Home-Kindy Coop: Parental Educational Anxiety Intervention

This study aims to systematically explore parental educational anxiety among parents of senior-class kindergarten children and the moderating effect of home-school cooperation through meta-analysis, providing theoretical and practical insights for the development of targeted intervention strategies. In recent years, parental educational anxiety in the preschool stage has emerged as a social focus, particularly among parents of senior-class kindergarteners, whose anxiety over children's school readiness may profoundly impact family education quality and early childhood development. The specific mechanism of home-school cooperation as a key pathway to alleviate parental anxiety requires in-depth validation. A meta-analysis was conducted on 89 relevant studies, covering a total sample size of 8,788 participants, to examine differences in educational anxiety awareness, help-seeking awareness, and home-school cooperation awareness between anxious parents and control groups. The moderating effects of three home-school cooperation models—parent classes, online centralized guidance, and individual decentralized guidance—were tested. Literature screening strictly followed PRISMA guidelines, with heterogeneity testing (I²) and publication bias analysis ensuring result reliability, and a random-effects model was used to pool effect sizes. The meta-analysis revealed significant between-group differences in educational anxiety awareness (g = -0.65, 95% CI [-0.82, -0.47]), help-seeking awareness, and home-school cooperation awareness. Individual decentralized guidance demonstrated the most pronounced moderating effect (β = 0.79, p = 0.006), outperforming parent classes and online centralized guidance. This indicates that targeted, personalized home-school cooperation interventions more effectively address parents' differentiated needs, enhancing intervention efficiency. Parental educational anxiety among senior-class kindergarten parents is significantly higher than that of control groups, and home-school cooperation interventions—particularly individual decentralized guidance—effectively moderate this anxiety. These findings provide empirical support for constructing a "precision-oriented" home-school cooperation system, suggesting future interventions should prioritize individual parental needs, integrate multiple guidance formats, and strengthen dynamic feedback mechanisms to enhance practical effectiveness. Additionally, future research could explore the long-term impact of these interventions on children's development and parental well-being. By continuously refining and adapting home-school cooperation strategies based on individual family dynamics, we can better support parents in navigating the challenges of early childhood education and foster a healthier, more positive educational environment for young learners.