A systematic review of studies on ethnic minority youth development in Hong Kong : an application of the ecological framework

Ethnic minority young people play a significant role in the socio-economic growth of an ageing society with a decreasing fertility rate. The successful social integration of individuals with diverse cultural backgrounds within a society is a core value of the social work profession. This study examines the understanding of ethnic minority youth development in Hong Kong using a systematic review methodology. Risk prevention and positive promotion factors were identified using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological framework. Articles were searched through multiple databases in English, and 36 academic articles were reviewed. These studies mainly examined the risks of academic failure of these students in Hong Kong while few focused on the positive directions of multidimensional youth development. Future social work research and practice should examine positive youth development for ethnic minorities which can inform social work practice in Hong Kong and within other East Asian traditionally ethnically homogeneous societies undergoing significant changes in ethnic diversity.

在老年化社会，随着出生率的下降，年轻少数族裔在香港的社会-经济增长中扮演重要的角色。多元文化背景下，使个人能够成功融入社会是社会工作专业的核心价值。本研究采用系统性检阅方法对香港青年少数族裔的发展进行探究。本文还采用布朗菲布列纳生态框架来分析少数族裔青少年风险防范和正向推动的因素。本文搜寻多个英语数据库的论文，并检阅了36篇相关学术论文。这些研究主要探究香港少数族裔学生学业失败的危机，也有少部份聚焦探讨青年多维度发展的正面方向。本文建议未来社会工作研究与实践应探索少数族裔青年的正向发展，以帮助传统种族单一的香港和东亚社会的社会工作实践更好社会转向种族多元的过程。