used to assess parental attitudes toward music and their decisions regarding formal music training enrollment for their children. Covariates such as family income, child executive function, and parental expectations were analyzed to identify potential predictors. Parents of autistic children with ID held more positive attitudes toward music compared to parents of typically developing children when controlling for covariates. However, only 14.1% of autistic children with ID were enrolled in formal music training, in contrast to 40.4% of typically developing children. Family income and child executive function emerged as significant barriers to enrollment decisions. The findings highlight a disparity between positive parental attitudes toward music and pursuit of music education among autistic children with ID, highlighting systemic and financial barriers. Accessible music programs, adjustments in parental expectations, and inclusive policies may bridge the gap between parental attitudes and actual support. These insights call for targeted interventions to ensure that autistic children with ID can access the developmental benefits of music education. Copyright © 2025 The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

This study investigated the influence of parental attributes and practices on the promotion of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) guidelines in young children during a period of school suspension. We surveyed parents (N = 357) who had at least one preschool-aged child in Hong Kong. Parents' perceived difficulties in ensuring sufficient PA and limited SB were heightened during school suspension relative to regular school time. The time spent by children performing daily PA decreased to 72.5% relative to regular school time. Contrasting with theorized relationships, parents with more positive PA-related attributes reported greater difficulty in promoting PA and SB guidelines during school suspension. The findings highlight the importance of parental support when family routines are disrupted. Recommendations include the dissemination of health information and the development of resources for indoor PA. Multifaceted approaches should acknowledge individual and contextual factors, supported by further research on PA-related parenting within relevant sociocultural contexts. Copyright © 2024 Taylor and Francis Ltd.

This study examined the longitudinal interplay of fathers' and mothers' literacy teaching and children's word reading skills and interest in literacy. A total of 194 second-year kindergarten (K2) children and their fathers and mothers in Hong Kong participated. At the three time points from K2 to K3 (i.e., the third year in kindergarten), fathers and mothers independently reported the frequency of their own literacy teaching activities. Mothers reported their children's interest in literacy-related activities. The children were individually assessed on Chinese word reading. The results from cross-lagged panel analysis showed that the children's prior literacy interest was associated with later frequency of parental literacy teaching, but not the other way around. No significant relations were observed between the children's word-reading skills and the literacy teaching provided by their mothers or by their fathers. Additionally, it was the children's earlier word reading skills that predicted their later development of literacy interest, but not vice versa. Thus, the parents seemed to adjust their home literacy teaching flexibly in response to their perceptions of their children's literacy interest. The findings also underscore the potential importance of word reading abilities in fostering children's literacy interest. Copyright © 2024 Springer.

Home numeracy environment encompasses both home provision of numeracy activities for preschool children as well as parental attitudes toward mathematics. The present study investigated the mediating role of home numeracy activities in the relationship between parental academic expectations for their children and children's spontaneous focusing on numerosity (SFON). A total of 176 parent-child dyads from Hong Kong participated in the study where children were tested on their SFON tendency, while parents completed a questionnaire on home numeracy environment which included measures on both home numeracy activities and parental expectations for their children on numeracy performance. Our results revealed, for the first time, a mediating role of home numeracy activities-specifically operational activities-in the relationship between parental expectations for their children on numeracy performance and their children's SFON tendency. The present findings highlight the importance of a nurturing home numeracy environment on preschoolers' SFON tendency, which has potentially far-reaching significance on children's math achievement in later years. Copyright © 2024 Elsevier.

Although artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming more commonly integrated into our everyday lives, homes, and schools, there needs to be more research regarding parental attitudes toward using AI technologies and AI literacy education to understand better and advance AI and AI literacy in kindergarten. To address this gap, this study explored kindergarten parents' perceptions of using AI technologies and AI literacy education in kindergarten. In Study One, 215 parents completed a survey regarding their views and concerns about the use of AI technologies and AI literacy education in kindergarten, the challenges encountered in AI literacy education in kindergarten and their opinions on the use of AI technologies in kindergarten. In Study Two, we interviewed five parents to gain further insight into their perspectives. The results indicated that 74.4%, 19.1%, and 6.5% felt positive, neutral, and negative towards using AI technology in kindergarten settings, respectively, illustrating that most parents remained positive. Results showed that most parents reported that it is suitable for kindergarten children to learn about AI tools and AI literacy. The kindergarten level may be an appropriate starting point for learning AI literacy. We found that the four main challenges that parents reported their children encountered when learning about AI literacy are limited comprehension ability, time constraints, the difficulty of the AI learning content, and uncertainty regarding the appropriateness of AI learning content for children. The findings indicate that Hong Kong parents positively perceive using AI in kindergartens. Still, designing AI-based educational tools for kindergarten children must address the challenges identified while ensuring equal access for all children. Copyright © 2025 Springer.

