Qualitative Evaluation of Project P.A.T.H.S.: An Integration of Findings Based on Program Participants

Table 5

Categorization of responses on the perceived benefits of and things learned in the program.

Area of competence	Subcategory	Benefits	2005/06 (EIP-S1)	2006/07 (FIP-S1)	2007/08 (FIP-S2)	2007/08 (EIP-S3)	Total
Societal level	Social responsibility and affairs	Learned voluntary work	1	5			6
		Enhanced understanding of mother country	2	4			6
		Enhanced sense of contribution to society	0	2			2
		Increased awareness of different social issues			2		2
		Subtotal	3	11	2	0	16
Familial level	Family relationships	Improved communication and relationship with family	7	11	1	6	25
		Subtotal	7	11	1	6	25
Interpersonal level	General interpersonal competence	Enhanced teacher-student relationship and understanding	6	7	4	2	19
		Learned teamwork	1	7			8
		Enhanced mutual support		7			7
		Improved relationship with peers/made more friends	17	5	5		27
		Able to differentiate between good and bad friends	1	4			5
		Strengthened connection with healthy adults			1		1
		Total in subcategory	25	30	10	2	67
	Specific interpersonal competence	Enhanced interpersonal skills			11	3	14
		Improved communication skills and interpersonal relationship	10	15	3		28
		Used learned materials to help or teach others	2				2
		Learned how to handle conflicts/avoid conflicts	3	3	1		7
		Learned how to treat people and deal with issues	2	1			3
		Learned to share and express oneself	4	3			7
		Promoted mutual understanding among peers		6			6
		Leadership		2			2
		Learned to respect others	1		1		2
		Reduced bullying behavior	2				2
		Became a good listener			2		2
		Learned to take care of others			1	1	2
		Better understanding of others			5		5
		Learned to accept others’ opinions			2		2
		Learned to make apology			1		1
		Total in subcategory	24	30	27	4	85
		Subtotal	49	60	37	6	152
Personal level	Behavioral competence	Acquired refusal skills	3	1	1	1	6
		Promoted presentation skills		8	6		14
		Took initiative		6	3		9
		Put more effort on studies			1		1
		Learned to work seriously			1		1
		Increased willingness in trying new things			1		1
		Total in subcategory	3	15	13	1	32
	Cognitive competence	Enhanced problem-solving skills	13	5	4		22
		Learned critical thinking	1	6	10	3	20
		Open minded			1		1
		Able to distinguish between right or wrong			2		2
		Total in subcategory	14	11	17	3	45
	Emotional competence	Enhanced stress management/relaxation	3	5		1	9
		Enhanced ability in handling emotions	9	8			17
		Enhanced anger management, became less impulsive	4				4
		Developed good temper			2		2
		Enhanced emotional management			11	1	12
		Total in subcategory	16	13	13	2	44
	Moral competence and virtues	Learned to do appropriate things at the right place/right time	3	8			11
		Enhanced empathy	1	4	2		7
		Increased awareness of public morals	1	4			5
		Enhanced sense of equality		2			2
		Understood personal responsibility		1			1
		Able to correct bad habits			1		1
		Total in subcategory	5	19	3	0	27
	Beliefs in the future	Facilitated goal setting and realization of goals	1	5	4	5	15
		Helpful for future career	2				2
		Prepared for the future			2	2	4
		Total in subcategory	3	5	6	7	21
	Positive self-image	Enhanced self-understanding	4	13	7		24
		Promoted self-enrichment		3			3
		Enhanced personal growth		1	4	5	10
		Enhanced self-confidence	6	18	10	2	36
		Enhanced self-efficacy	1	1			2
		Enhanced self-discipline	1				1
		Be more active		2			2
		Enhanced self-determination		2	1	2	5
		Identified one’s strengths			1		1
		Gained wisdom			2		2
		Had little personal changes			1		1
		Total in subcategory	12	40	26	9	87
	Cherishing life	Cherishing life, people, and things		5		1	6
		Enhanced self-reflection	1	2	4		7
		Helpful in understanding purpose of life	1	4			5
		Total in subcategory	2	11	4	1	18
	Resilience	General resilience				1	1
		Learned positive thinking	1	3	4	3	11
		Be more persistent when facing difficulties		1			1
		Learned ways to face adversity			6		6
		Be optimistic			1	1	2
		Total in subcategory	1	4	11	5	21
	General gains	Had positive personality change	4				4
		Learned from failures	1				1
		Enhanced feeling of being supported	1				1
		Enhanced motivation for learning				1	1
		Better academic achievement				3	3
		Total in subcategory	6	0	0	4	10
		Subtotal	62	118	93	32	305
General benefits	Positive comments	Learned many things	2	9			11
		Learned practical things		2			2
		Helpful/very helpful		5			5
		Met students’ needs			4		4
		Provided opportunities for students to share			1		1
		Better than normal lessons			1		1
		Benefit to study		8			8
		Enhanced bonding to school	1				1
		Enhanced concentration in class			2		2
		Others			19	3	22
		Total in subcategory	3	24	27	3	57
	Negative comments	Could not learn anything	2	9			11
		Unhelpful	2	19			21
		Not much change		6			6
		Not beneficial to academic studies		2	1		3
		Negative change		2			2
		Others			4	7	11
		Total in subcategory	4	38	5	7	54
	Neutral comments	Some of the content useful, but some useless		6			6
		Not very helpful		2			2
		Not much change	1	2			3
		Not much helpful to study		1			1
		Not much change in teacher-student relationship and understanding		3			3
		Learned practical things		1			1
		Others				1	1
		Total in subcategory	1	15	0	1	17
	Undecided	The change was doubtful		2
		Total in subcategory	0	2	0	0	2
		Subtotal	8	79	32	11	130
Others	Other comments	Positive comments		3	32	7	42
		Negative comments		2	29	22	53
		Neutral comments		2	1	15	18
		Undecided		3	7	3	13
		Subtotal	0	10	69	47	126
Total count			129	289	234	102	754