“啃老”现象的社会工作视域分析

“啃老”现象看似属于“私人领域”,但随着不断向社会“外溢”,其影响不只局限于家庭本身,社区乃至整个社会都将为此承担经济成本和社会成本,并将可能引发的系列问题,确实让人忧虑。本文从概念界定入手,运用系统理论,从个体、家庭、学校、社区以及社会等层面对“啃老”现象进行多维度循证,并提出建议对策,以期充分整合社会资源,有效缓解日趋严峻化的“啃老”问题。     

Once a NEET always a NEET? Experiences of employment and unemployment among youth in a job training programme in Taiwan

Chen Y‐W. Once a NEET always a NEET? Experiences of employment and unemployment among youth in a job training programme in Taiwan Int J Soc Welfare 2011: 20: 33–42 © 2009 The Author(s), Journal compilation © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and the International Journal of Social Welfare. Ten previous participants in a job training programme, ages between 15 and 20, were interviewed face‐to‐face to determine why they were not employed, in education or in vocational training (represented by the acronym NEET) at the time, as well as their related experiences. They were also asked about their experiences and opinions regarding the training programme and their ideas about work in general. Results of the study indicate that most of the respondents did not become NEETs by choice; they did so for economic reasons. Most thought the programme was of little practical help to them and did not increase their chances of employment, but that it did give them social and emotional support and helped them feel better about themselves. Many agreed that the monetary allowance offered by the programme was a good incentive for participation. Implications of the findings for social policy and programme development, especially to the socio‐cultural context of Taiwan, are discussed.     

Effective local governance assisting vulnerable groups: The case of youth not in employment,education or training (NEETs) in Sweden

Youth not in employment, education or training (NEETs) have been analyzed from either individual or macro-structural perspectives, while policy discussions have emphasized national policy. This disregards (i) the substantial variation in NEET rates within countries, and (ii) the importance of local governance for this variation. We examine these issues in Sweden through the lens of interactive governance. Theoretically, four aspects of collective action are highlighted: identification of local NEET subgroups, perceptions of problems and of solutions, and stakeholder relationships. Empirically, an initial multi-level regression analysis of all 290 Swedish municipalities provided the basis for semi-structured interviews regarding local work with NEETs in 20 strategically selected municipalities. The qualitative data are here analyzed using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis. The results suggest that municipalities where local governance combines three of the four aspects, namely identifying NEET subgroups and sharing perceptions of problems and of solutions, have lower NEET shares than predicted.     

“被啃族”群体探析

文章选取与“啃老族”相对应的“被啃族”作为研究对象,从“被啃族”的现状入手研究,归纳了其类型,分析了其成因。对“被啃”现象存在带来的一系列后果进行了深入思考,并从多角度提出了解决对策。     

A Short-term Longitudinal Study of Children's Playground Games in Primary School: Implications for Adjustment to School and Social Adjustment in the USA and the UK

In this study we described development of boys’ and girls’ games on the school playground at recess as they progressed across the first year of primary school in London (UK) and Minneapolis (USA) in order to document age‐related trends in games during this period and to examine the predictive role of games in children's adjustment to school and more general social adjustment. Consistent with expectations, games accounted for a significant portion of children’s, but especially boys’, behavior during recess. American children played games more frequently, especially simple games, relative to English children. Consistent with expectation, the complexity of games increased, especially for boys, across the school year for children in both countries. We also examined the extent to which facility with games forecasted adjustment to school and social adjustment. Games predicted both, but only in the USA sample. Results are discussed in terms of games being an important developmental task for children of this age. Implications for future research and educational policy are discussed.     

