Student Affairs Department, Zhejiang Gongshang University Hangzhou College of Commerce, Hangzhou, China.
PLoS One. 2024 Sep 20;19(9):e0309989. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0309989. eCollection 2024.
Considering the peculiar socio-cultural background and developmental obstacles encountered by rural youth in China, the study examines the necessity of adopting an integrated strategy that brings together social work, psychology, and education to promote positive youth development. This research intends to fill the gap by explaining the impact of these factors on community engagement and youth development in China. Targeted programs were also suggested according to the needs of rural youth in China. The respondents of the study comprised 350 young people, whose age ranged from 15 to 24 years, living in different rural areas of the country. The structured questionnaire was designed to collect the data using a convenience sampling technique. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was applied as the analysis tool using IBM SPSS AMOS software. The results show that social work and education have a significant impact on community engagement and positive youth development. The findings also reveal that psychology positively influences community engagement. Community engagement was seen to mediate the relationships between social work, psychology, education, and positive youth development. The policymakers and practitioners can fully use the interrelationships between social work, psychology, and education to create a more comprehensive approach that considers the specific characteristics of rural youth in China. Additionally, highlighting community engagement as a mediator also explores the opportunity for bottom-up initiatives and community efforts to instigate favorable youth outcomes in the countryside.
考虑到中国农村青年特有的社会文化背景和发展障碍，本研究探讨了采用社会工作、心理学和教育相结合的综合策略来促进积极青年发展的必要性。本研究旨在通过解释这些因素对中国社区参与和青年发展的影响来填补这一空白。根据中国农村青年的需求，还提出了有针对性的方案。本研究的受访者包括 350 名年龄在 15 至 24 岁之间、居住在该国不同农村地区的年轻人。采用便利抽样技术，使用结构化问卷收集数据。使用 IBM SPSS AMOS 软件作为分析工具，采用结构方程建模（SEM）。结果表明，社会工作和教育对社区参与和积极青年发展有显著影响。研究结果还表明，心理学对社区参与有积极影响。社区参与被视为社会工作、心理学、教育与积极青年发展之间关系的中介。政策制定者和实践者可以充分利用社会工作、心理学和教育之间的相互关系，制定一种更全面的方法，考虑到中国农村青年的特殊特点。此外，强调社区参与作为中介，也探索了自下而上的举措和社区努力在农村引发有利青年成果的机会。
