Soft Skills and Aspirations in Chinese Children and Youth (Pediatrics, Child and Adolescent Health)

Young people are expected to learn academic or technical knowledge in a manufacturing economy, which can be referred to as hard skills (for example, to produce a car through assembly lines). In many countries today, countries have been shifting from a manufacturing economy to a service economy, which has resulted in young people expecting to gain skills that are non-technical and widely transferable to different settings. This skills are referred to as soft skills, which are basically related to the qualities of an individual. In this book, the authors include several chapters on soft skills development in adolescents with particular reference to Chinese culture. This book includes conclusions based on the data collected from the third year of the community-based P.A.T.H.S. Project in Hong Kong. It also discusses dreams, aspirations, hopes and related constructs in Chinese adolescents. Additionally, the authors also present chapters on the relationships between pornography consumption and positive youth development qualities; and the last few chapters document attempts to promote soft skills in university students. With the emergence and consolidation of a service or knowledge-based economy, the desired qualities in adolescents have changed. Obviously, soft skills development plays an important role in the employability of young people. It is also vital to the complete development of young people as individuals in the present and future. About the Author Daniel TL Shek, PhD, FHKPS, BBS, SBS, JP, is Associate Vice President (undergraduate Programme) and Chair Professor of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hunghom, Hong Kong, PRC, Advisory Professor of East China Normal University, Honorary Professor of Kiang Wu Nursing College of Macau and Adjunct Professor, Division of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, United States. He is Chief Editor of Journal of Youth Studies and Applied Research in Quality of Life, past Consulting Editor of Journal of Clinical Psychology, and editorial board member of Social Indicators Research, International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health, Asian Journal of Counseling, International Journal on Disability and Human Development, International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health and Journal of Adolescent Health. He has served in many government advisory bodies, including the Action Committee against Narcotics, Commission on Youth, Fight Crime Committee and Family Council. He has published numerous books, book chapters and more than 500 scientific articles in international refereed journals. Joav Merrick, MD, MMedSci, DMSc, (Medical Director, Health Services, Division for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Services, Jerusalem, Israel; Division of Adolescent Medicine, KY Childrens Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Lexington, Kentucky, US; National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Jerusalem, Israel; Division of Pediatrics, Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Centers, Mt Scopus Campus, Jerusalem, Israel; School of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, US)