Shifts toward an interconnected global economy have raised concerns among middle- and upper-middle-class parents about the role of multilingualism and multiculturalism in child-rearing. Affluent parents have been previously recognized as 'cultivating' childhood experiences to promote competitiveness in the professional sphere (Lareau, A. (2003). Unequal childhoods: Class, race, and family life. University of California Press. ). The cultivation of multiple languages and a multicultural stance has, as the global economy has broadened, become part of 'good parenting' for many. Against this background, this qualitative study uses a language policy theory (Spolsky, B. (2007). Towards a theory of language policy. 22 (1), https://repository.upenn.edu/wpel/vol22/iss1/1) to examine beliefs, practices, and behaviors of parents of children enrolled in an early childhood program at a private international school in Hong Kong. The findings show how the focal parents created and enacted their own language policy based on their beliefs about languages, the practices they carried out, and their management of their children's multilingualism, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study highlights contemporary tensions between ideologies and practices of language in present-day multilingual and multicultural school settings; in addition, it expands the existing research on language policy and parental engagement by providing a nuanced analysis of how social actors devise ways to manage and support the complex process of language learning, even under dire conditions. Copyright © 2024 Routledge.

Purpose. Online teaching was adopted in Hong Kong and many other places worldwide in compliance with the lockdown protocol during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research explores factors affecting the effectiveness of primary students' online learning as measured by students' responses to a questionnaire designed for this study. Method. 1,810 students from primary schools in Hong Kong from 15 out of 18 districts in Hong Kong completed the questionnaire in 2023. A Questionnaire was developed for this study to measure four factors, namely, family support in providing hardware and software to students, students' technology competence in using computers or iPads for learning, students' engagement in online learning, and online learning effectiveness. Confirmatory Factor Analysis showed that the questionnaire was reliable and valid. Structural Equation Modeling was used to test the hypotheses. Findings. The findings showed that family support in providing hardware and software and students' technology competence significantly affect students' engagement during online learning, and students' engagement significantly positively affects online learning effectiveness. Implications for Research and Practice. The study can cast light on the important relationships of family support and students' technology competence on students' learning engagement and online learning effectiveness. Furthermore, online teaching can be effective for primary students if sufficient support can be available. Copyright © 2024 Ani Publishing.

Background and aims: Existing studies that simultaneously consider the effects of lifestyle and family environment factors on mental health problems (MHPs), particularly in preschoolers, are limited. This study aims to explore lifestyle and family environment factors associated with MHPs, externalising problems (EPs) and internalising problems (IPs) in preschoolers. Methods: This territory-wide, school-based study conducted from 2020 to 2022 involved 1926 preschoolers. MHPs, EPs, and IPs and factors such as sleep duration, sleep latency, entertainment screen time, educational screen time, parent-child recreation and learning activities were assessed. Linear and logistic regression analyses were used to explore the relationships between these factors and MHPs, EPs, and IPs. Results: The average sleep duration was 9.94 h per day, average screen time of 2.53 h per day, and 42.6 % experienced sleep latency exceeding 20 min per day among preschoolers (mean age: 4.39 years, 49.1 % female). Adjusted analyses showed that decreased parent-child recreation activities, prolonged sleep latency and excessive entertainment screen time were associated with increased MHPs, EPs, and IPs (β: 0.05 to 0.20, all p < 0.05). Weekend sleep duration of <10 h per day, sleep latency of >20 min per day, and educational screen time of >30 min per day were identified as risk factors for MHPs, EPs, and IPs, with an adjusted odds ratio ranging from 1.32 to 2.32 (all p < 0.05). Conclusions: Preschoolers' lifestyle and family environment factors are associated with MHPs, EPs, and IPs respectively. Ensuring adequate sleep duration, avoiding sleep latency exceeding 20 min per day, reducing entertainment screen time, limiting educational screen time to 30 min per day, and increasing parent-child interactions may help to minimise mental health problems. Copyright © 2025 The Authors. 

Background: Parents' high academic expectations are positively associated with young children's mathematical abilities. However, minimal attention has been devoted to whether, and how, different ways of conveying the performance targets would result in different outcomes. Aims: The current study investigated whether and how parents' perfectionistic strivings and concerns were associated with young children's mathematical abilities through home mathematical activities, children's approach motivation to learn mathematics, and children's avoidance motivation to learn mathematics. Sample: Participants included 211 kindergarteners in Hong Kong and their parents. Methods: Data were collected through individual child tests and parent questionnaires. Results: Structural equation modelling revealed that parents' perfectionistic strivings had a direct positive link with children's mathematical abilities, an indirect link via approach motivation to learn mathematics, and an indirect link via home mathematical activities, and then approach motivation. Parents' perfectionistic concerns had a direct negative link with children's mathematical abilities, an indirect link via approach motivation to learn mathematics, and an indirect link via avoidance motivation to learn mathematics. Conclusions: Early childhood practitioners are recommended to raise parents' awareness of how to communicate high‐performance targets to children in a constructive manner. Copyright ©2024 Wiley.