MIDDLE CHILDHOOD IN CHINA
Molly Singleton, Christa Hammer, Maria Alba
CHINA AT A GLANCE
Fun Facts
•
People’s Republic of China
•
Capital City: Beijing
•
Chinese Communist Party
•
Renminbi is the official currency
•
Mandarin Chinese
•
Buddhism and Taoism
•
Infant Mortality Rate: 15.62
deaths/1,000 live births (2013)
•
Literacy rate is 92.2%
•
Ranked world’s 2nd largest
economy by GDP
International Children’s
Day
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
AVERAGE HEIGHT AND WEIGHT FOR U.S.
CHILDREN
Height
Weight
6 year old boy: 3 ft. 8
11 year old boy: 4 ft. 5
6 year old boy: 43 lbs.
11 year old boy: 80 lbs.
6 year old girl: 3 ft. 7
11 year old girl: 4 ft. 7
6 year old girl: 42 lbs.
11 year old girl: 82 lbs.
PUBERTY
Average age to hit puberty is age 10 for girls and 12 for boys.
WHY?



Increase of estrogen intake (girls)
Higher use of pesticides in vegetables and fruit,
which can decompose into elements with high
sex hormones
Pollution
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT- THEORY OF MIND

Universal?

Timing across cultures and languages

False Beliefs

Beliefs, Appearance, Thoughts

Understanding Theory of Mind

Think about Intersecting Variables
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT- LEARNING

Rigid School Schedule

Challenges with basic word-reading skills


Phonological Awareness, Writing, Homophones
Executive Functioning

Mental Functions, Behavior, Self- Control

Reading problems- Verbal Memory Skills

Chinese vs U.S Children



Heavy emphasis on school and academics


Executive Functioning Scores
Math Scores
Lots of Homework, Extra work at home
Stress and Social Pressures
PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT


Social Impact of The One Child Policy
Study of Self concept, appearance,
and academics

Son Preference Impact

Confucian Ritualization
REFERENCE PAGE









China Infant mortality rate - Demographics. (2013, February 21). Index Mundi.
Chung, K. H., & McBride-Chang, C. (2011). Executive functioning skills uniquely predict Chinese word
reading. Journal Of Educational Psychology, 103(4), 909-921. doi:10.1037/a0024744
Dong, F., & Jensen, H. H. (2008). New evidence on overweight children in urban china and the role of
socioeconomic factors.
Fan, R. (2012). Confucian ritualization: How and why?. In Ritual and The Moral Life (pp. 143-158). New
York, NY: Springer.
Growth charts for Chinese children. (2010, November).
High early puberty rates in china alarm doctors. (2010, April 20).
Hudson-Ross, S. (1990). Literacy learning as a reflection of language and culture: Chinese elementary school
education. Reading Teacher, 44(2), 110.
Leong, C., Tse, S., Loh, K., & Hau, K. (2008). Text comprehension in Chinese children: Relative contribution
of verbal working memory, pseudoword reading, rapid automatized naming, and onset-rime phonological
segmentation. Journal Of Educational Psychology, 100(1), 135-149. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.100.1.135
Liu, D., Wellman, H. M., Tardif, T., & Sabbagh, M. A. (2008). Theory of mind development in Chinese
children: A meta-analysis of false-belief understanding across cultures and languages. Developmental
Psychology, 44(2), 523-531. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.44.2.523

National Center of Health Statistics, & National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health
Promotion. (2000, May 20). 2 to 20 years: girls stature-for-age-and weight-for age percentiles.

National Center of Health Statistics, & National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health
Promotion. (2000, May 30). 20 to 20 years: boys stature-for- age and weight-for-age percentiles.






Sing, L., Wing Ling, L., Xianmei, C., Gong, C., & Siu, C. K. (1998). The Self-Perception Of Ability by Chinese
Children in China and Hong Kong: Gender and Grade Differences. Social Behavior & Personality: An
International Journal, 26(3), 275.
Tao, K. (1998). An overview of only child family mental health in China. Psychiatry And Clinical
Neurosciences, 52 SupplS206-S211.
Wendy, W. (2005). Son Preference and Educational Opportunities of Children in China-- "I Wish You Were a
Boy!". Gender Issues,22(2), 3-30.
Xuefeng, C. (2003). The Social Impact of China's One-Child Policy. Harvard Asia Pacific Review, 7(1), 74-76.
Zhang, Y., Tardif, T., Shu, H., Li, H., Liu, H., McBride-Chang, C., & ... Zhang, Z. (2013).
Phonological skills and vocabulary knowledge mediate socioeconomic status effects in predicting reading
outcomes for Chinese children. Developmental Psychology, 49(4), 665-671. doi:10.1037/a0028612