Dr Andrew Low Yiu Tsang

Biography

Dr. Andrew LOW is an Associate Professor at the Felizberta Lo Padilla Tong School of Social Sciences and serves as the Director of the Research Office. He is dedicated to enhancing research capacity among academic staff, managing research grants, and overseeing ethical applications. Prior to his current role, Dr. LOW was an Assistant Professor at City University of Hong Kong and has 17 years of experience as a registered social worker in various settings. His research interests focus on evaluating preventive interventions, including parenting programs and youth development initiatives, and he is actively involved in studies aimed at improving child welfare and community support services.

Education

• DipSW HKPolyU
• MA (Social Work) University of Hull
• UK, DipSW CCETSW UK
• Cert Parent Ed. CUHK
• PhD (Social Policy) University of Bristol, UK
  

Professional Qualifications / Memberships

• Registered Social Worker, Social Workers Registration Board
• Associate Fellow, Hong Kong Professional Counselling Association

Teaching

Before joining Saint Francis University, Dr LOW taught various courses in the social work and counseling programs at CityU, covering both Bachelor's and Master's levels. His courses included "School Social Work," "Working with Groups," "Management and Supervision in Social Services," and several others focused on practical skills and self-development. Additionally, he coordinated the Practicum for the entire department, overseeing Master's and Bachelor's programs, as well as the Overseas Social Work Internship for the Bachelor of Social Work program. At Saint Francis University, he currently teach Family-Centered Social Work Intervention (SOWK415 and SOWK725), Social Work Theory and Practice I: Individuals and Families (SOWK601), Placement Preparation (SOWK010), and Social Work Theory and Practice II: Groups (SOWK602). Through lectures and tutorials, he emphasize a family-centered approach, equipping students with essential skills to effectively support individuals and families in diverse contexts.

Research

His primary research interests focus on evaluating preventive interventions, particularly in the context of parenting programs within Chinese culture to mitigate parent-adolescent conflicts and their effects on adolescent development. He has assessed suicide prevention programs and positive youth development initiatives in school settings. At the policy level, his evaluation of the "pilot scheme of social work service in pre-primary institutions" contributed to significant government policy changes. Additionally, he studied the dynamics of parent-adolescent conflicts during social movements and completed evaluations of cognitive behavioral programs aimed at reducing anxiety in youth. Currently, he is collaborating with NGOs to examine the effectiveness of play therapy for pre-primary students affected by family violence and child abuse, as well as evaluating a parenting program designed to decrease child abuse risk in Hong Kong. Furthermore, he is involved in developing a Child Safeguarding framework for pre-primary institutions in collaboration with NGOs.

External Competitive Grants

• Policy Innovation and Co-ordination Office, Public Policy Research Fund (PPR), Immobility Decisions and Wellbeing: The Younger Stayers in Hong Kong, Jan 2024 – Dec 2024, Co- Investigator, HKD 734,597, On-going.

• Research Grants Council, Institutional Development Scheme, Research Infrastructure Grant (IDS R), Children and Youth Research Centre, Jan 2024 – Dec 2026, Co-Investigator, HKD 4,118,290, On-going.

• Policy Innovation and Co-ordination Office, Public Policy Research Fund (PPR), Adolescents' voices are heard: Conflict resolution strategies and preferred parenting style of Hong Kong Chinese adolescents to resolve parent-adolescent conflicts in the current social situation, April 2020 – Oct 2020, Principal Investigator, HKD 400,000, Completed.

• Hong Kong Government, Social Welfare Department, Evaluating the Pilot Scheme on social work service for pre-primary institutions, 2020 – 2023, Principal Investigator, HKD 2,478,240, Completed.

• Hong Kong Government, Quality Education Fund (QEF), The effectiveness of a school-based prevention programme to reduce suicide risk factors in Hong Kong, 2017-2019, Principal Investigator, HKD 700,600, Completed.

Other Grants

• Saint Francis University Institutional Development Grant (ISG), Exploring Secondary School Students, Parents and Teachers' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Experiences with Vocational and Professional Education and Training (VPET), 2024-2026, Principal Investigator, HKD 735,450, On-going.

• Saint Francis University Institutional Development Grant (IDG), Post Pandemic Physical Bullying, Cyber Bullying in Secondary Schools and Adolescents' Behavioral and Emotional Problems in Hong Kong, 2024-2025, Principal Investigator, HKD 100,000, On-going.

