弱勢家庭青少年參與興趣社群的正向發展經驗探究

A Study on the Positive Development Experiences of Youth from Disadvantaged Families Participating in Interest-Driven Youth Communities

本研究以社區兒少據點為場域，探討弱勢家庭青少年參與興趣社群的正向發展經驗。研究動機來自於社區兒少據點服務模式多偏重學業成就，限制了弱勢家庭青少年在社區中多元發展的機會；同時，過去臺灣的青少年研究多集中於問題解決或學業成就，較少聚焦於兒童及少年的全人發展。因此，本研究希望探究弱勢家庭青少年在社區兒少據點參與興趣社群的發展歷程及成果，以及社區兒少據點在此歷程中所需的特質。
本研究透過立意抽樣，選取六名（曾）參與社區兒少據點興趣社群的弱勢家庭青少年，與兩位執行興趣社群運作的社工。採用質性研究方法，透過深度訪談法進行資料蒐集，再以主題分析法進行資料分析。整體而言，本研究總結三項發現：（一）社區兒少據點作為弱勢家庭少年的發展場域，需要給予弱勢少年長期且穩定的陪伴，在重視個人需求與容錯的前提下，提供弱勢少年多元學習和探索的機會；（二）弱勢家庭青少年參與興趣社群的歷程中，需要擁有「正向成人經驗」、「認知情感生活能力的練習」、「角色責任的體驗」、「長期陪伴」、「習得掌控感」、「生活日常的穩定」、「不怕犯錯」以及「持續經驗正向的自己及發展成果」等八項經驗，方能促進其在興趣社群的正向發展；（三）弱勢家庭青少年參與興趣社群的正向發展成果，除了專業知能的成長，弱勢少年在自我效能感、社會適應、自我覺察、問題解決能力以及人際互動等面向也有所提昇。本研究並對實務工作與政策制訂提出相關建議。
本研究之貢獻有三個方面，首先，本研究提供了弱勢家庭少年參與興趣社群能為其帶來正向發展的實證基礎。其次，本研究深入探討社區兒少據點和興趣社群影響弱勢家庭青少年正向發展的因素，透過辨識這些因素，有助於改善現有服務模式，並作為實務工作執行的參考指引。最後，本研究可以作為社區兒少據點相關政策的基礎研究，使政策制訂者更清楚弱勢兒少的發展需求，以制訂更多元且彈性的方案。

Including youth from disadvantaged family backgrounds, this study investigated positive developmental experiences experienced in interest-driven youth activities at a children and youth community center. The aim of this study is to shift the currently narrowly-focused service model used by most of the children and youth centers, which prioritize academic achievement, thereby limiting the opportunities for youth to explore diverse experiences in life. Past adolescent research in Taiwan has mostly focused on academic achievement or seen youth as a problem, with less emphasis on the holistic development of children and youth. Therefore, this study investigated the developmental processes and outcomes experienced by youth in interest-driven youth activities and the role of children and youth centers in promoting such positive developmental experiences.
Using purposive sampling, this study interviewed six adolescent participants from disadvantaged family backgrounds who had participated in interest-driven activities and two social workers who lead these activity groups. Using qualitative research method, the data was collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. Overall, the study concluded with three key findings: (1) Children and youth community centers need to provide long-term and stable companionship, in order to serve as the positive developmental venues for youth from disadvantaged family backgrounds. While prioritizing individual needs and experiences for trials and errors, children and youth centers should offer diverse opportunities for learning and exploration. (2) During the positive developmental process of interest-driven activity participation, eight central experience themes emerged, including“positive adult-youth relationships,”“practice of life skills development,”“opportunities for leadership,”“long-term companionship,”“acquisition of a sense of control,”“stability in daily life,”“feel safe to making mistakes,”and“continuous experiencing positive self and positive developmental outcomes.”(3) The positive developmental outcomes for participating youth included not only growth in technical knowledge and skills but also improvements in self-efficacy, social adaptation, self-awareness, and problem-solving and interpersonal abilities. The study provided recommendations for youth practice and policies.
This study has three contributions. Firstly, it provides empirical evidence that participating in interest-driven youth activities can lead to positive outcomes for youth from disadvantaged family backgrounds. Secondly, it identifies the kinds of experiences that promote positive development of youth participating in children and youth community centers and interest-driven youth activities. Identifying these experience factors helps improve existing service models and serves as a reference for best practice. Finally, this study can implicate policies related to children and youth centers, helping policymakers better understand the developmental needs of disadvantaged children and youth, and thus create more diversified and flexible programs.