Abstract as per original application
(English/Chinese): |
The substantial and rapid social changes in Hong Kong and around the world since the twenty-first century have a profound impact on young adults’ transition to adulthood. The acquisition of traditional adult roles or transition markers such as completing education and entering into workforce is now more lengthy, unpredictable and individualized than ever before. As such, young adulthood has become a critical period within the life course, affecting not only the lifelong development and well-being of an individual, but also the prosperity and security of a region and country. Notwithstanding their importance, young adults are often grouped with or equated with adolescents or older adults rather than treated as a distinct sub-population in local and global policies and research.
Considering the increasing importance of young adulthood and its under representation in policies and research, this study aims to investigate the possibilities and vulnerabilities, opportunities and difficulties faced by Hong Kong young adults in transitioning to adulthood. Specifically, it attempts to explore the lived experiences of Hong Kong young adults in five domains, namely hopes and dreams, education experiences, employment experiences, intimate and social relationships, health and well-being. It also attempts to identify the transition pathways and the possible factors at individual, family and institutional levels contributing to their transition outcomes at age 25.
This study is based on the research endeavour of the PISA 2012 and the follow up HKLSA studies. While these two studies have traced the patterns of transition of a sample of young adults from age 15 to 22, the present study will continue to trace them until the age of 25. A mixed-method design will be adopted, which includes an interview study in the first year (2020) and a questionnaire survey in the second and third year (2021-2022). While the qualitative part will provide interpretations of young adults’ choices of pathways in their own voices, the quantitative part will provide information about their transition outcomes such as educational attainment and employment outcomes and the related factors. Given that the sample of this study were born around the time of Hong Kong’s handover to China in 1997, this study will give a comprehensive picture of a ten-year trajectory of post-colonial generation of Hong Kong young people from adolescence to young adulthood. It will also provide insights on how the higher education expansion and other youth-related policies implemented by the SAR Government impact on this new generation of Hong Kong people.
自二十一世紀以來，香港和世界各地顯著而迅速的社會變化，對青年人（young adult）過渡到成年產生了深遠的影響。相對於以往任何時候，現在需要經歷更加漫長、不可預測和個人化的過程，才能獲得傳統的成人角色或過渡標誌（如完成學業、進入職場等）。因此，青年期（young adulthood）已成為生命歷程中一個關鍵的時期，不僅影響其終身發展和個人福祉，而且影響一個地區和國家的繁榮與安定。儘管青年人是社會中重要的一群，但本地乃至全球政策和研究中通常把他們與少年人（adolescent）或成年人歸類在一起，而不會視青年人為獨特的一群。
考慮到青年期的重要性日益增加，但其在政策和研究中的代表性一直不足，本研究旨在探討在蛻變成為成年人的過程中，香港青年人所面臨的可能性和脆弱性（vulnerabilities）、機遇和困難。具體而言，本研究嘗試探討香港青年人在以下五個領域的生活經歷：希望和夢想、學習經歷、就業經歷、親密和社會關係，以及健康和福祉；本研究亦試圖探索青年人各種過渡的途徑，其個人、家庭和機構層面等可能的因素如何促成青年人在25歲時達到的過渡結果。
本研究建基於2012年PISA的研究和HKLSA的後續研究。這兩項研究抽樣15至22歲之間的青年人，並追蹤探討他們的過渡模式，而本研究將繼續探察這些青年人，直至他們達到25歲。本研究的設計採用了混合方法，其中包括第一年（2020年）的訪談研究，以及第二、第三年（2021-2022年）的問卷調查。第一年研究中的質性研究部分，讓青年人有機會表達個人路徑選擇的理由和原因；而量化研究部分將提供有關青年人過渡（至25歲）結果的數據，如教育程度、就業結果以及其他相關因素。鑑於這項研究的訪問對象是在1997年香港回歸中國前後出生，這項研究將全面展示後殖民時期，香港青年人從青春期到青年期的十年發展軌跡；對於特區政府實施的高等教育擴展和其他與青年有關的政策如何影響新一代的香港青年，本研究亦能提供一些啟示。
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