Effectiveness of the Project P.A.T.H.S. in Hong Kong: Evaluation Based on Different Strategies and Different Studies over Time

There are worrying trends and phenomena related to the development of adolescents in Hong Kong, such as the intensification of substance abuse and Internet addiction problems [1, 2]. With reference to such adolescent developmental problems, primary prevention programs targeting specific adolescent developmental problems and positive youth development programs are called for. Unfortunately, research findings show that there are very few systematic and multiyear positive youth development programs in Hong Kong. Furthermore, systematic and long-term evaluation of the available youth development programs does not exist [3].

There are worrying trends and phenomena related to the development of adolescents in Hong Kong, such as the intensification of substance abuse and Internet addiction problems [1,2]. With reference to such adolescent developmental problems, primary prevention programs targeting specific adolescent developmental problems and positive youth development programs are called for. Unfortunately, research findings show that there are very few systematic and multiyear positive youth development programs in Hong Kong. Furthermore, systematic and long-term evaluation of the available youth development programs does not exist [3].
Against the above background, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust approved HK$400 million to launch a project entitled "P.A.T.H.S. to Adulthood: A Jockey Club Youth Enhancement Scheme" to promote adolescent development in junior secondary school students in Hong Kong in 2004. The word "P.A.T.H.S." denotes Positive Adolescent Training through Holistic Social Programmes. The trust invited academics of five universities in Hong Kong to form a research team with The Hong Kong Polytechnic University as the lead institution to develop a multiyear universal positive youth development program to promote holistic adolescent development in Hong Kong, with the first author as the Principal Investigator. Besides developing the program, the research team also provides training for teachers and social workers who implement the program and carries out longitudinal evaluation of the project. Because of the overwhelming success of the project, it was extended for another cycle with an earmarked grant of HK$350 million in 2008.
There are two tiers of programs (Tier 1 and Tier 2 Programs) in this project. The Tier 1 Program is a universal positive youth development program in which students in Secondary 1 to Secondary 3 participate, normally with 20 hours of curricular-based training in the school year at each grade. Because research findings suggest that roughly onefifth of adolescents would need help of a deeper nature, the Tier 2 Program is provided generally for at least one-fifth of the students who have greater psychosocial needs at each grade (i.e., selective program).
The project consists of two implementation phasesthe Experimental Implementation Phase and the Full Implementation Phase. For the Experimental Implementation Phase The overall objective of the Tier 1 Program is to promote holistic development among junior secondary school students in Hong Kong via the inclusion of positive youth development constructs in the program [4]. The positive youth development constructs covered in the Tier 1 Program include promotion of bonding, cultivation of resilience, promotion of social competence, promotion of emotional competence, promotion of cognitive competence, promotion of behavioral competence, promotion of moral competence, cultivation of self-determination, promotion of spirituality, development of self-efficacy, development of a clear and positive identity, promotion of beliefs in the future, provision of recognition for positive behavior, provision of opportunities for prosocial involvement, and fostering prosocial norms. Both Chinese and English curriculum manuals have been published and utilized in the implementation process [4].
Systematic and adequate training is another emphasis of the Project P.A.T.H.S. in Hong Kong [5]. For each of the Secondary 1 to Secondary 3 programs, both teachers and social workers involved receive 20 hours of training before implementing the program in their schools. Generally speaking, there are three days of training at each grade. On day 1, the conceptual foundation, program philosophy, curriculum issues, and evaluation methods are introduced. On day 2 and day 3, the training program covers the teaching units in the curriculum as well as the ways by which the program can be successfully implemented (e.g., program implementers have adequate debriefing skills and adopt reflective practice). In the training program, the potential program implementers are encouraged to reflect on their motivation to teach the program and identification with the program philosophy. They are also empowered to carry out the experiential learning activities that are quite foreign to Chinese teachers. The positive evaluation findings of the training programs have been documented and published [6,7].
In view of the huge scope of the project, evaluation plays an important role in understanding the impact of the project. Adopting postpositivistic and pragmatic stands where multiple research methods are recognised, different evaluation strategies have been used to evaluate the Tier 1 Program. These strategies include the following (1) Objective Outcome Evaluation (Randomized Group Trial): in the Full Implementation Phase, 24 experimental schools and 24 control schools were randomly selected to participate in a randomized group trial in 2006/07 school year. Analyses of data collected at different time points using individual growth curve models controlling for differences between the two groups in terms of pretest scores, personal variables, and random effects of schools showed that participants in the experimental schools had significantly higher positive youth development levels than did participants in the control schools at posttest based on different indicators derived from the Chinese Positive Youth Development Scale. Students in the experimental schools also displayed less risk behavior than did students in the control schools. The findings based on the total eight waves of data are presented in a paper in this special issue ("Impact of the Project P In separate studies, secondary data analyses of the conclusions drawn by the program implementers based on the Form A and Form B reports revealed that different stakeholders had positive views of the program and they perceived the program to be beneficial to the program participants. Integration of the secondary data analyses of the reports in all cohorts of students in the project revealed that the program was perceived to be beneficial to the program participants. The detailed findings can be seen in the paper in this special issue ("Secondary data analyses of subjective outcome evaluation data based on nine databases" by D. T. L. Shek).
(4) Process Evaluation: in process evaluation, systematic observations were carried out by trained research assistants in randomly selected schools to understand the program implementation details. Several studies generally revealed that program adherence was high, with a mean adherence of over 80%. Besides, the findings generally showed that the program implementation quality in these schools was high. In  [8][9][10]. It is our modest wish that through the project and the related evaluation studies, evidence-based positive youth development programs can be promoted in different Chinese communities [11,12].