Intergenerational Mentorship on Character Traits Among Disadvantaged Primary School Students: A Controlled Pretest

Abstract

Purpose: “Teach with Fun After-School Care Service (TWF)” was an educational mentoring program developing character traits among primary school students in the form of school-based mentorship, provisioned under a wider intergenerational project. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of the program on character traits development among primary students. Methods: Two multi-school controlled pretest–posttest trials were conducted in primary one through three across two school years between 2016 and 2018. Among students, 37 (34.6%) were of ethnic minority and with special educational needs. Treatment group of 107 students were compared with 53 in comparison group on traits of self-control, responsibility, cooperation, kindness, and courtesy. Results: Results demonstrated interaction effects between time and group for self-control (p = .026), responsibility (p = .038), and courtesy (p = .042). Discussion: This research provides evidence for TWF’s intervention model and offers implications for intergenerational programs. Findings enrich cumulative knowledge about desirable social outcomes in education setting.

Keywords

character education mentorship volunteer capacity building intergenerational interaction at-risk children

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Battistich

(2005). Character education, prevention, and positive youth development. Washington, DC: Character Education Partnership.

Bayer

Grossman

J. B.

DuBois

D. L.

(2015). Using volunteer mentors to improve the academic outcomes of underserved students: The role of relationships. Journal of Community Psychology, 43(4), 408–429. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.21693

Berkowitz

M. W.

Battistich

V. A.

Bier

M. C.

(2008). What works in character education: What is known and what needs to be known. In Handbook of Moral and Character Education (pp. 414-431). New York, NY: Routledge.

Brendtro

L. K.

(2006). The vision of Urie Bronfenbrenner: Adults who are crazy about kids. Reclaiming Children and Youth, 15(3), 162.

Bulach

C. R.

(2002). Implementing a character education curriculum and assessing its impact on student behavior. The Clearing House, 76(2), 79–83. https://doi.org/10.1080/00098650209604954

Caldarella

Adams

M. B.

Valentine

S. B.

Young

K. R.

(2009). Evaluation of a mentoring program for elementary school students at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders. New Horizons in Education, 57(1), 1-16.

Christian Family Service Centre . (2015). March 27). Lots of anxiety for Hong Kong students, parents must reduce pressure. Kowloon, Hong Kong: The Sing Tao Daily.

Deci

E. L.

Ryan

R. M.

(1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York, NY: Plenum.

Deci

E. L.

Ryan

R. M.

(2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227–268. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327965pli1104_01

10.

Dempster

(2020). An exploration of character education as a tool of ‘moral repair’ in the developing world. Journal of Religious Education, 68(2), 249–265. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40839-020-00107-5

11.

Erikson

E. H.

(1961). Identity and the life cycle: Selected papers by Erik H. Erikson. New York, NY: International Universities Press.

12.

Erikson

E. H.

Erikson

J. M.

(1998). The life cycle completed. New York, NY: W. W. Norton.

13.

Faul

Erdfelder

Lang

A.-G.

Buchner

(2007). G∗Power 3: A flexible statistical power analysis program for the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences. Behavior Research Methods, 39, 175–191.

14.

Hyungsook

(2014). Socially engaged art practice and character education: Understanding others through visual art. International Journal of Education Through Art, 10(1), 55–69. https://doi.org/10.1386/eta.10.1.55_1

15.

Kessler

E.-M.

Staudinger

U. M.

(2007). Intergenerational potential: Effects of social interaction between older adults and adolescents. Psychology and Aging, 22(4), 690–704. https://doi.org/10.1037/0882-7974.22.4.690

16.

Hong Kong Unison . (2018). (rep.). A comprehensive review of learning and teaching of Chinese for ethnic minority students in Hong Kong. Kowloon, Hong Kong: Hong Kong Unison.

17.

Larkin

Sadler

S. E.

Mahler

(2005). Benefits of volunteering for older adults mentoring at-risk youth. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 44(3-4), 23–37. https://doi.org/10.1300/j083v44n03_03

18.

Mak

W. S.

(2014). Evaluation of a moral and character education group for primary school students. Discovery-SS student E-journal, 3, 142–164.

19.

Marchant

Anderson

D. H.

Caldarella

Fisher

Young

B. J.

Young

K. R.

(2009). Schoolwide screening and programmes of positive behavior support: Informing universal interventions. Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 53(3), 131–144. https://doi.org/10.3200/psfl.53.3.131-144

20.