大学毕业生“啃老”现象原因探析

大学毕业生的“啃老”现象被视为一道灰色“风景线”,令人深思。本文重点从个体、家庭及社会三个维度探讨其原因所在,以期为有效化解这一问题提供理论参考。个体层面的“不想长大”与“精英”情结,家庭层面的“责任伦理”与“孩子=学生”,社会层面的教育弊端与双二元结构,是催生“啃老”现象的主要因素。     

The Role of Child Emotionality in Child Behavior and Maternal Instruction on Planning Tasks

This study explored the relation of children's emotional functioning to children's behavior during individual planning and mother's and children's behaviors during joint planning. Participants were 118 mothers and their second‐grade children. Mothers rated children on their emotional intensity and children rated themselves on their use of emotion regulation strategies. Children and mother–child dyads were videotaped during planning tasks and independent observers rated their behavior. Child emotional intensity was directly related to children being less engaged in the task and to an emphasis in maternal instruction on regulatory behaviors. Some types of emotion regulation strategies modified these relations. Findings suggest that child emotionality may play an important role in the early school years in children's opportunities to learn during social‐cognitive activity.     

Authenticity in friendships and well‐being in adolescence

Only a handful of studies have focused on understanding how authenticity in close relationships may be related to individuals’ well‐being. In this study we examined whether authenticity in a friendship was related to greater adjustment during adolescence. Participants were 318 sixth‐ and ninth‐grade students (155 boys; M _age = 13.46, SD _age = 1.51). Our results show that adolescents who feel more authentic have more positive self‐views, are less lonely at school, and more satisfied with their relationship. Importantly, authenticity–adjustment associations remained significant after controlling for positive friendship quality and conflict. These findings suggest that authenticity should be more often incorporated into the study of different friendship processes.     

The Case of The School Meals Service

Since 1979 British social policy has witnessed a marked abandonment of the post-war principles of “universalism” inspired by the Beveridge Report. A deliberately residualist approach has been adopted and narrower criteria of selection have variously been imposed in areas of social welfare provision. This paper represents an attempt to assess and evaluate this trend in one area of welfare provision — the school meals service — by developing a historical analysis of an earlier period (1918–1939) when a residual model of welfare firmly held sway. From an examination of historical evidence relating to the inter-war years, it is suggested that in important respects the present situation with regard to the provision of food for children while at school recreates many of the circumstances which pertained during that pre-war period. Then as now selectivity, “targeting”, and fierce Treasury restrictions upon public expenditure were very much the order of the day. In the light of the problems of administrative fragmentation, and of the failures, inconsistencies and injustices of those policies which characterized school meals provision during that earlier period, it is concluded that contemporary developments within this service are disquieting, and a close scrutiny of the nutritional and other consequences is essential.     

Ability emotional intelligence and children’s behaviour in the playground

We explored whether emotion understanding promotes positive social functioning in childhood using the ability emotional intelligence (AEI) framework, which defines emotion understanding more broadly than is common in developmental science. The prospective study included children ages 9–11 years who completed a measure of AEI at the start of the school year, and whose playground interactions were observed for one full year. Findings showed that, among girls, low AEI was associated with higher levels of direct aggressive behaviour in the playground; boys and girls high or low in AEI were more likely than their peers to watch others during playground social interactions. Further, higher AEI was associated with indirect aggression in school, suggesting higher AEI during childhood may be associated with the developmental transition from direct to indirect forms of aggression. The implications of the findings for school practice in relation to the teaching of emotion understanding are discussed.     

Examining family and school factors as predictors of delinquency: A study of juvenile offenders,at‐risk students,and low‐risk students in Malaysia

This study aims to examine family and school factors as predictors of delinquency among adolescents in Malaysia. A total of 101 juvenile offenders, 86 at‐risk students, and 92 low‐risk students were involved in this study. Multinomial logistic regression was used to predict the likelihood of an adolescent being in a group of juvenile offenders or of being an at‐risk or low‐risk student, based on four predictor variables: family structure, family relationships, school relationships, and commitment to learning. The results show that family relations, school relations, and commitment to learning have different predictive effects on the likelihood of different levels of delinquent behavior. However, family structure is not found to be a significant predictor in the logistic regression in this study. The findings of the study suggest that keeping young people in school can serve as a strong protective factor that serves to prevent at‐risk students from moving along the trajectory of serious delinquent behaviors.     

