Development and Validation of the Chinese Home Learning Environment Scale for Preschool-Aged Children

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal Target 4.2 underscores the importance of stimulating early learning experiences for child development. However, measuring home learning environments at the population level remains challenging. This study developed and validated a comprehensive and contextually appropriate measure of the home learning environment for children aged 3-5 years in China, the Chinese Home Learning Environment Scale. The study comprised two phases. In Phase I, an initial item pool was developed through a literature review, and expert consensus was established using a modified e-Delphi method. Items were refined based on pilot testing with 33 caregiver-child dyads. The Phase I version included 28 caregiver-reported items assessing learning resources and learning activity frequency and 16 directly observed items measuring the quality of learning activities. In Phase II, data from 777 relatively highly educated caregivers from middle-income families (M-age = 48.84 months; 46.72% boys; 49.94% urban residents) were used to evaluate items. Analyses yielded a four-factor model: Availability of Learning Resources (five items), Frequency of Basic Concept Learning (three items), Frequency of Formal Learning Activities (six items), and Frequency of Informal Learning Activities (13 items). The scale demonstrated good construct and concurrent validity and internal consistency. Higher socioeconomic status and urban residence were associated with higher Chinese Home Learning Environment Scale scores. The findings indicate that the scale is an effective tool for assessing Chinese children's home learning environments and can offer valuable insights for policy and intervention design.