Abstract: In the background of prolonged parent-child separation, the active personal growth of left-behind children is very important for their positive development.Based on the grounded theory, a semi-structured interview was conducted with 23 left-behind children, their 21 guardians and 18 teachers, and an open-ended questionnaire survey of 64 left-behind children was conducted, so as to investigate the structure and impact of the personal growth initiative (PGI) among left-behind children in rural China.Results have found that the personal growth initiative of left-behind children is composed of six skills:positively interpreting one's life, establishing one's goals and beliefs, relieving one's negative emotions, keeping good mentality, developing and using resources, and striving to improve oneself.It also brings growth discomfort to some of the children, while the personal growth initiative of left-behind children promotes the positive development of their cognition, emotion, motivation, ability, personality and behavior.It shows a double-edged sword effect.The results of this study have provided a reference for further strengthening educational intervention among left-behind children.

Key words: left-behind children, personal growth initiative, psychological and behavioral adaptation