“Paying attention gets twice the result with half the effort”: Teachers’ understanding of children’s attention in Chinese early childhood classrooms

Children’s attentional skills develop rapidly during early childhood and are influenced by both environmental and biological factors. Attention is critical for school readiness, and early childhood teachers play a vital role in shaping its development. However, their understanding of attention remains underexplored. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 early childhood teachers in Shanghai, China, to explore their knowledge of attentional skills and development, attributions of children’s (in)attention, and teaching practices supportive of attention. Findings revealed that teachers held nuanced conceptual knowledge of attention and related behavioral indicators. They recognized the roles of both external (contextual) and internal (individual) factors in impacting attention. Teachers also demonstrated responsibility and agency in creating and modifying classroom experiences to foster attention, as well as in understanding and responding to students’ needs and interests. This study offers implications for professional development designed to deepen educators’ understanding of attention and cognitive development in early childhood education.