A Snapshot on the Development of Social Work Education in China: A Delphi Study

Social work education in China has now been reinstated for almost two decades, after it was discontinued in the early 1950s. Due to various reasons, so far, there has not been a standardised social work curriculum in China. This article reports on the first empirical study finished in late 2001. Employing a Delphi technique, 47 social work scholars were invited to provide their opinions on the nature of social work in China, the requirements of social work graduates and the social work curriculum at the undergraduate level. The findings indicate that despite the influence of the Western model induced mainly by social work scholars in Hong Kong, social work education in China is moving towards an indigenised model within its unique social–political–cultural context. Respondents tended to adopt an expert model and the ‘helping people to help themselves’ principle. Social work is understood as being instrumental to enhancing the rapid economic changes by employing scientific knowledge and skills to resolve social and personal problems, stabilise society, and enhance social participation. To nurture its graduates with the competence to fulfil these social assignments, a broad‐base of social science knowledge, generic social work skills, special personal qualities and political sensitivity is included in the curriculum.     

Incorporating Multicultural Learning in Clinically-Based Education in the United States

This study attempted to explore and clarify the ambiguity surrounding cultural concepts, broaden and deepen the current understanding of cultural competency, and operationalize its core components in multicultural education in the United States. The research findings presented in this study were organized into three overarching themes: Level I: knowledge development; Level II: integrative processes; and Level III: practice evaluation. The findings contributed to the formulation of levels in multicultural learning and to the specification of core cultural components in clinical practice.     

Mental Health of Transgender People in Hong Kong: A Community-Driven,Large-Scale Quantitative Study Documenting Demographics and Correlates of Quality of Life and Suicidality

A community-driven survey of 106 transgender people (the first such survey in Hong Kong) showed that: (1) more than half the sample (50.9%) had a university degree or higher qualification; (2) despite this, 43.4% had a monthly income below HK$6,000 (about USD$775); (3) 66% reported “fair” or “poor” quality of life; (4) 67% of the sample (87.1% of respondents aged 15–24 years) had contemplated suicide; and (5) 20.8% of the sample (35.5% of respondents aged 15–24 years) had attempted suicide. It was found that (1) those who were single, had a lower monthly income, and identified as transgender women reported lower quality of life; and (2) those who were younger and on a lower income expressed higher suicidality. The findings suggest that service providers and policy makers urgently need to address the mental health needs of transgender people, particular younger transgender people.     

道德调控与制度伦理

本文从制度与规范,讨论社会化的公务员职务犯罪的道德调控,指出道德与制度是社会系统有序化的两大基石,制度化的伦理规范和非制度化的道德规范一起对公务员的道德调控产生叠加作用.制度伦理具有十分重要的道德调控功能,它有利于弥补道德调控的不足和缺陷,而且制度伦理与道德调控相结合是消除公务员职务犯罪的根本路径.在公务员失德行为较多的今天,更需重视公务员伦理制度建设.     

略论哈贝马斯交往行为理论及其借鉴意义

哈贝马斯的交往行为主要是指主体间通过语言的沟通和交流,求的相互理解、共同合作的行为。生活世界作为主体间进行交往活动的背景,它的结构在现代社会遭到严重破坏,即产生所谓殖民化问题。哈贝马斯试图通过实现交往合理性为生活世界殖民化问题的解决提供出路,交往合理性就是要寻求交往行为的合理根据,这个根据主要是交往主体间普遍认同和遵循的规范,实现交往合理性还需要交往主体选择合适的语言、开展有效的对话活动。哈贝马斯的交往行为理论把语言作为达到理解和共识的中介,提过重新界定理性,将交往理性从理论层面扩展到实践层面,为解决交往异化问题提供了新的思路。     

The Dawn is Too Distant: The Experience of 28 Social Work Graduates Entering the Social Work Field in China

Nurturing new, competent social work professionals requires multilevel preparation extending from school to the workplace. However, not much has been done to understand this school-to-work transition process in countries where the social work profession is still in an early stage of development. This paper reports the findings of an exploratory qualitative study of 28 new social workers in China, where social work is an emerging profession, on how they entered the field and what challenges they encountered. Their stories indicate that what they learned in school did form a foundation for the establishment of their professional identity in the workplace. However, due to workplace politics and to the lack of recognition of their professional status, they experienced an unsettling induction process. Coupled with the challenges of inadequate financial compensation, the careers of these new social workers may face an early end despite the great future for the profession promised by the government. Implications of this study for social work education in China are also discussed.     

Social engineering of community building: Examination of policy process and characteristics of community construction in China

This article briefly introduces the history and major policiesof a massive community construction project launched by thePeople's Republic of China in the mid-1980s. Based on a literaturereview and field observations, the authors highlight four characteristicsof this project: muddling through chaos, top-down control, regulatedparticipation, and community as functional establishment. Itis argued that the goal of the project is not to recreate, inChina, a Western model of civil society, but to restructurethe existing urban administrative structure so that it can adaptto new social demands. By transforming the grassroots neighbourhoodorganization – the residents' committee – into awelfare provider, this project is expected to ease the state'swelfare burden while maintaining its political control.     

Work Hard and Forge Ahead to Further Promote the Prosperity of Population Science——Summary of the 8th Congress & 2014 Annual Meeting of China Population Association

正On 1and 2 September 2014,China Population Association grandly convened the 8th Congress2014Annual Meeting of China Population Association in Beijing and smoothly completed the re-election of its executive council.The annual meeting of China Population Association has been a great communication event held once every year for the academia.In regard to the new conditions,patterns and features of China’s population,economic and social development,demographers     

The response of youth to racial discrimination: implications for resilience theory

This paper presents a qualitative participatory study of Canadian young people who identified themselves as visible minorities and who have experienced discrimination based on their skin colour or ethnicity. Eighteen participants aged 15–24 (12 girls and 6 boys), representing four ethnic minority groups, participated in focus groups and in-depth interviews and shared their responses to racial discrimination against them. Analysis of the data from the four discussion groups reveals that racism occurs in everyday situations and places, a lot of times manifesting itself as subtle forms of discrimination. Our findings also suggest that most of the participants tend to employ non-confrontational approaches when dealing with racial violence against them, and provide us with the rationale behind their intentions. Further, youth are not uniformly impacted by racialized events, and therefore the coping strategies they use vary based on individual and contextual factors. Three common strategies for healing can be derived from the participants’ narratives: expressive-emotional, spiritual-forgiving and communicative-relational. We discuss our findings in the light of theoretical frameworks of resilience and coping approaches and argue that young people’s subjective appraisals of racialized events as well as contextual factors need to be addressed in any discussion on coping and resilience within minority youth populations.