Volunteer Assistance Research Articles

日本語話者大学生の英語学習動機の変化 ―国際イベントへのボランティア参加の効果― Changes in Japanese University Students’ Motivation to Learn English: Effects of Volunteering in an International Event

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of volunteer assistance at the 2005 Special Olympics World Winter Games (SO) in Nagano, on Japanese university students' motivation to learn English. The construct of motivation was investigated within the fraework of self-determination theory, which assumes three basic psychological needs: for competence, for relatedness, and for autonomy. According to the degree to which these psychological needs are satisfied, social-contextual factors are considered to facilitate or impede motivation. The theory posits that in terms of the degree of self-determination or autonomy, motivation is categorized as (a) amotivation, (b) extrinsic motivation, and (c) intrinsic. Extrinsic motivation is further divided into (a) external regulation, (b) introjected regulation, (c) identified regulation, and (d) integrated regulation; in this order, the degree of self-determination increases. Previous studies on motivation to study English as a second language (L2) within the framework of self-determination theory (Hiromori, 2003a, 2006; Hiromori & Tanaka, 2006) have shown that L2 learners’motivation to study may change and that social-contextual factors facilitative for basic psychological needs may influence changes in motivation. The research questions posed for this study were: Did participation in the SO as volunteers cause changes in Japanese university students’motivation to study English? and (b) if so, how? We supposed that such participation would provide the students with opportunities through which their basic psychological needs might be met. Thus, it was hypothesized that (a) participation in the SO would lead to changes in motivation to study English and that (b) the motivational types with higher self-determination (e.g., intrinsic motivation) would be enhanced and the motivational types with lower self-determination (e.g., amotivation and external regulation) would be diminished motivation. A 16-item questionnaire was administered twice: once before the event (survey 1) and then two months after the event (survey 2). Responses from 44 students were analyzed. Because of deviation from the normal distribution for the scores for amotivation, non-parametric tests (Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and Friedman’s tests) were performed. Descriptive statistics showed that the median scores of amotivation were the lowest for both survey 1 and survey 2, whereas the median scores of identified regulation were the highest and that the median scores of external regulation and introjected regulation decreased within the two-month period, whereas the median scores of amotivation, identified regulation, and intrinsic motivation increased. First, Friedman’s tests and the post-hoc tests revealed that, before participating in the SO, amotivation was significantly lower than any other type of motivation, while identified regulation was significantly higher than any other type of motivation. There were no significant differences among the other combinations of motivational types on survey 1. After two months, changes were observed: since the median scores of amotivation and intrinsic motivation increased and the median score of introjected regulation decreased, the significant difference found between amotivation and introjected regulation on survey 1 disappeared on survey 2, and the difference between introjected regulation and intrinsic motivation became significant on survey 2. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests revealed that the change in the median scores of intrinsic motivation between survey 1 and survey 2 was significant. In summary, the results confirmed the hypotheses. The discussion of the results is structured around the following three points. First, the findings support the arguments made by Hayami (1995) and Horino and Ichikawa (1997) that motivation should be treated as a dynamic changeable cognitive state. At the same time, considering the two-month interval after the SO, the changes of motivation observed in this study may not be temporal, but durable. Second, the results suggest that participating in international events like the SO may be facilitative for the improvement of motivation even if the events are short. Most of the participants in this study reported that they had assisted at the SO for three to five days (n = 40, 90.9%). Third, it is pointed out that satisfaction of the need for competence alone may not influence motivational changes because most (n = 28, 63.6%) reported that they had spent a total of two hours or less speaking English during the volunteer work. Thus, the participants may not have had sufficient experience in communicating with others in English. Finally, several limitations are discussed: the sample characteristics, the design without any control groups, the questionnaire with a small number of items for each type of motivation, and the unresolved question as to how participation in the SO influenced motivation. Future research is needed to overcome these limitations and thereby to obtain insight into how participation in international events should be incorporated into language programs. 本研究の目的は、2005年スペシャル・オリンピックス（SO）冬季世界大会・長野にボランティアとして参加したことが、日本語話者大学生の英語学習の動機づけにどのような影響を及ぼしたのかを調べることである。動機づけの理論の1つである自己決定理論を援用して作成した質問票をSOの直前と2ヶ月後に実施した。SOにボランティアとして参加した大学生44名の回答を分析対象とした。結果は次の通りである。外的調整と取り入れ的調整の中央値は、事後調査において下がり、一方、無動機、同一視的調整、内発的動機の中央値は事後調査において上がった。これらの変化のうち、統計的に有意であったのは内発的動機であった。すなわち、SOのような国際的イベントへのボランティアとしての参加が、日本人大学生の英語学習動機に影響を及ぼしていることが確認された。

