A Study on the Factors Influencing and Mechanisms Promoting Social Work Participation Among University Students in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from a Systems Theory Perspective
Against the backdrop of the comprehensive implementation of the ‘Five-Community Coordination’ mechanism, university students—as future professionals in social work and a reserve force for community voluntary service—play a crucial role; their willingness to participate is directly linked to the sustainability of grassroots governance and the quality of services provided. This study, which focused on university students in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, employed a combination of questionnaire surveys and statistical analysis to systematically examine the current status, characteristics and influencing factors of university students’ willingness to participate in social work. The findings reveal that whilst university students demonstrate high levels across dimensions such as personal motivation, family and peer support, institutional support, social and environmental support, and life experiences and sense of giving back, their willingness to participate remains relatively low, exhibiting a dichotomy characterised by ‘high recognition but low willingness’; only 17.8 per cent of students participate on a regular basis, with ‘low-intensity participation’ being widespread; first-year students’ total participation scores are significantly higher than those of third-year students, reflecting the existence of a ‘year-group inhibition’ effect. Correlation analysis indicates a strong correlation between developmental experiences and reciprocity, and between social and environmental support and willingness to participate; there are also strong correlations among the various support dimensions, reflecting the interconnection and synergistic effects of factors at different levels emphasised by systems theory. The findings suggest that although the current support system is gradually improving, there are structural bottlenecks in ‘transforming motivation’, with a lack of tiered and progressive design, in-depth practical experiences, and mechanisms for continuous feedback. Based on systems theory, this paper proposes a promotion mechanism comprising ‘micro-activation, meso-integration and macro-coordination’: at the micro-level, short-cycle micro-experience projects and feedback-based placements are used to bridge the gap between knowledge and action; at the meso-level, a three-tier progressive system of ‘experiencers, implementers and leaders’ is established, linking voluntary service with professional placements and final-year projects; at the macro-level, a tangible collaborative platform involving ‘universities, communities and enterprises’ is established, with permanent placement positions set up at social work stations. The study is limited by its cross-sectional design and sampling from a single geographical area; future research should employ longitudinal tracking and quasi-experimental designs to further elucidate causal mechanisms. Only by deeply integrating young people’s developmental needs, professional competencies and grassroots governance tasks can we achieve the organic unity of ‘helping others’ and ‘self-development’, thereby supplying grassroots governance modernisation with a young workforce that is committed, capable and resilient.