A Study on Volunteers? Motivation

[[abstract]]There has been dramatic changes in the functions of Taiwan?s families, schools and the societies in recent years due to the constantly changing society. With prospering industry and commerce, the increasing numbers of nuclear families and endless kidnappings and traffic accidents, it is insufficient, for the schools only, to secure the students? safety with limited manpower. The phenomenon of having less children and the much higher education level of the parents has moved them to pay more attention to the problems of children?s safety and the quality of their education. Parents have started to care much more about their right and duty in participating in the process of educating their children, and thus desire to be more deeply involved with school affairs. Today, it has become the trend for schools to actively promote ways for parents to participate in education, and has become the primary way to solve the problem of the schools? lacking satisfactory manpower. It has been more than ten years now since our school introduced the volunteer system. The contribution made to the school of the advancing of the system has since gained approval from personalities of all circles. However, there emerged various problems in the course of operation of the system. This triggered our research to approach the volunteers? types from the angle of their initiative for participation and to further clarify the factors that influenced the volunteers? motives for participation, in order to provide references for future management and administration for the personnel in charge of implementing the school volunteer system. This research adopted the two-stage grouping analytical method, and separated the types of the motives that caused the volunteer to participate into three categories: the ?growing through learning type?, the ?selfbenefiting type? and the ?benefiting others type?. Next, we examined if there was significant relationships in the distribution of the volunteer-participation motive types using two parameters: the population statistics and the participating behavior. Then we further cross-analyzed the variable terms that were considerably different, to understand the state of differences. Last, we used the distinguishing analysis to discuss the factors that affected the motive of the volunteer? participation, so that we could more easily obtain insight into what factors influenced the motive of the volunteers. The results of the research showed there were higher numbers of the ?benefiting others type?, 309 people in total; 114 of the ?self-benefiting type?, and 35 of the ?growing through learning type?. The volunteers were mostly female, 41-50 years old, housewives, graduated from senior high or vocational schools, living with their children, their children studying in the school served, serving more than five years, serving under 3 hours each week, not serving as cadres of the school volunteer group, not involved with other volunteer work, and not having thoughts of leaving their current jobs. Furthermore, the research showed that the volunteers viewed mostly important the following: the positive interactions with their fellow workers in working in the group happily, and sharing their knowledge and experiences; when there were major activities the fellow volunteer workers would accomplish things cooperatively and in agreement; when there are emergencies among the volunteers, the fellow workers in the group would willingly lend a helping hand; feeling that the school is actively and enthusiastically carrying out the volunteer program; they are willing to actively assist the initiation of gathering workers for various volunteer activities. They did not view having a good interaction with the teacher as important as to whether they would volunteer their service or not