A volunteer feeding assistance program can improve dietary intakes of elderly patients – A Pilot Study

Malnutrition is prevalent in elderly hospitalized patients and has been associated with longer lengths of stay (LOS), higher rates of complications and increased hospital costs. Feeding assistance has traditionally been the role of nurses, however with an ageing population and an ever-increasing workload there may not be sufficient time to ensure the nutritional care of all patients. A program in which trained volunteers assist, socialize and feed nutritionally vulnerable patients at lunch on weekdays has been initiated in a major suburban hospital in Sydney. The pilot study reported here aimed to evaluate the lunchtime assistance program in terms of dietary intakes by comparing data from weekdays (with volunteers) and that from weekends (no volunteers). Nine patients (mean age ± S.D.: 89 ± 4.6 years) participated in the study. Observations and weighed plate waste were recorded for each patient at lunch on two weekdays and the following two weekend days. When volunteers were present, the average protein intake increased by 10.1 g at lunch ( p < 0.05) and 10.7 g over the whole day ( p < 0.05). There was also a trend to increased energy intake. Observations indicated that the volunteers, when compared to the nurses, socialized more with patients, encouraged them to eat more often and spent more time feeding them. Trialing volunteer assistance in a larger study would be useful.

Forest Landowner Cooperatives in the United States: A Local Focus for Engaging Landowners

Abstract Family forest owners are showing an increasing interest in forest landowner cooperatives as a mechanism for providing a variety of services related to sustainable forest management and product processing. Because these cooperatives are locally owned, user-controlled, small-scale participatoryentities, they can more easily adapt to member needs than some other landowner assistance programs. Fifteen experts identified the benefits, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to these cooperatives. The results suggest ways in which cooperatives can enhance their effectivenessby seizing opportunities, counteracting threats, and addressing weaknesses. Key issues related to improving cooperative effectiveness include (1) expanding membership to enhance leadership and volunteer assistance, (2) improving marketing efforts, and (3) developing better networks withinthe local community, with other forestry cooperatives, and with organizations that offer assistance to cooperatives.

日本人学生とのやり取りを通した作文授業の影響—PAC分析による学習者理解—Influence of a writing course with interpersonal interaction in L2: Understanding learners’ attitudes through Personal Attitude Construct (PAC) analysis

