Do Chinese Preschool Children Love Their Motherland? Evidence from the Game-Based Assessment

Patriotism is a topic of significant importance in many countries around the world. Preschool children play a crucial role in shaping the future, and their patriotism is closely linked to the future development of their nation. Currently, the game-based assessment has advantages over traditional evaluation methods and is more suitable for preschool children. This study employed a game-based assessment method to investigate patriotism among preschool children aged 3 to 6 years in China. The results indicated that their levels of patriotism were above average and tended to increase with age. Preschool children in the capital region scored higher on national cognitive mastery. However, preschool children's understanding of patriotism remains somewhat vague, and they often articulate and express their patriotism through concrete examples. Four types of patriotism among preschool children were identified: high-level patriotism, cognitive-based patriotism, emotional-based patriotism, and low-level patriotism. The findings of this study contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of patriotism in preschool children and provide an evidence-based reference for the development of patriotic education.