Predictors of Children's Rights Attitudes and Psychological Well‐being Among Rural and Urban Mainland Chinese Adolescents

This study examined rural and urban Chinese adolescents’ (13–19 years, N = 395) attitudes toward children's self‐determination and nurturance rights, and how these attitudes relate to various dimensions of socialization in their family and school environments, including perceptions of parental and teacher autonomy support and responsiveness and family and school democratic climate. Relations between these variables and psychological well‐being also were examined. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that maternal responsiveness and teacher autonomy support predicted higher levels of endorsement of nurturance rights. Maternal autonomy support and tolerance of dissent at home predicted greater endorsement of self‐determination rights. Democratic climate in the home predicted higher life‐satisfaction and fewer depressive symptoms, even when parent and teacher autonomy support and responsiveness were controlled. Our findings suggest that environments that are structured more democratically and that are more responsive to children's autonomy needs are associated with higher levels of endorsement of children's rights and contribute to adolescents’ psychological health and well‐being in a non‐Western culture.     

Making a connection: school engagement of young people in care

Intervention to improve educational attainment for children in out‐of‐home care is increasingly being recognized as important for their well‐being and future opportunities. This paper reports on a mixed method study of the school engagement or connectedness of young people in care. The study comprised a survey of 202 young people in care in Queensland, Australia, and a matched comparison group of young people not in care, plus interviews with a subset of 65 young people in care who were surveyed. Both the school environment and the perceived levels of support influenced school engagement, with those who were assisted by carers and caseworkers more likely to be positively connected with school. These young people perceived education as a pathway to achieving work and life goals. The findings suggest that active and focused attention on young people's school engagement should be part of case planning and monitoring as it offers an additional strategy for improving their educational experience.     

Mother–Child Reminiscing About Peer Experiences and Children's Peer‐related Self‐views and Social Competence

This study examined mother–child reminiscing about children's experiences with peers and its relation to children's peer‐related self‐views and social competence. Sixty‐three mothers and their preschool‐aged children discussed at home two specific past events involving the child and his or her peers, one event being positive and one negative. The children's self‐views in peer relationships were assessed at school during individual interviews, and their social competence was rated by mothers. Both maternal and child participation in the reminiscing, in terms of reminiscing style and content, were uniquely associated with children's peer‐related self‐views and social competence. The results suggest the important role of family narrative practices in children's social development.     

Exploring the multidimensional constructs of transformative school–community collaboration from a critical paradigm

School–community collaboration has become an important approach to enhancing the quality of services to meet the multifaceted needs of students. However, there is little understanding of how to create and maintain successful school–community collaboration. Drawing on a critical paradigm, this study developed a comprehensive framework for transformative school–community collaboration (TSCC) and developed a valid scale to assess the major dimensions of TSCC. Using school survey data, an exploratory factor analysis identified four multidimensional constructs: (a) critical member capacity representing members' organizing, interpersonal, and critical analysis skills, (b) equal relations with respect to joint membership, interaction, and outcome distribution, (c) democratic network governance measuring the basic elements of democracy in decision‐making, and (d) empowering coordination reflecting a responsive, flexible, and supportive coordination system. This study also showed that low‐income and urban schools reported significantly lower levels of equal relations and empowering coordination. The developed scale can be used as an evaluation tool that monitors and evaluates school–community collaboration ensuring equal, democratic, and empowering structures and processes. Furthermore, the results of this study suggest practice implications and future research agendas to create and maintain successful school–community collaboration.     

Family engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic: Opportunities and challenges for school social work

The COVID-19 pandemic brought dramatic changes in schooling in the United States and across the world, including abrupt shifts to remote learning, immediate cessation of social contact, intensive family engagement in education and diminished school capacity for social–emotional supports. While the initial national lockdown was temporary, the long-lasting effects of the pandemic on society are still being revealed. This study contributes to a growing body of research exploring and documenting shifts in school social work practice in the United States during the COVID era. We used qualitative methods to explore how school social workers (SSWers) practised family engagement during the pandemic and their perceptions of the benefits and challenges of increased family engagement. Analysis of interviews with 20 SSWers from three US states (Colorado, Minnesota and Nevada) revealed five primary themes: reasons for family engagement, ways of engaging with families, frequency of family contact, challenges in engaging families and SSWers' attitudes and perceptions about family engagement. Results indicated a need for a comprehensive, organized and strategic family engagement plan in schools as we move into the post-acute phases of the pandemic. Future research should explore how SSWers may serve as leaders in the development of such plans and how interprofessional practice might advance this agenda further.     

