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Objective outcome evaluation of a positive youth development program in China

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Published/Copyright: April 17, 2014

Abstract

An adapted version of the Tier 1 Program of the Project P.A.T.H.S. developed in Hong Kong was implemented in four secondary schools in East China, with the financial support of the Tin Ka Ping Foundation. A quasi-experimental design with the inclusion of both experimental and control schools was adopted. Results showed that the experimental schools and control schools were basically equivalent in terms of pretest measures. For the posttest measures, analyses showed that students in the experimental schools performed better than did students in the control schools. Alternative analyses using between-subjects ANCOVAs showed similar effects. Results also revealed that high proportions of the respondents had positive perceptions of the program and the instructors, with 96.3% of the respondents regarding the program as helpful to them. The present study provides preliminary support for the effectiveness of the adapted Project P.A.T.H.S. in mainland China.


Corresponding author: Professor Daniel T.L. Shek, PhD, FHKPS, BBS, SBS, JP, Associate Vice President (Undergraduate Programme), and Chair Professor of Applied Social Sciences, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Room HJ407, Core H, Hunghom, Hong Kong, E-mail:

Acknowledgments

The preparation for this paper and the Tin Ka Ping East China Project P.A.T.H.S. were financially supported by the Tin Ka Ping Foundation.

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Received: 2013-1-2
Accepted: 2013-2-9
Published Online: 2014-4-17
Published in Print: 2014-5-1

©2014 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin/Boston

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