Using Positive Youth Development Constructs to Design a Drug Education Curriculum for Junior Secondary Students in Hong Kong

• Published in: TheScientificWorld Vol. 2011; no. 2011; pp. 1 - 9
• Main Authors: Poon, Y. H., Law, Ben M. F., Lau, Patrick S. Y., Lam, Ching Man
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cairo, Egypt Hindawi Publishing Corporation 01-01-2011; TheScientificWorldJOURNAL; John Wiley & Sons, Inc; Hindawi Limited
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescent Development; Control; Curriculum; Curriculum planning; Drugs and youth; Educational aspects; Health education; Health Education - methods; Hong Kong; Humans; Management; Program Development - methods; Psychology, Adolescent; Reinforcement (Psychology); Self Efficacy; Students - psychology; Substance-Related Disorders - prevention & control; Substance-Related Disorders - psychology; Hong Kong; Positive youth development; developmental assets; drug prevention
• ISSN: 2356-6140; 1537-744X; 1537-744X
• DOI: 10.1100/2011/280419

This paper outlines the design of a new curriculum for positive youth development (P.A.T.H.S. II) in Hong Kong. The paper discusses the conceptual base for designing a drug-education curriculum for junior-secondary students using four positive youth development constructs—cognitive competence, emotional competence, beliefs in the future, and self-efficacy. The program design is premised on the belief that adolescents do have developmental assets; therefore, the curriculum is designed to develop their psychosocial competencies. The goal of the curriculum is to develop the selfhood of these youths and ultimately achieve the goal of successful adolescent development.