If Only “a Rose by Any Other Name Would Smell as Sweet”: A Systematic Review on the Impact of Youth Work for Young People

Abstract

Background Internationally there is an increasing commitment and investment to sup-

Professional youth work as a preventive service: towards an integrated conceptual framework

“…Previous literature reviews in the field of professional youth work have already revealed the absence of rigorously conducted evaluative research of the methodological process and impact of professional youth work across the globe (McGregor, 2015;Mundy-McPherson et al, 2012). A recent narrative review of the available research evidence on the impact and factors contributing to impact of open access youth work upon young people (Hill, 2020) proved helpful in terms of selecting studies that were investigating the same topic.…”

“…Professional youth work in Western welfare states is known as a developmentally appropriate practice that aims to prevent individual and social problems by supporting the personal development and social participation of youngsters. Although professional youth work has often been claimed to have a positive impact on young people's development, research-based substantiation of the effects of the youth work process on specific outcomes and the positive development of youngsters is poorly developed in the literature (McGregor, 2015;Mundy-McPherson et al, 2012;Williamson & Coussée, 2019).…”

Advancing Intervention Science Through Effectiveness Research: A Global Perspective

“…Of all of the articles in this special issue Mundy-McPherson et al (2012) provided the starkest depiction of what appears not only to be simply a gap but a chasm between one area of youth practice and intervention science. While such a chasm is evident in several fields, these authors focus was on interventions (including services and practices) referred to as youth work.…”

“…The Mundy-McPherson et al (2012) article raises the need to develop research cycles that narrow the gap between laboratory settings and everyday service delivery contexts. An illustration of a framework that works in a different sequence than the widely used United States National Institutes of Health's intervention research cycle (see Mrazek and Haggerty 1994) is exemplified by designed based research (DBR), which is used in learning sciences (Design-Based Research Collective 2003).…”

“…Also like in the empowerment evaluation approach (Fetterman 2002), the results of studies generated in the DBR research cycle may have an initial lower level of internal validity relative to studies generated in the traditional efficacy to effectiveness research cycle (Mrazek and Haggerty 1994). However, as illustrated by Mundy-McPherson et al (2012) article multiple bridges between researchers and practitioners should be built. While the efficacy-then effectiveness research cycle is a productive framework, optimal transferability into the future may ultimately be reached by more than one type of research cycle, with multiple research frameworks working towards a common goal (e.g., improved public health over the long haul and delivered in everyday practice contexts).…”