This study documents attitude changes with respect to writing in Japanese as a second language (L2) by using Personal Attitude Construct (PAC) analysis. The study specifically focuses on attitude changes observed in an L2 writing course, which included interpersonal interaction in the L2 via email and oral communication in person. The participants in the study were three male learners of Japanese as an L2 from the United States enrolled in a short-term study abroad program at a university in Tokyo. None of the participants had prior experience of study abroad or extensive writing in Japanese. The L1 of the participants was English and their L2 proficiency level was assessed as intermediate-low according to the placement procedures at the given university. The writing course in which the study was conducted had 11 students from diverse L1 backgrounds from which three participants were recruited for the purpose of the study. The class was 90 minutes long and met once a week (14 times per semester). Volunteer Japanese assistants, who were recruited from Japanese students at the same university, participated in the course to provide intercultural and interpersonal interaction in the L2. The responsibilities of the volunteer Japanese assistants included exchanging email as assigned in the course on a one-to-one basis and assisting the learners as they completed a small-group course project. The data were collected twice, during the first class meeting of the course and right after the course ended. The Personal Attitude Construct (PAC) method proposed by Naito (1993, 2002) was employed as the method of data collection. The participants’ specific tasks included handwriting words or phrases that they associated with “writing in Japanese,” rank ordering the associated items, and comparing the subjective distance between two of the associated items. The data were analyzed following the PAC analysis method (Naito, 1993; 2002) in order to examine the influence that the writing course and the interactive activities with L2 native speakers in the L2, had on participants’ attitudes toward writing in the L2. The results indicated a variety of changes in the participants’ attitudes toward writing in Japanese. For example, one participant who had anxieties about writing in Japanese gained a positive attitude and confidence. On the contrary, another participant who was a very persistent student in the course and stated that he was ready for the challenges of L2 writing at the beginning of the course developed emotional distance toward writing in the L2. It can be speculated that the involvement of the Japanese volunteer assistant in his learning processes negatively affected his attitude toward his learning. The results also indicated discrepancies between the PAC analysis results and the impressions and observations of the instructor regarding the participants’ attitudes. Other sources of data such as the students’ course evaluations or the participants’ course performance did not signal such discrepancies. These findings indicate that PAC analysis can provide unique and constructive information on learners’ attitudes and attitude change which is not available from conventional sources, such as instructors’ impressions, learners’ course performance, and course evaluations. Thus, it is advisable that language educators employ various sources of information on learners’ psychological constructs and changes in order for writing courses to be better tailored to individual learners. 本研究では、日本人学生とのEメールや授業での直接的なやり取りを通した1学期の作文授業の前後にPAC（Personal Attitude Construct：個人別態度構造）分析を行い、 日本語で書くことに対する学習者のイメージの変化を追究し、授業の学習者個々人への影響を明らかにした。調査協力者（日本語中級前半レベルの留学生3名）は、学期前は日本語で書くことに対して葛藤状態にあったものの肯定的イメージが若干勝っていたが、学期後は授業での経験によりそれぞれ異なる変容を示した。留学生Aは幸せな感情を持ち、肯定的イメージが強くなった。留学生Bは自信をつけ、身近で楽しいイメージを持つようになった。これに対し、書く能力の向上が著しかった留学生Cは心理的距離を持つようになった。PAC分析を学期の前後に行ったことにより、授業中の教師の観察や質問紙による一斉調査では気づき得ない学習者の内面が明らかになった。

Cancer at the End Stages: Palliation Is Multifaceted

Cancer at the End Stages: Palliation Is Multifaceted

Support provision and emotional work in an Internet support group for cancer patients

Objective The study examined the content and frequency of messages to an Internet support group, using a conceptual framework based on support-giving and emotional work. The main questions addressed concerned what correspondents seem to be gaining from their involvement and whether the high-frequency correspondents differ motivationally from the lower-frequency correspondents. Methods Messages to an Internet support group for women with breast cancer were collected over 12 months. The number of contributions written by individual correspondents could be determined. Messages were reliably coded for their main themes in terms of seeking or providing support. Results The majority of correspondents (94%) wrote fewer than 10 messages. Two high-frequency correspondents emerged whose messages significantly less often referred to seeking and more often to providing support than did the messages of the less-frequent correspondents. These volunteer emotion workers both reported gaining personal satisfaction from their role. Conclusion The high-frequency correspondents act as informal volunteer emotion workers for the other users, and valuably supplement the role of the group's initiators. Further research is needed on how to amplify the psychological rewards for volunteer emotion workers in online support groups for adults with cancer. Practice implications Volunteer assistants in electronic groups may be crucial to the sustainability of online support initiatives.