• Saint Francis University Institutional Strategic Grant (ISG), Comparing a face-to-face and an on-line parenting program for parent at risk of abusing their 3-8 years old children in Hong Kong, 2022-2024, Principal Investigator, HKD 1,340,900, On-going.

Selected Publications

Book

• Low, Y.T.A. (2019), A Comparison of Eastern and Western Parenting: Programmes, policies and approaches, Routledge.

Journal Articles

• Low, Y.T.A., Wong, D. F. K., Kwok, S. Y. C. L., Man, K. W., & Ip, S. Y. (2024). Effectiveness of a Culturally adapted School-based Cognitive-Behavioral Group delivered by social workers for Primary School Children to Reduce Their Anxiety in Hong Kong. Asia Pacific Journal of Social Work and Development. https://doi.org/10.1080/29949769.2023.2296894. [SSCI-listed, Q2: Social Work, Multidiscipline, 18/44; 5-year Impact factor: 1.6]
• Low, Y.T.A. (2023), Parent-adolescent Conflict: Adolescents' Coping Strategies and Preferred Parenting Style uring the Social Movements in Hong Kong, 2019. Behavioral Sciences, 13(9), 756. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13090756. [SSCI-listed, Q2: Psychology, Multidiscipline, 85/213; 5-year Impact factor: 3.2]
• Low, Y.T.A. (2021), Family conflicts, Anxiety and Depressive symptoms, and Suicidal Ideation of Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 16(6), 2457-2473. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-021-09925-7. [SSCI-listed, Q2: Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary, 39/108; 5 year Impact factor: 1.784]
• Low, Y.T.A., Lo, T.W., Cheng, H.K., (2020), Family dynamic and antisocial adolescents in Macau, Child and Youth Care Forum 49, 941-952. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-020-09568-z [SSCI-listed, Q3: Psychology Developmental, 57/77; 5 year Impact factor: 1.813]
• Low, Y.T.A., Lee, T.Y. & Lau, K.L. (2018). Subjective experience of early adolescents after joining a positive youth development program in Hong Kong. International Journal on Disability and Human Development. 17(3), 423-432.
• Low, Y. T. A., Kwok, S. Y., Tam, H. L. C., Yeung, W. K. J., & Lo, H. M. H. (2017). The relationship between childhood physical abuse and suicidal ideation among Chinese university students: Possible moderators, Children and Youth Services Review, 81, 94-100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chilyouth.2017.07.026 [SSCI-listed, Q2: Social Work, 16/42; 5-year Impact factor: 1.383]
• Low, Y. T. A., Busiol, D., & Lee, T. Y. (2016). A review of research on civic and political engagement among Hong Kong youth. International Journal of Child and Adolescent Health, 9(4), 423-432.
• Low Y.T.A., (2015) Can Hong Kong Chinese parents and their adolescent children benefit from an adapted UK parenting programme? Journal of Social Work 16(1), 104-121. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468017314568860 [SSCI-listed, Q4: Social Work, 34/41; 5-year Impact factor: 0.921]
• Low, Y. T.A., (2014). Parents' perception of Effective Components of a Parenting Programme for Parents of Adolescents in Hong Kong. Revista de Cercetare şi Intervenţie Socială, (46), 162-181. [SSCI-listed, Q2: Social Work, 20/40 ; 5-year Impact factor : 0.642]
• Low, Y.T.A., (2013). Can Parenting Programme Reduce Parent-Adolescents Conflicts in Hong Kong?. Revista de Cercetare şi Intervenţie Socială, (42), 7 – 27. [SSCI-listed, Q1: Social Work, 10/40; 5-year Impact factor: 1.354]

Book Chapter

• Low, Y.T. A., Lee, T.Y., & Lau, K.L.R. (2017) Experience of early adolescents after joining a positive youth development program. In D. T. L. Shek, J.T.Y. Leung &T. Y. Lee (Eds.),  Psychosocial needs : Success in life and career planning, New York : Nova Science.
• Low, Y. T. A., Busiol, D., & Lee, T. Y. (2016). Civic and political engagement among youth. In D. T. L. Shek, T. Y. Lee & J. Merrick (Eds.), Children and Adolescents: Future challenges (pp. 33-44). N.Y.: Nova Science Publishers

Community Participation and Achievement / Public Service

• Programme Validation Panel on Re-Validation of Higher Diploma in Social Work (QF Level 4) in Hong Kong College of Technology (Aug 2020)
• International Advisory Panel Member (School Social Work) in Lutheran Community Care Services Singapore (since 2014)
• Advisor in Advance Children Charity Play Therapy Centre (since 2018)