Motivational Factors Behind Humanitarian Aid Volunteerism in the Healthcare Field: a Study of the Lived Experiences of Dentists

There are not enough humanitarian aid volunteers in the healthcare field to serve the world’s indigent, impoverished, and disaster-stricken populations. The purpose of this research was to understand the motivational factors behind humanitarian aid volunteers in the healthcare field. The researcher sought to provide insights into motivation and drive, which could be useful to charitable organizations for future volunteer recruitment and retention efforts. The researcher’s stance is that of a social constructivist, believing that meaning emerges from life experiences. This study used interviews and qualitative, phenomenological methodology to study the essence of the lived experiences of 11 research subjects. The research questions were (a) What are the lived experiences of humanitarian aid volunteers in the healthcare field?, (b) What are the motivating factors and underlying drivers associated with the decision to volunteer?, and (c) What are the motivating factors and underlying drivers associated with the decision to remain in service or volunteer again in the future? The study used a conceptual framework of literature streams: (a) decision to volunteer, (b) self-determination theory, and (c) flow theory. The findings and results include six major themes and 20 subthemes. These findings represent the motivational factors behind volunteerism in the healthcare field, which emerged from the lived experiences of the dentists who served. The major themes that emerged are: (a) Meaning-Purpose, (b) Connectedness—Relatedness, (c) Religious-Spirituality, (d) Pro-social-Righteousness, (e) Gratefulness-Reciprocity, and (f) Competency. The major themes listed above and subthemes (not listed) answered the research questions and provided the basis for the recommendations to nonprofits and charitable organizations. This information may be useful in the organizations’ recruitment and retention of humanitarian aid volunteers. The theoretical constructs that were used as a lens for the study, self-determination theory and flow theory, were largely supported by the research as relevant to the motivational factors and drivers behind volunteerism in the healthcare field.Ed.D., Educational Leadership and Management -- Drexel University, 201