Subjective outcome evaluation of the Project PATHS based on different cohorts of students

Abstract

The Project PATHS (Positive Adolescent Training through Holistic Social Programs) is a positive youth development program in Hong Kong. After completion of the curricularbased Tier 1 Program, subjective outcome evaluation data were collected from 216 schools involving 93,020 participants. With schools as the unit of analysis, results showed that participants had positive perceptions of the program and implementers, with roughly 4 5 of the participants regarding the program as helpful to them. There were some signifi cant differences in the subjective outcome evaluation fi ndings between grades, although the effect size was small. Multiple regression analyses revealed that perceived qualities of the program and the program implementers predicted perceived effectiveness of the program. The present study suggests that irrespective of cohorts, students in the junior secondary years perceive the program to be benefi cial to them.

Subjective outcome evaluation of a positive youth development program targeting students with greater psychosocial needs

“…These fi ndings have important implications for the design of positive youth development program in the future. In conjunction with other evaluation fi ndings (35,36) , the present study suggests that the Project PATHS can promote development of adolescents in Hong Kong.…”

Predictors of subjective outcome evaluation findings in a positive youth development program in Hong Kong

“…In particular, regression analyses revealed that these two components had positive effects on program effectiveness, instead of in a negative manner as revealed in previous work (45) . Our fi ndings suggested that using different analytic strategies is needed to capture a better picture of the factors associated with program effectiveness.…”

Teaching a subject on leadership and intrapersonal development: some personal reflections

“…This course is a clear attempt at bridging this gap and developing more self-understanding and awareness. It offers new conceptual maps of 13 different areas shown to be highly related to effective positive youth development [1], facilitates students to make these maps personally relevant through experiential learning, and then helps consolidate this by encouraging them to share and assert their ideas with other classmates. On a weekly basis students are gradually guided to re-evaluate what they value and find important in life, to better understand and define themselves, and to dare to take a stand on important issues relevant to them.…”

“…The TL course has been thoughtfully designed to include topics that have all been empirically demonstrated to be mainly related to positive youth development [1]. These include self-understanding, emotional competence, cognitive competence, resilience, spirituality, ethics and morality, social competence, positive and healthy identity, interpersonal communication, interpersonal conflict, personal integrity and sense of responsibility, self-leadership as well as attributes of effective leaders.…”