Abstract

Children in China faced significantly reduced opportunities to interact with peers and teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic as schools closed. To address these challenges, the Xi’an Sunshine Social Work Centre later implemented community education programs for children aged five to twelve years in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province. This study aims to identify the effectiveness of these programs on children’s social adjustment. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with seven informants, including six parents and one grandparent, who were selected by convenience sampling. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyze the data, with research questions focusing on how the community education program influences children’s positive psychological states, negative psychological states, and social interactions.The results revealed three main themes: positive psychological states, negative psychological states, and social interaction. Children demonstrated development in aspects such as joy, pride, empathy, sadness, distress, and anger. Additionally, the programs fostered improved relationships between children and their teachers, peers, and parents. Overall, this study—the first to assess the perceptions of parents and grandparents regarding the social adjustment of children aged five to ten—concluded that the community education programs conducted by the Xi’an Sunshine Social Work Centre not only enriched the lives of the children but also facilitated their adjustment to society during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.