An exploration of kindergarten gratitude education during the COVID-19 pandemic in China

• Ye Zhang ^[2] ; Tian Yang ^[1]
  1. [1] Beijing Normal University

     Beijing Normal University

     China

     
  2. [2] Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education
• Localización: Journal for the Study of Education and Development, Infancia y Aprendizaje, ISSN-e 1578-4126, ISSN 0210-3702, Vol. 47, Nº 2, 2024, págs. 377-407
• Idioma: inglés
• DOI: 10.1177/02103702241253420
• Títulos paralelos:
  • Una exploración de la enseñanza de la gratitud en la Educación Infantil en China durante la pandemia de COVID-19
• Enlaces
  • Texto completo
• Resumen
  • español

    La gratitud es una virtud moral valorada por muchas culturas, entre las que se cuenta la cultura china. Pese a que la pandemia de COVID-19 ha afectado la vida de los más pequeños, muchos educadores de este país defienden que la crisis brinda una oportunidad estupenda para la enseñanza de la gratitud. Estudios empíricos revelan que las prácticas pedagógicas en torno a la gratitud son infrecuentes en los centros de Educación Infantil en China. En el marco de la perspectiva sociocultural y el confucianismo, en este estudio se analizaron 100 artículos de cuentas oficiales de WeChat (WOSA) con el objeto de conocer y comprender mejor las prácticas pedagógicas en torno a la gratitud durante la pandemia. Mediante la técnica del análisis discursivo y de contenidos, se observó que los centros de Educación Infantil en China incentivaban a sus alumnos a expresar gratitud a los ‘héroes contra la pandemia’ de distintas formas. A través de una discusión en profundidad, el estudio revela que la enseñanza de la gratitud en la etapa infantil en China está influida por los cambios sociales y las condiciones socioculturales y refleja la influencia de la política y la de cultura tradicional china. Se discuten, por último, las implicaciones para la enseñanza de la gratitud tras la pandemia.

  • English

    Gratitude is a moral virtue that is valued by many cultures, including the Chinese culture. While the COVID-19 pandemic has affected children’s lives, many Chinese early childhood practitioners argue that the crisis offers a rewarding opportunity for gratitude education. However, empirical studies that reveal practices regarding gratitude education in kindergartens in China are rare. Framed by the sociocultural perspective and Confucianism, this study analysed 100 WeChat official service/subscription account (WOSA) articles, aiming to understand educational practices regarding gratitude education during the pandemic. Through the use of content analysis and discourse analysis, it was found in this study that kindergartens in China guided children to express gratitude to ‘anti-pandemic heroes’ via multiple modalities. Based on an in-depth discussion, this study argues that gratitude education in kindergartens in China is strongly affected by sociocultural changes and conditions and reflects the influences of political and traditional culture. Implications for postpandemic gratitude education practices are discussed.

