Answering the call : an exploration into factors affecting the motivation of volunteers involved in a telephone counselling organisation
| dc.contributor.advisor | Oxtoby, Richard ; Schömer, Helgo | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.author | Brimmer, Welmoet | en_ZA |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2015-07-14T08:55:57Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2015-07-14T08:55:57Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 1994 | en_ZA |
| dc.description | Bibliography: leaves 94-99. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | This study investigates factors which affect the motivation of volunteer telephone counsellors, including demographic variables as well as volunteers' subjective perceptions of the factors which have influenced their involvement. The study was conducted in two stages. The first consisted of a demographic analysis of two groups of counsellors from an organisation in the Western Cape, while the second stage involved a qualitative analysis of semi-structured in-depth interviews with respondents who were drawn from these groups. 446 volunteers were selected for demographic analysis, of whom 247 were the full complement of current counsellors in the organisation as of April, 1993, and 199 were ex-volunteers who had terminated their involvement during the preceding three years. Eight demographic variables were recorded for each volunteer: current age, gender, age on joining the organisation, educational level, religious orientation, marital and parental status and length of service. Volunteers were predominantly female (75%), and were on average middle-aged, well-educated, and Christian (64%). Approximately half of the group were married. Parents comprised 50% of the group. The average length of service was approximately five years. Length of service was analysed in relation to each of the other demographic variables in turn in order to discover which factors, if any, were implicated in volunteer turnover. Parental status was the only variable found to be significant in terms of length of service across both current and ex-volunteer groups. A regression analysis performed on the data set as a whole identified parental status as a significant predictor of length of service. The second stage of the study consisted of 23 in-depth interviews. Respondents ( 12 current volunteers, 11 ex-volunteers) were selected according to a purposive technique which took the form of a systematic, structured sampling strategy in order to maximize the diversity of obtained responses. A descriptive phenomenological perspective was adopted in order to tap the rich, subjective experiences of respondents. Interview data was analysed according to an inductive, constantly comparative approach. Findings based on respondents' self-report suggest that motivational factors underlying volunteer participation are multifaceted and complex, changing in nature ii and salience during the course of involvement (from initial contact with the organisation until termination of participation). Although self-serving motives seemed to play a major role in influencing participation, especially during the early stages of involvement, altruistic motives appeared to be important in sustaining on-going involvement. On the basis of findings which have emerged from the study, recommendations have been made as to possible strategies that could be adopted by the organisation to improve volunteer management. The most important of these concerns the implementation of a supervision and support structure for all active volunteers. | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.apacitation | Brimmer, W. (1994). <i>Answering the call : an exploration into factors affecting the motivation of volunteers involved in a telephone counselling organisation</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Psychology. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13465 | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.chicagocitation | Brimmer, Welmoet. <i>"Answering the call : an exploration into factors affecting the motivation of volunteers involved in a telephone counselling organisation."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Psychology, 1994. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13465 | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.citation | Brimmer, W. 1994. Answering the call : an exploration into factors affecting the motivation of volunteers involved in a telephone counselling organisation. University of Cape Town. | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.ris | TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Brimmer, Welmoet AB - This study investigates factors which affect the motivation of volunteer telephone counsellors, including demographic variables as well as volunteers' subjective perceptions of the factors which have influenced their involvement. The study was conducted in two stages. The first consisted of a demographic analysis of two groups of counsellors from an organisation in the Western Cape, while the second stage involved a qualitative analysis of semi-structured in-depth interviews with respondents who were drawn from these groups. 446 volunteers were selected for demographic analysis, of whom 247 were the full complement of current counsellors in the organisation as of April, 1993, and 199 were ex-volunteers who had terminated their involvement during the preceding three years. Eight demographic variables were recorded for each volunteer: current age, gender, age on joining the organisation, educational level, religious orientation, marital and parental status and length of service. Volunteers were predominantly female (75%), and were on average middle-aged, well-educated, and Christian (64%). Approximately half of the group were married. Parents comprised 50% of the group. The average length of service was approximately five years. Length of service was analysed in relation to each of the other demographic variables in turn in order to discover which factors, if any, were implicated in volunteer turnover. Parental status was the only variable found to be significant in terms of length of service across both current and ex-volunteer groups. A regression analysis performed on the data set as a whole identified parental status as a significant predictor of length of service. The second stage of the study consisted of 23 in-depth interviews. Respondents ( 12 current volunteers, 11 ex-volunteers) were selected according to a purposive technique which took the form of a systematic, structured sampling strategy in order to maximize the diversity of obtained responses. A descriptive phenomenological perspective was adopted in order to tap the rich, subjective experiences of respondents. Interview data was analysed according to an inductive, constantly comparative approach. Findings based on respondents' self-report suggest that motivational factors underlying volunteer participation are multifaceted and complex, changing in nature ii and salience during the course of involvement (from initial contact with the organisation until termination of participation). Although self-serving motives seemed to play a major role in influencing participation, especially during the early stages of involvement, altruistic motives appeared to be important in sustaining on-going involvement. On the basis of findings which have emerged from the study, recommendations have been made as to possible strategies that could be adopted by the organisation to improve volunteer management. The most important of these concerns the implementation of a supervision and support structure for all active volunteers. DA - 1994 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 1994 T1 - Answering the call : an exploration into factors affecting the motivation of volunteers involved in a telephone counselling organisation TI - Answering the call : an exploration into factors affecting the motivation of volunteers involved in a telephone counselling organisation UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13465 ER - | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13465 | |
| dc.identifier.vancouvercitation | Brimmer W. Answering the call : an exploration into factors affecting the motivation of volunteers involved in a telephone counselling organisation. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Psychology, 1994 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13465 | en_ZA |
| dc.language.iso | eng | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher.department | Department of Psychology | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher.faculty | Faculty of Humanities | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher.institution | University of Cape Town | |
| dc.subject.other | Research Psychology | en_ZA |
| dc.title | Answering the call : an exploration into factors affecting the motivation of volunteers involved in a telephone counselling organisation | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Master Thesis | |
| dc.type.qualificationlevel | Masters | |
| dc.type.qualificationname | MA | en_ZA |
| uct.type.filetype | Text | |
| uct.type.filetype | Image | |
| uct.type.publication | Research | en_ZA |
| uct.type.resource | Thesis | en_ZA |
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