Concerted cultivation, parent-child closeness, and young children’s school readiness in China: An actor-partner interdependence moderation model

• The study found that both paternal and maternal concerted cultivation were positively associated with young children’s school readiness. • Results demonstrated an actor moderation effect, showing that father-child closeness moderated the relationship between paternal concerted cultivation and children’s school readiness. • The benefits of paternal concerted cultivation on children’s school readiness were maximized in the context of higher father-child closeness. • A partner moderation effect also emerged, indicating that mother-child closeness moderated the relationship between paternal concerted cultivation and children’s school readiness. • Albeit paternal concerted cultivation was positively associated with children’s school readiness at higher levels of mother-child closeness, the relationship was more prominent at lower levels of mother-child closeness. Concerted cultivation refers to a parenting style in which parents actively engage and invest in fostering children’s talents and skills. The current study aimed to assess the association between concerted cultivation and young children’s school readiness, as well as to examine the moderating role of parent-child closeness in this relationship. Based on the ecological perspective and family systems theory, the study adopted the Actor-Partner Interdependence Moderation Model (APIMoM) to assess how individual concerted cultivation interacts with one’s own and spouse’s parent-child closeness in relation to school readiness. A sample consisting of 3,191 pairs of couples with young children and 148 teachers was recruited from 10 preschools in China. Results revealed that paternal and maternal concerted cultivation were positively associated with school readiness. Furthermore, both actor and partner moderation effects were observed. Father-child closeness amplified the association between paternal concerted cultivation and school readiness, whereas mother-child closeness attenuated this relationship. The study underscores the importance of attending to contextual factors and the crucial role of fathers when considering the relationship between concerted cultivation and child development. It sheds new light for educators and family practitioners in designing a family-wide approach to enhance young children’s school readiness by supporting concerted cultivation and parent-child relationships.