• Referencias bibliográficas
  • Algoe S. B., Haidt J., Gable S. L. (2008). Beyond reciprocity: Gratitude and relationships in everyday life. Cognition and Emotion, 22(1),...
  • Bai L. (2005). Children at play: A childhood beyond the Confucian shadow. Childhood, 12(1), 9–32.
  • Bruner J. S. (2006). In search of pedagogy Volume II: The selected works of Jerome S. Bruner. Routledge.
  • Bryman A. (2012). Social research methods (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.
  • Carr D., Morgan B., Gulliford L. (2015). Learning and teaching virtuous gratitude. Oxford Review of Education, 41(6), 766–781.
  • Cowie H., Myers C. A. (2021). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health and well-being of children and young people. Children...
  • Datu J. A. D., Valdez J. P. M., McInerney D. M., Cayubit R. F. (2022). The effects of gratitude and kindness on life satisf, positive emotions,...
  • Emmons R. A., McCullough M. E. (Eds.). (2004). The psychology of gratitude. Oxford University Press.
  • Froh J. J., Sefick W. J., Emmons R. A. (2010). Counting blessings in early adolescents: An experimental study of gratitude and subjective...
  • Froh J. J., Yurkewicz C., Kashdan T. B. (2009). Gratitude and subjective well being in early adolescence: Examining gender differences. Journal...
  • Gao X. D. (2021). Thoughts on gratitude education for children aged 5-6 in the epidemic background [疫情背景下大班幼儿感恩教育思考]. Education of the Ttimes,...
  • Gulliford L., Morgan B. (2021). The concept of gratitude in philosophy and psychology: An update. Zeitschrift Für Ethik Und Moralphilosophie,...
  • Gulliford L., Morgan B., Kristjansson K. (2013). Recent work on the concept of gratitude in philosophy and psychology. The Journal of Value...
  • Hammersley M. (2003). Educational research: Current issues. Sage.
  • Hong S., Howes A. (2014). Influences of Confucianism on Chinese parents’ experience with early childhood education. Open Journal of Social...
  • Hussong A. M., Langley H. A., Rothenberg W. A., Coffman J. L., Halberstadt A. G., Costanzo P. R., Mokrova I. (2019). Raising grateful children...
  • Hussong A. M., Langley H. A., Thomas T. E., Coffman J. L., Halberstadt A. G., Costanzo P. R., Rothenberg W. A. (2019). Measuring gratitude...
  • Lee C. K. (2010). Raw encounters: Chinese managers, African workers, and the politics of casualization in Africa’s Chinese enclaves. In Fraser...
  • Li S. (2014). How to make a grateful child? Reflection on gratitude campaigns in China in recent years. SAGE Open, 4(4), 1–7.
  • Li Y. H., Wen L., Hao M. J., Sun J., Wu C., Wu Q. (2021, September 20). ‘Be useful to the country, people and society’ [‘做对国家、对人民、对社会有用的人’]....
  • Lin J. C., Jackson L. (2023). Patriotism in moral education: Toward a rational approach in China. Journal of Moral Education, 52(3), 343–361....
  • Liu H. M. (2021). Research on gratitude education strategies in Children’s family education during the COVID-19 epidemic [新冠疫情期间幼儿家庭教育中的感恩教育策略探究]....
  • Lu S. Z. (2021). From filial piety to serving the country, gratitude education is everywhere! [小到孝敬父母，大到报效国家，感恩教育无处不在!]. https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/W6jyXOpwcR8FOltjozbcYg
  • Luo W., Berson I. R., Berson M. J. (2022). Bi-directional emotional contagion: An analysis of chinese parents’ social media data. Computers...
  • Luo X. (2019). Using WeChat to explore parents’ perspectives on early years education in China [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Edinburgh.
  • Ma L. K., Tunney R. J., Ferguson E. (2017). Does gratitude enhance prosociality?: A meta-analytic review. Psychological bulletin, 143(6),...
  • McCullough M. E., Emmons R. A., Tsang J. (2002). The grateful disposition: A conceptual and empirical topography. Journal of Personality and...
  • McCullough M. E., Kilpatrick S. D., Emmons R. A., Larson D. B. (2001). Is gratitude a moral affect? Psychological Bulletin, 127(2), 249–266....
  • Merriam S. B., Tisdell E. J. (2016). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation (4th ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
  • Midgette A. J., Coffman J. L., Hussong A. M. (2022). What parents and children say when talking about children’s gratitude: A thematic analysis....
  • Ministry of Education (MoE). (1992). Key points of work of the State Education Commission in 1992 [国家教委1992年工作要点]. http://www.moe.gov.cn/jyb_sjzl/moe_164/201002/t20100220_3432.html
  • Ministry of Education (MoE). (2016). Kindergarten work procedures [幼儿园工作规程]. http://www.moe.gov.cn/srcsite/A02/s5911/moe_621/201602/t20160229_231184.html