Acceptability and feasibility of a community-based screening programme for melanoma in Australia

The evaluation of a community-based screening programme for melanoma (SkinWatch) in 18 regional communities (total adult population >30 years 63 035) in Queensland, Australia is described. The aim of the SkinWatch programme was to promote whole-body skin screening for melanoma by primary care physicians. The programme included community education, education and support for local medical practitioners and open-access skin screening clinics. Programme delivery was achieved through assistance of local volunteers. All programme activities and resources were recorded for process evaluation. A baseline telephone survey (n = 3110) and a telephone survey four months after programme launch (n = 680) assessed community awareness of the SkinWatch programme and, 37 face-to-face interviews with community members, doctors and community leaders were conducted to assess satisfaction with the programme. A sample of 1043 of 16,383 residents who attended the skin screening clinics provided as part of the programme were interviewed to assess reasons for attending, and positive and negative aspects of SkinWatch programme. Community awareness of the SkinWatch programme increased by over 30% (p < 0.001) within four months of the start of the programme. Interview participants described the SkinWatch programme as a useful service for the communities and 90% stated they would revisit the clinics. A total of 43% of all attendees were over 50 years old, and nearly 50% were men. These findings demonstrate the acceptability and feasibility of a community-based screening programme for melanoma in rural areas. Volunteers were instrumental in increasing community ownership of and involvement in the SkinWatch programme.

Table of Contents

Abstract Tips for Effective Meetings Websites of Interest Rule of Thumb Special Needs Volunteers Tips for Working With Mentally Challenged Volunteers Motivating Volunteers Help Volunteers Visualize the End Result Managing With Tact Recognize How to Part Ways With Tact Dates of Interest Tie Deadlines to Key Dates Let Us Hear From You! Volunteer Retention Study Volunteers Who Stick With You Monitoring Volunteer Programs Tutor Board Tracks Volunteer Activity Encouraging Volunteer Input ‘Reflection Sessions’ Identify What's Working, What's Not Clarifying Volunteer Relationships Set the Record Straight With Vendors Who Volunteer Involving Volunteers In Planning, Goal Setting ‘Growth Plan’ Helps Volunteers Look to the Future Volunteer Teams? Let the Fun Begin! Help Your Volunteers Help You ‘Spread the Word’ Big‐time Volunteer Recognition Opportunities Motivating Volunteers, Volunteer Teams Whiteboard Helps Visualize Goals, Spark Performance Where to Find Whiteboards Evaluating Volunteer Performance Survey Helps Measure Speakers' Presentation Performance Make Volunteering a Fun Experience Share a Bit of Lightheartedness With Working Volunteers Budget‐saving Ideas Invite Constituents to Sponsor Each Issue of Your Newsletter Volunteer‐driven Events Wine, Dine &amp; Sign Event Caters to Corporate Donors What Would You Grab? Every Volunteer Deserves a Personal Note From You Get in the ‘Trenches’ Along With Your Volunteers Useful Forms and Management Tools Staff Request Form Helps Fill Jobs Requiring Volunteer Assistance Creating an Inviting Volunteer Environment What's Your ‘Welcome Climate’ Index? Create a Family Volunteer Committee Networking Tips Good Listener Traits Have a Good Selection Of Interview Questions Say Thanks to Our Troops Purchase a Gift Subscription Honing Your Presentation Skills Channel Nervousness Into Useful ‘Delivery’ Energy Proactive Leadership Offer to Assist, Fill In For Fellow Volunteers Inspire Yourself Learn to ‘Operate On a Higher Plane’ Tax Deductibility What You Can and Can't Deduct

Strengthening Senior Tax Credit Programs in Massachusetts

Summary In the last decade, property taxes have increased, creating a financial burden on senior homeowners. In Massachusetts, senior property tax credit programs have arisen to address this problem, as well as to provide cost-effective volunteer assistance for municipal departments, offer seniors meaningful work that otherwise would not have been attempted, and foster involvement in municipal government among seniors. The success of the programs in retaining senior homeowners in the community remains to be evaluated. Program specifics are detailed, policy options are considered, and recommendations are made to strengthen existing programs and assist replication.

