Volunteer service participation among secondary school students in Hong Kong.

摘要

A review of the literature showed that systematic studies on adolescent volunteerism, particularly in the Chinese context, were very limited. The present study was conducted to fill this knowledge gap. The conceptual model was an integrative model comprising elements of the ecological perspective and the cognitive motivational approach. Both personal and environmental factors were taken into account during the examination of psychosocial correlates of students' volunteering intention and behavior in Hong Kong based on the paradigm of post-positivism. With reference to literature, a series of hypotheses were put forward for empirical testing.;The first part of the study was to construct and validate four instruments assessing personal beliefs on volunteerism and perceived environmental influence, including (1) Revised Personal Functions of Volunteerism Scale, (2) Beliefs Against Volunteering Scale, (3) Microsystem (Family, School, Peers) Influence on Volunteerism Scale, and (4) Cultural Influence on Volunteerism Scale. A small-sample validation study (N = 192) showed that the instruments had high internal consistency, good content validity and acceptable criterion-related validity in distinguishing between volunteers and non-volunteers. The scales were used in the main study.;The second part of the study was a large-scale quantitative survey with 6,213 secondary school students from F.1 to F.6 (Grade 7 to 12) recruited via convenience sampling. The respondents completed a 244-item questionnaire which measured beliefs on volunteerism, perceived environmental influence, personal competence assets, prior volunteering experience, intention to volunteer, volunteering interests, details of current volunteering behavior and socio-demographic characteristics.;The findings from the main study showed that the scales used in the study possessed acceptable psychometric properties. While most of the proposed antecedents were found to be related to volunteering behavior, only "prior volunteering experience" and "volunteering intention" were directly predictive of volunteering behavior in multiple regression analyses. On the other hand, a mediating effects model was examined with "volunteering intention" as the mediating variable and "volunteering behavior" as the ultimate dependent variable. Three predictors with the highest total effects were "prior experience", "volunteering intention", and "positive personal and environmental influence on helping and volunteering". The present study provides support for the integrative model.;There are several academic contributions of the study. Firstly, the study highlighted the utility of integrating the ecological and the cognitive motivational perspectives. Secondly, the findings showed that volunteering intention is an important mediating variable between psychosocial correlates and volunteering behavior. Thirdly, the study clarified the different psychosocial predictors of volunteering intention and behavior among Hong Kong adolescents. Fourthly, negative beliefs and cultural beliefs were influential factors affecting volunteering intention and behavior.;The present findings suggest that in organizing volunteer service targeted at adolescents, social workers need to (1) strengthen the personal functions of volunteerism, in particular the learning function; (2) diversify the roles taken by volunteers and types of service recipients; (3) create a pro-volunteering atmosphere by active intervention with families, schools, peers and the community; (4) initiate volunteering experience as early as possible; and (5) inject positive adolescent development elements into the service.