  • Ministry of Education (MoE). (2020). Notice on Coordinating COVID-19 Prevention in Education System and Education Reform and Development [中共教育部党组关于统筹做好教育系统新冠肺炎疫情防控和教育改革发展工作的通知]....
  • Mutch C. (2005). Doing educational research: A practitioner’s guide to getting started. NZCER Press.
  • Nelson J. A., de Lucca Freitas L. B., O’Brien M., Calkins S. D., Leerkes E. M., Marcovitch S. (2013). Preschool-aged children’s understanding...
  • Patton M. Q. (1990). Qualitative evaluation and research methods (2nd ed.). Sage.
  • Paulus T., Lester J., Dempster P. (2014). Digital tools for qualitative research. Sage.
  • Rogoff B. (1995). Observing sociocultural activity on three planes: Participatory appropriation, guided participation, and apprenticeship....
  • Rothenberg W. A., Hussong A. M., Langley H. A., Egerton G. A., Halberstadt A. G., Coffman J. L., Mokrova I., Costanzo P. R. (2017). Grateful...
  • Saldaña J. (2013). The coding manual for qualitative researchers (2nd ed.). Sage.
  • Shoshani A., De-Leon Lendner K., Nissensohn A., Lazarovich G., Aharon-Dvir O. (2020). Grateful and kind: The prosocial function of gratitude...
  • Takungpao. (2021). Confucius’ thought of ‘serving the people’ [孔子的’为人民服务’思想]. http://renwen.takungpao.com/html/400/401/2021/0225/1100.html
  • The Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China. (2013, December 23). The opinions on cultivating and practicing the core...
  • The National People’s Congress. (2018). Constitution of the People’s Republic of China. http://www.npc.gov.cn/npc/c505/201803/e87e5cd7c1ce46ef866f4ec8e2d709ea.shtml
  • The State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China. (2020). Fighting Covid-19. China in action [抗击新冠肺炎疫情的中国行动白皮书]. http://www.scio.gov.cn/ztk/dtzt/42313/43142/
  • The University of Macau. (n.d.). Chinese culture of gratitude. https://ci.um.edu.mo/culture-corner/chinese-culture-of-gratitude/
  • Tu W. M. (1994). Embodying the universe: A note on Confucian self-realization. In Ames R. T., Dissanayake W., Kasulis T. (Eds.), Self as person...
  • Veraksa N., Shiyan O., Shiyan I., Pramling N., Pramling-Samuelsson I. (2016). Communication between teacher and child in early child education:...
  • Vygotsky L. S. (1978). Mind in society. Harvard University Press.
  • Vygotsky L. S. (1981). The genesis of higher mental function. In Wertsch J. V. (Ed.), The concept of activity in Soviet psychology (pp. 144–188)....
  • Wang F. (2018). Application and development of WeChat public platform in kindergarten management [微信公众平台在幼儿园管理中的运用与开发]. Pedagogy Abstracts,...
  • Waters L., Stokes H. (2015). Positive Education for school leaders: Exploring the effects of emotion-gratitude and action-gratitude. Australian...
  • Watkins P. C. (2014). Gratitude and the good life: Toward a psychology of appreciation. Springer.
  • Wertsch J. V., Tulviste P. (2005). L.S. Vygotsky and contemporary developmental psychology. In Daniels H. (Ed.), An introduction to Vygotsky...
  • Wood A. M., Froh J. J., Geraghty A. W. A. (2010). Gratitude and well-being: A review and theoretical integration. Clinical Psychology Review,...
  • Wood A. M., Joseph S., Maltby J. (2008). Gratitude uniquely predicts satisfaction with life: Incremental validity above the domains and facets...
  • Wood A. M., Maltby J., Stewart N., Linley P. A., Joseph S. (2008). A social-cognitive model of trait and state levels of gratitude. Emotion,...
  • Xia J., Wei Y., Tang Y., Xue W. (2020). The analysis of the characteristics of online learning resources for early childhood education during...
  • Xinhua. (2020, March 5). Across China: Volunteers follow virtue of dedication amid epidemic. https://www.chinastory.cn/PCywdbk/v2/detail/20200305/1012700000042741583395309380649130_1.html
  • Xu H. (2022). Discussion about the gratitude education of children after the Covid-19 epidemic [浅谈后疫情幼儿感恩教育]. Teaching and Research, 7, 1–2.
  • Xue S. J., Churchill D. (2019). A review of empirical studies of affordances and development of a framework for educational adoption of mobile...
  • Yang T., Zhang Y. (2023). An ecological investigation of kindergarten-oriented educational practice during the initial COVID-19 class suspension...
  • Zhang J. (2018). Brief discussion on preschoolers’ moral education [浅谈幼儿思想品德教育]. Pedagogy, 134. http://www.chinaqking.com/yc/2018/1084953.html
  • Zhang X., Su J., Sun L., Li Y. (2020). Strategies, challenges and suggestions for preschool education in the context of epidemic. Early Childhood...