Evergreen Action Nutrition

Evergreen Action is a nutrition education program for seniors living in the community. Based in a seniors recreation center, this pilot program uses a community organization approach for program planning. This article describes the steps used for designing and managing the program development. Preliminary results demonstrate benefits of this approach. After 18 months of the program, participation rates and satisfaction with activities are high, with seniors taking increasing responsibility in planning and delivery. Success relies on the seniors' participation in all aspects of the program planning process, management and services provided by a registered dietitian, and the assistance of student volunteers.

Stable isotopes (δD and δ13C) are geographic indicators of natal origins of monarch butterflies in eastern North America.

Wing membranes of laboratory and field-reared monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) were analyzed for their stable-hydrogen (δD) and carbon (δ13C) isotope ratios to determine whether this technique could be used to identify their natal origins. We hypothesized that the hydrogen isotopic composition of monarch butterfly wing keratin would reflect the hydrogen isotope patterns of rainfall in areas of natal origin where wings were formed. Monarchs were reared in the laboratory on milkweed plants (Asclepias sp.) grown with water of known deuterium content, and, with the assistance of volunteers, on native milkweeds throughout eastern North America. The results show that the stable hydrogen isotopic composition of monarch butterflies is highly correlated with the isotopic composition of the milkweed host plants, which in turn corresponds closely with the long-term geographic patterns of deuterium in rainfall. Stable-carbon isotope values in milkweed host plants were similarly correlated with those values in monarch butterflies and showed a general pattern of enrichment along a southwest to northeast gradient bisecting the Great Lakes. These findings indicate that natal origins of migratory and wintering monarchs in Mexico can be inferred from the combined δD and δ13C isotopic signatures in their wings. This relationship establishes that analysis of hydrogen and carbon isotopes can be used to answer questions concerning the biology of migratory monarch butterflies and provides a new approach to tracking similar migratory movements of other organisms.

The conservation status of the Spectacled Flying FoxPteropus conspicillatusin Australia

A survey of all known Spectacled Flying Fox camps in the wet tropics was undertaken in March 1998 with the assistance of volunteers. About 153 000 flying foxes were counted at 12 major camps. These data are compared with historical data and the status of the species in Australia is discussed. The imperative for conservation management of the Spectacled Flying Fox is emphasized regardless of its official conservation status, particularly in relation to seed dispersal and pollination of rainforest plants. The most important component of this management must be the development of non-lethal deterrence at orchards followed by the development of methods for countering tick paralysis. Further annual censuses will be necessary to monitor population trends in comparison with me current baseline. This initial census was conducted as part of an integrated approach to Spectacled Flying Fox management by fruit growers, researchers, conservation groups and the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.

Volunteer Assistance in the Treatment of Chronic Alcoholism*

Chronic alcoholics often have great difficulty in adjusting their lifestyle to accommodate the goals agreed upon in treatment. A 16-week behavioral self-management program, which emphasized creating lifestyle changes in the community, was offered to 193 clients. To assist in the process of treatment delivery, half of the clients were offered the support of trained community volunteers during the treatment program. To give volunteers a time period in which to to meet and start working with their clients, only those clients who completed at least the first 4 weeks of the 16-week program (N = 106) were included in the evaluation. Independent follow-up was conducted over a 12-month period. A significant reduction in alcohol consumption was found for clients of both the volunteer-support (VS; N = 52) and the office-based (OB; N = 54) groups; this reduction was maintained over the 12 months of review, with no major differences found between groups. Volunteers rated high on particular characteristics assisted the client more effectively during treatment than those rated low. The variability in hours spent between volunteer-client pairs appeared to mask any main effects, and also the length of the contact period with the volunteer was too short. It is recommended that the use of volunteers be evaluated further by extending the client contact time into the follow-up period.

Suicidal ideation in Sudanese women.

A literature review indicated that suicidal behavior in Sudan was very infrequent. However, an assessment of suicidal ideation in two Sudanese groups of women demonstrated high levels, particularly in women in a displaced-persons area. In addition, the recent establishment of a Befrienders International volunteer service allowed anecdotal evidence of substantial suicidal behavior to be collated. These findings highlight the need for further professional and volunteer assistance with continuing evaluation and research concerning programs for this vulnerable population.

