A Scoping Review on Intergenerational Learning in Urban China

Abstract Introduction: The ageing world gives rise to changing family structures, as well as the way different generations interact with each other. While research on intergenerational relationships and intergenerational learning have started as early as in the 1960s and 1970s in North America and Europe, little is known about scholarly discussions in this field in China. Purpose: This paper presents an overview of the published journal articles in Chinese on the topic of intergenerational learning in urban China, with the goal of identifying the common themes under discussion, the theoretical frameworks adopted in these studies, and empirical research in this field. Methods: A scoping review was conducted to look for relevant journal papers published in Chinese between the years 2006-2020. We identified 117 journal papers that fit our criteria and a majority of them were found by using the key words gedai jiaoyu (education in skip-generation situations). Conclusion: The overall quality of the published research is poor in that most authors only provided personal observations and opinions. Almost all studies set their focus on grandparenting and emphasis is often placed on how grandparenting affects young children’s growth, with little attention given to its influences on grandparents. Research on intergenerational interactions beyond family settings is almost non-existent. A number of recommendations for future studies are offered at the end of the article.