Introduction
The Tier 1 Program is a universal and fundamental positive youth development program for students from Secondary 1 to 3. Participating schools can adjust the mode of implementation based on manpower and expertise considerations.
The Tier 1 Program has the following characteristics
- The program takes 20 hours in each level of junior secondary school. There are core units of 10 hours and elective units of 10 hours. Schools with special / extra needs may choose to run the core units only (i.e., 10 hours for the Tier 1 Program). In any case, the minimum number of hours of Tier 1 Program for a school is 10 hours.
- Activities are designed in different units. Each unit lasts for 30 minutes, and there are 40 units per level (i.e., 120 units in total for three junior secondary school years). These units are constructed based on the positive development constructs described in the literature and identified in the successful programs (e.g., Catalano et al., 2002, 2004).
- The research team developed the programs by integrating research findings, programs, local adolescent needs, cultural characteristics, and experiences gained from the Experimental Implementation Phase of the project. Rigorous principles and standards are used to guide the program development.
- Relevant adolescent developmental concerns (e.g., substance abuse, sexuality issue, bullying, financial management, sense of responsibility, and meaning of life) and adolescent developmental strengths (e.g., concern for society and proficiency in information technology) are incorporated in the program content so that it is close to the real-life situations of young people.
- To cater for the needs of different schools, the program activities are designed so that some of the units can be conducted out of the classroom setting.
- Depending on the needs of the school, some units may be combined to make the implementation more flexible. Such arrangements enable the school to implement the units in an intensive manner over a short period of time (e.g., covering five units of the program on a Saturday morning). However, it is strongly recommended that such intensive modes of implementation be carried out only under special circumstances. Appropriate consolidation session(s) should be held to ensure that the objectives of the related units are achieved. It is suggested that one consolidation session be added for every 2.5-hour session.
- Since teachers have closer contact with the students and understand them better, they are in an advantageous position to implement the Tier 1 Program. However, if practical constraints prevent the teachers from teaching the program, social workers can implement the program. In general, the program is designed so that one worker can implement the program without much difficulty under normal circumstances. To strengthen the effect of the program, the program implementers are encouraged to use the Introduction Session to build relationships with the students. If necessary, one teacher and another worker (e.g., social worker or teaching assistant) can co-teach the program.
Research findings from several process evaluation studies (please refer to the references below*) have generally revealed that program adherence in both the Experimental Implementation Phase and Full Implementation Phase is high, with a mean adherence of over 80%. In other words, the findings suggest that there is not a strong need to modify the units in the implementation process. In current practice, teachers / social workers implementing the program can make minor changes consistent with the objectives of the units. However, if changes are regular and substantial, teachers / social workers are expected to discuss the changes with the research team and submit the requests in writing. In short, it is understandable that some of the program content may not be fully applicable to some students, so program implementers may have to make minor modifications to the program to achieve the unit objectives.
References
- Shek, D. T. L., Ma, H. K., Lui, J. H. Y., & Lung, D. W. M. (2006). Process evaluation of the Tier 1 Program of the Project P.A.T.H.S. TheScientificWorldJOURNAL: TSW Holistic Health & Medicine, 6, 2264-2273. doi:10.1100/tsw.2006.355
- Shek, D. T. L., Ma, H. K., Sun, R. C. F., & Lung, D. W. M. (2008). Process evaluation of the Tier 1 Program (Secondary 1 Curriculum) of the Project P.A.T.H.S.: Findings based on the Full Implementation Phase. TheScientificWorldJOURNAL: TSW Holistic Health & Medicine, 8, 35-46. doi:10.1100/tsw.2008.4
- Shek, D. T. L., Lee, T. Y., & Sun, R. C. F. (2008). Process evaluation of the implementation of the Secondary 2 Program of Project P.A.T.H.S. in the Experimental Implementation Phase. TheScientificWorldJOURNAL: TSW Holistic Health & Medicine, 8, 83-94. doi:10.1100/tsw.2008.23
- Shek, D. T. L., & Sun, R. C. F. (2009). Process evaluation of the Secondary 2 Curriculum of the Project P.A.T.H.S.: Findings based on the Full Implementation Phase. International Public Health Journal, 1(3), 301-310.
- Shek, D. T. L., Sun, R. C. F., & Ng, C. S. M. (2009). Process evaluation of the implementation of the Secondary 3 Program of Project P.A.T.H.S. in the Experimental Implementation Phase. International Public Health Journal, 1(3), 311-324.
The design of the Tier One Program is anchored around 15 Positive Youth Development constructs.
Download Tier 1 Program Teaching Materials
For the convenience of the participating schools, teaching manuals and resources at each level can be downloaded from this website. All of the information is provided for reference only. The team will update the content regularly.
Please note that some of the information are password protected. In case of download problems, please contact us at 3400-8507 or 3400-8517.