Improved data collection and response to surveys with the assistance of neighborhood volunteers in a south Texas city.

Improved data collection and response to surveys with the assistance of neighborhood volunteers in a south Texas city.

Videotaped interviewing of non-English speakers: training for medical students with volunteer clients.

In a multicultural society such as Australia, with over 20% of its population born overseas, interpreters are often required to facilitate medical interviews. However, where a patient has some proficiency in English, medical interviews are sometimes conducted across the boundaries of culture and language. This is a report of an educational innovation to teach interviewing skills to pre-clinical medical students with the assistance of volunteers of non-English-speaking backgrounds. Pre-clinical students interviewed community volunteers on topics of general life history in a sequence of 16 tutorials. Each student conducted two interviews. Teaching methods included feedback from the volunteers, tutorial discussion facilitated by playback of videotapes, and modelling of skills by the teachers. Evaluations by volunteers and students indicated high satisfaction with the teaching methods and outcomes. Students gained confidence in interviewing people from different cultures. Evaluation of students' pairs of videotapes by an independent rater achieved satisfactory reliabilities and indicated significant gains in inquiry skills and the communication of positive attitudes. Skills in communicating empathy and in using simple language did not improve measurably.

Screening for colorectal cancer: confuting the refuters

Screening for colorectal cancer: confuting the refuters

Families in Poverty and Chronic Neglect of Children

There is a strong association between the poverty level of families and the neglect of children, including chronic neglect. The author reports on six projects designed to reduce the level and extent of chronic neglect of children in their geographic areas. Within the population of families in poverty who are reported for neglect, certain stances and strategies, including family empowerment, the use of groups to develop social support networks, and the assistance of volunteers or paraprofessionals as home visitors or parent aides, appear to be beneficial.

Ghosts From Samaria: Good Samaritan Laws in the Hospital

Each state has one or more statutes that collectively can be termed "Good Samaritan" laws. Such laws purport to protect physicians and others who volunteer assistance during emergencies. The application of Good Samaritan laws to physicians within a hospital is uncertain and varies from state to state and case to case. No sure way exists to predict whether Good Samaritan laws will protect physicians assisting patients in apparent emergencies. Physicians should not act in reliance on such laws but rather on personal considerations when they volunteer during emergencies. An Illinois case in which a Good Samaritan law was successfully used as a defense illustrates the many variables that make predictions about such laws doubtful.

Sexuality and disability: A SIECUS annotated bibliography of available print materials

Acknowledging the existence and development of sexuality in a person with a disability is difficult for society. There is a tendency to infantilize individuals, regardless of their age, denying their need to learn about themselves, their sexuality and their psychosocial development. Therefore, many individuals with physical or developmental disabilities find themselves in a position where no one in their environment is willing to deal with or even recognize their developing sexuality. SIECUS advocates that persons with physical and/or mental disabilities receive sexuality education, sexual health care, and opportunities for socializing and sexual expression. Social agencies and health care delivery systems should develop policies and procedures that will ensure that their services and benefits are provided on an equal basis to all persons without discrimination because of disability. Educational and training programs for health care workers and family members are suggested to enable them to understand and support the normal sexual development and behavior of persons with disabilities. Please note that SIECUS does not sell or distribute any of the listed publications, other than SIECUS publications. However, almost all of these resources are available for use at SIECUS' Mary S. Calderone Library. Copies of this bibliography can be purchased from SIECUS' publications department at the following costs: 1-4 copies/S2.50 each; 5-49 copies/S2.00 each; 50+ copies/S1.50 each; plus 15% postage and handling (p/h). SIECUS is located at 130 W. 42nd St., Suite 2500, New York, NY 10036; 212/ 819-9770. This annotated listing of sexuality and disability materials was prepared by James Shortridge, Director of Library Services; Laura Steele-Clapp, library assistant, and Jennifer Lamin, volunteer assistant.