Promoting positive youth development in rural communities: Integrating social work, psychology, and education

Abstract

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.