This study focused on the school resilience developmental models of poverty-stricken Korean adolescents. For this purpose, this research examined the additive, mediation, and moderating effect of protective factors on school resilience, and confirmati...
This study focused on the school resilience developmental models of poverty-stricken Korean adolescents. For this purpose, this research examined the additive, mediation, and moderating effect of protective factors on school resilience, and confirmation of the best developmental model to explain school resilience of Korean adolescents in poverty.
In order to examine the school resilience developmental models of poverty-stricken Korean adolescents, this study used 2003 and the 2004 data of the Korea Youth Panel Survey(KYPS). In addition, to test the proposed models, the Mplus―structural equation modeling(SEM)―was used.
This study included three research questions to understand the school resilience developmental model of Korean adolescents in poverty. First, how does poverty affect the school resilience, risk and protective factors of the poor adolescents? Second, how do protective factors affect school resilience? Third, what is the best developmental model to explain school resilience of poverty-stricken Korean adolescents among the additive, mediation, moderating effect models of protective factors.
The major findings are as follows:
First, as the effects of poverty increased, school resilience and protective factors decreased. On the contrary, in accordance with the poverty increased, the risk factors did. Poverty also had indirect effects on risk and protective factors; in particular, the direct effects of poverty were stronger than the indirect effects. As a result, poverty was more powerful than some other risk factors. In addition, from the indirect effects of poverty, the school resilience varies according to the risk and protective factors.
Second, the additive effect model of protective factors showed the reasonable fitness in the analysis structural equation modeling, and the factor loading of variables from structural model proved a significant correspondence of the hypothesis. As a result, the direct effects of protective factors about school resilience were examined. The mediation effect model of protective factors showed the close fitness in the analysis structural equation modeling, and the factor loading of variables also confirmed a significant correspondence of the hypothesis. Thus, protective factors act as buffers against the negative effects of risks on school resilience by mediation. Regarding the moderating effect model, protective factors had a greater positive effect on lower risk adolescents than higher risk adolescents.
Third, in comparison with the additive, mediation, moderating effect models by X2, AIC, BIC, the moderating effect model was the most suitable for the school resilience developmental model of Korean adolescents in poverty. As a result, prevention programs to increase protective factors are needed to improve school resilience of poor adolescents.
In conclusion, this study confirmed that school resilience of poor adolescents was affected by poverty, risk and protective factors, with the moderating effect model as the most suitable for the school resilience developmental model of Korean adolescents in poverty. These findings have provided various theoretical and practical implications of for professionals in the field of social work.
key words: poverty-stricken adolescents, poor adolescents, school resilience, risk factor, protective factor, developmental model, the additive effect model, the mediation effect model, the moderating effect model, structural equation modeling, Mplus