Impact of a positive youth development program on junior high school students in mainland China : a pioneer study

Abstract

Objectives: Using a quasi-experimental design, this pioneer study examined the impacts of a positive youth development (PYD) program (“Tin Ka Ping P.A.T.H.S. Project”) implemented in a junior secondary school by comparing student changes between the experimental (n = 539) and control (n = 505) groups. Method: Both groups completed questionnaires assessing perceived PYD attributes, life satisfaction, depression, and delinquency prior to and after project implementation. Results: Experimental group students showed greater improvement in perceived PYD attributes than did control group students. While the control group showed significant decrease in self-report life satisfaction and increase in self-report depression, the experimental group did not. Furthermore, the experimental group showed significant decline in perceived delinquency whereas the control group did not. Conclusion: The present findings provide support for the positive impacts of a culturally adapted curriculum-based PYD program on different developmental outcomes among junior high school students in mainland China.