Thirteenth Global Studies Conference

Abstract

In prior studies, parents’ socio-demographic factors and some institutional factors have already been studied and shown to influence parents’ choice. The institutional factors include school background, school hardware, school software, and school performance (Fung & Lam, 2011). The socio-demographic factors that have been studied include age, gender, education background, occupation, and family monthly income (Yuen & Grieshaber, 2009). However, there is a dearth of research on the length of residency and the birth order position of a child within the family. Despite the efforts made by educators and researchers, the influence of the birth order of the child within the family and length of parents’ residency in Hong Kong remains mostly unknown to the early childhood education community. This paper summarizes factors that parents are concerned with while choosing a school, including parents’ socio-demographic factors and institutional factors. The length of residency in Hong Kong and the birth order position of the child within the family are also analyzed in this study. The sample consisted of 200 parents whose children received early childhood education in Hong Kong. Data was collected by using a questionnaire. Binary logistic regression analysis was used for data analysis. According to the result of this study, the family monthly income and the birth order position of children within the family are the main factors affecting parents’ choice. School hardware and school background have a slight significant trend with parents’ choice of early childhood education in Hong Kong.