When Predictions Fail: The Case of Unexpected Pathways Toward High School Dropout

This study examines childhood variables that tend to deflect life-course trajectories away from finishing high school. We examined unexpectedly graduating in the presence of three empirical risk factors (having a mother that did not finish high school, being from a single-parent family in early childhood, and having repeated a grade in primary school) and unexpectedly not graduating in the absence these same factors (low risk). The comparison groups comprised individuals who expectedly did not graduate (first case) and expectedly graduated (second case). We found that having experienced all three factors practically guaranteed not finishing high school, thus defining a crystal clear target group for policy. Without screening, intervention, and follow-up, individuals facing such cumulative risk are most unlikely to graduate. We also found a group of males and females that did not finish high school despite not having these three risk factors. These missed estimates become nontrivial once they are translated into a population-level statistic of lost human capital investments. Specific family and individual factors helped explain the unexpected life course toward not finishing high school, especially for low-risk males and females. Our results suggest policies that support childhood screening for attention-related difficulties and helping parents better understand supervision during adolescence .     

Producing Contradictory Masculine Subject Positions: Narratives of Threat, Homophobia and Bullying in 11–14 Year Old Boys

This paper reports a qualitative analysis of data from a study of masculinity in 11–14 year old boys attending twelve London schools. Forty-five group discussions ( N = 245) and two individual interviews ( N = 78) were conducted. The findings indicate that boys' experiences of school led them to assume that interviews would expose them to ridicule and so threaten their masculinity. Boys were generally more serious and willing to reveal emotions in individual than in group interviews. A key theme in boys' accounts was the importance of being able to present themselves as properly masculine in order to avoid being bullied by other boys by being labeled "gay." The ways in which boys were racialized affected their experiences of school.     

Adolescents at risk of mental health problems in the COVID-19 pandemic: A prospective population-based study of the effects of government mandates and school closures

There is increasing evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic has had substantial mental health impacts for adolescents. Yet, few definitive studies have investigated which adolescents were at higher risk of poor mental health and well-being during the pandemic. Data were drawn from the Childhood to Adolescence Transition Study, a prospective cohort study of students in Australia (N = 1211). Prevalence of mental health outcomes (depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, self-harm and good subjective well-being) was estimated in school Years 5–12, where Years 11 (2020) and 12 (2021) coincided with the pandemic. The age- and sex-adjusted relative risk of each mental health outcome for each priority group during the pandemic were estimated. During the pandemic, over 50% of study participants reported depressive symptoms, and one quarter reported anxiety symptoms. There was a decrease in good subjective well-being compared with pre-pandemic years, while self-harm prevalence remained similar. History of mental health problems, school disengagement and frequent peer victimisation increased the risk of experiencing mental health problems during the pandemic. Schools play a central role in maintaining the mental health and good subjective well-being of students, and this is particularly important during periods of social disruption, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.     

Increasing heterogeneity in the economic returns to higher education in urban China

This study investigates individual heterogeneity in the economic returns to higher education in urban China following large-scale higher education expansion. We draw on data from the urban section of two waves of the Chinese General Social Survey, analyzing a sample of 1022 individuals in total who (1) were aged between 25 and 32; (2) completed high school education; and (3) were currently employed. Individual-level estimates of the distributions of the returns to higher education are obtained using a nonparametric kernel approach. While the average rate of returns to higher education increased for the 2003–2010 period, the extent of heterogeneity in these returns increased as well. Analysis of the heterogeneous returns to higher education across the distribution of income shows that the effects of college education are greatest at the upper end of the income distribution. Moreover, effect heterogeneity across the income distribution increased from 2003 to 2010.