The Impact of Home–School Accessibility on Resource Sharing in Rural Small-Scale Kindergartens in Sichuan: A Serial Mediation Analysis

Abstract

This study investigated the relationships among home–school accessibility, resource sharing, management collaboration, and inter-school cultural co-construction in rural small-scale kindergartens under the framework of China’s Rural Revitalization Strategy. A sample of 229 principals/heads, teachers, and childcare staff from very small (0–50 enrolled children) and small-scale (51–100 enrolled children) rural kindergartens (or preschool education sites) in Sichuan Province were surveyed using self-developed questionnaires and interview protocols. The results indicated that: (1) home–school accessibility was significantly and positively correlated with both management collaboration and inter-school cultural co-construction; management collaboration was significantly and positively correlated with inter-school cultural co-construction; and resource sharing was significantly and positively correlated with home–school accessibility, management collaboration, and inter-school cultural co-construction; (2) inter-school cultural co-construction and management collaboration played a serial mediating role between home–school accessibility and resource sharing. These findings elucidate the mechanisms through which home–school accessibility influences resource sharing in rural small-scale kindergartens, and provide practical implications for the cluster development of such kindergartens in the context of the Rural Revitalization Strategy and emerging demographic shifts.