McEachron

(2010). Study of allocated social studies time in elementary classrooms in Virginia: 1987-2009. Journal of Social Studies Research, 34(2), 208–228.

21.

Minchew

S. S.

(2002). Teaching character through sports literature. The Clearing House, 75(3), 137–141.

22.

Molpeceres

M. A.

Pinazo

Aliena

(2012). Older adult mentors and youth at risk: Challenges for intergenerational mentoring programmes in family-centered cultures. Journal of Intergenerational Relationships, 10(3), 261–275. https://doi.org/10.1080/15350770.2012.697415

23.

Morrow-Howell

Hinterlong

Rozario

P. A.

Tang

(2003). Effects of volunteering on the well-being of older adults. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 58(3), S137–S145. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/58.3.s137

24.

Morrow-Howell

Jonson-Reid

McCrary

Lee

Spitznagel

(2009). (rep.). Evaluation of experience corps: Student reading outcomes. St. Louis, The United States: Washington University.

25.

Newman

Hatton-Yeo

(2008). Intergenerational learning and the contributions of older people. Ageing Horizons, 8(10), 31–39.

26.

E. C. W.

Chan

C. C.

Lai

M. K.

(2014). Hope and life satisfaction among underprivileged children in Hong Kong: The mediating role of perceived community support. Journal of Community Psychology, 42(3), 352–364. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.21614

27.

Niemiec

C. P.

Ryan

R. M.

(2009). Autonomy, competence, and relatedness in the classroom: Applying self-determination theory to educational practice. Theory and Research in Education, 7(2), 133–144. https://doi.org/10.1177/1477878509104318

28.

Noftle

E. E.

Fleeson

(2010). Age differences in big five behavior averages and variabilities across the adult life span: Moving beyond retrospective, global summary accounts of personality. Psychology and Aging, 25(1), 95–107. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018199

29.

OECD (2019). (rep.). PISA 2018 results: PISA 2018 country-specific overviews: Hong Kong, China, PISA: OECD Publishing.

30.

Peterson

R. L.

Larson

Skiba

(2001). School violence prevention: Current status and policy recommendations. Law & Policy, 23(3), 345–371.

31.

Piaget

(1965a). The moral judgment of the child. London: Routledge and Paul.

32.

Piaget

(1965b). The stages of the intellectual development of the child. Educational psychology in context: Readings for future teachers, 63(4), 98–106.

33.

Rebok

G. W.

Parisi

J. M.

Barron

J. S.

Carlson

M. C.

Diibor

Frick

K. D.

Fried

L. P.

Gruenewald

T. L.

Huang

McGill

Ramsey

C. M.

Romani

W. A.

Seeman

T. E.

Tan

Tanner

E. K.

Xing

Xue

Q.-L.

(2019). Impact of experience corps participation on children’s academic achievement and school behavior. Prevention Science, 20(4), 478–487.

34.

Shoshani

Aviv

(2012). The pillars of strength for first-grade adjustment - Parental and children’s character strengths and the transition to elementary school. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 7(4), 315–326. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2012.691981

35.

Shumer

Lam

Laabs

(2012). Ensuring good character and civic education: connecting through service learning. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 32(4), 430–440. https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2012.741768

36.

Steiner

Allemand

McCullough

M. E.

(2011). Age differences in forgivingness: The role of transgression frequency and intensity. Journal of Research in Personality, 45(6), 670–678. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2011.09.004

37.

Stiff-Williams

H. R.

(2010). Widening the lens to teach character education alongside standards curriculum. The Clearing House, 83(4), 115–120. https://doi.org/10.1080/00098651003653030

38.

Sun

Lou

V. W.

Dai

Wong

S. Y.

(2018). The effectiveness of the young–old link and growth intergenerational programme in reducing age stereotypes. Research on Social Work Practice, 29(5), 519–528. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049731518767319

39.

Weber

Ruch

(2011). The role of a good character in 12-year-old school children: Do character strengths matter in the classroom? Child Indicators Research, 5(2), 317–334. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-011-9128-0

40.

Zhan

Bray

Wang

Lykins

Kwo

(2013). The effectiveness of private tutoring: students’ perceptions in comparison with mainstream schooling in Hong Kong. Asia Pacific Education Review, 14(4), 495–509. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-013-9276-7

Intergenerational Mentorship on Character Traits Among Disadvantaged Primary School Students: A Controlled Pretest–Posttest Study

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References