Sense Of Community Responsibility Research Articles

Exploring Attitudes toward Sustainability Education in a Group of Italian Preservice Teachers: The Role of Environmental Identity and Sense of Community Responsibility

In the current educational context, international institutions are being called to rethink education and declining new strategies that aim to teach sustainable behaviors. From this perspective, the present study aims to investigate the attitudes towards the sustainability of trainee teachers, verifying their connection with psycho-social variables, such as environmental identity and sense of community responsibility, and exploring their most common dispositions. In total, 126 Italian preservice teachers were involved in a mixed method study where they were asked to complete a questionnaire and participated in focus groups. The use of a combination of quantitative–qualitative methodologies has allowed us to obtain in-depth information about sustainability education. Quantitative data showed a virtuous circular relationship between environmental identity, attitudes towards education for sustainability, and the sense of community responsibility. Qualitative data showed the high frequency of two key action verbs, avoid and respect, but no specific reference to the educational field. After creating the target concept ‘to teach’, we observed a worrying absence of lemmas related to emotional dimension, and that the communication perspective is set on adults’ point of view, rather than on pupils. Limitations, strengths, and practical implications have been extensively discussed, especially in relation to the field of teacher education.

The Innovative Impact of Trust in Social Government: An Analysis During COVID-19 Crisis

This article investigates previously unexamined elements of the impact of trust in Social Government (s-government) on people's sense of community responsibility and their willingness to continue interacting with them during pandemic crises. It also examines the influence of the sense of community and risk perception on intentions to continue interacting. Data were obtained from 493 participants using an online questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was employed for analyzing the data and testing the research model. The findings confirm the impact of trust in s-government on the sense of community, risk perception, and citizens’ willingness to continue interacting with s-government. The findings also show that risk perception and sense of community significantly impact people's intentions to continue interacting. The results show that trust in s-government accounts for 37.5% of variances of risk perception. Trust in s-government and risk perception explain 51.7% of variances of sense of community. The results also show that trust in s-government, sense of community, and risk perception predict 52.5% of variances of citizens' intentions to continue interacting with s-government. Our article adds valuable insights to the literature of s-government, trust, sense of community, and risk perception during unprecedented crises. It also presents valuable guidance for public administrators developing active s-government solutions during pandemics.

Exploring the Effects of Semester-Long Service-Learning: A Study on Psychosocial Variables and Quality of Participation Experiences

Background: Service-learning is a widely adopted approach in higher education institutions globally, integrating civic engagement experiences into academic curricula while being responsive to the development of local communities. Purpose: This study aimed to assess the impact on students in participating in voluntary semester-long service-learning labs and courses in comparison to traditional labs and courses. Methodology/Approach: A quantitative online survey was administered to 110 students at the beginning and end of the lectures, investigating four psychosocial variables of citizenship: social justice attitude, cognitive empowerment, sense of community responsibility, and civic engagement. The post-survey also collected data on the participants’ quality of participation experiences. Findings/Conclusions: Analyses performed on data revealed no statistically significant group differences over time in all examined variables, except for the quality of participation experiences, where service-learning students scored significantly higher than other students. Factors potentially influencing these results include the students’ perception of their competence, the duration of the service-learning program, and relying on self-reported measures. Implications: This study contributes to the advancement of experiential learning knowledge emphasizing the significance of methodological rigor, underpinning a narrative that leverages failure to foster understanding. Future research could further explore the role of quality of participation experiences in service-learning.

Can group‐based strategies increase community resilience? Longitudinal predictors of sustained participation in Covid‐19 mutual aid and community support groups

AbstractMutual aid groups have been a critical part of the coronavirus disease‐2019 (Covid‐19) response and continue to address the needs of people in their communities. To understand how mutual aid and similar community support groups can be sustained over time, we test the idea that using group‐based strategies initiates psychological trajectories that shape future participation. We conducted a preregistered longitudinal survey among Covid‐19 mutual aid and community support volunteers in the United Kingdom (nWave 1 = 600, May 2021; nWave 2 = 299, July–August 2021) who were registered panelists of an independent research organization. Assessments included measures of group‐based strategies, collective participation predictors, participation experience, and sustained participation. Volunteers engaged in a wide range of support activities including shopping, emotional support provision, and deliveries. Two group‐based strategies—group alliances and group horizontality—longitudinally predicted sustained participation. In addition, sense of community responsibility and burnout were longitudinal predictors of sustained participation. Importantly, predictors of sustained participation diverged for volunteers with different levels of volunteering experience. Our findings highlight group‐based strategies as a potential resource for organizers seeking to sustain participation. Use can be tailored depending on the profiles of individual Covid‐19 mutual aid volunteers. These findings have significance beyond Covid‐19 as they are relevant to sustaining community resilience more generally.

Strengthening Resilience to Fire Disasters through Community Participation in Gikomba Market, Nairobi City County, Kenya

Fire disasters accounts for 20% of the total disaster in Kenya, with direct property loss estimated at USD 595,715 From 2014 to 2022, a total of 248 fire incidences were reported in Nairobi, about 30 of which occurred in the Gikomba market. Contribution of community in disaster risk mangenet can never be overlooked in disaster resilience building. Even though the concept of multi-stakeholder has been adopted in Kenya, the community's involvement in disaster risk management has always been passive. Therefore, the objective of the study was to determine how the level of fire risk awareness by the Gikomba community affects their participation in disasters risk management. This study was guided by the model of Sense of Community Responsibility (SOCR), Rocha’s community empowerment model, and the theory of margin. A mixed research design was adopted in the study. A stratified random sample was obtained by dividing the Gikomba market population into several homogenous and non-overlapping strata based on the nature of the business. Open-ended questionnaires were administered to collect quantitative data from 384 respondents. On the other hand, the no-probability sampling technique was used through purposive snowball sampling to collect qualitative data through interviews. Key informants were mainly disaster experts drawn from, national, county, and private stakeholders. Quantitative data was analyzed through SPSS (version 26) software, while qualitative data was organized into meaningful and reasonable units that were coded using words or short phrases. The study established that level of community understanding of their involvement in disaster risk management was low since 52% of the respondents believed that disaster risk reduction was the sole duty of the national government or county governments. Therefore, this study recommends that, both national and county governments enact and implement laws that will enhance community participation in disaster risk management programs as part of the stakeholder group in line with the existing multiagency concept of operation. Further disaster risk awareness should be integrated into school curricula to improve disaster awareness at the local level.

Community experiences in the strategic human resource management black box.

Recent research suggests experiencing community at work (i.e., perceiving a sense of community [SOC] and a sense of community responsibility [SOC-R]) is important for employee and organizational outcomes, however, we know very little about how these constructs operate in human resource management contexts. This study peers into the strategic human resource management "black box," which is an organizational setting where psychological and social variables are believed to influence employee perceptions in ways that impact their individual functioning, and subsequently improve organizational outcomes. Specifically, the study tests hypotheses regarding the relationship between high-involvement work climate (i.e., a human resource context), psychological need satisfaction, SOC, SOC-R, organizational identification, and organizational citizenship behaviors, in an attempt to theoretically ground, and empirically test, if experiences of community matter in the human resource management "black box." Data from 312 employees across multiple organizations were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling, and the findings reveal that experiences of community likely play an important role in the strategic human resource black box. The findings highlight that human resource practitioners, and scholars at the intersection of community psychology and human resource management, should consider further evaluation and action around experiences of community at work. Such a focus may help to create and build more socially sustainable organizational contexts for employees where they can thrive while organizations attempt to achieve collective goals.

Organizational cultures that support community: Does the competing values framework help us understand experiences of community at work?

Recent evidence has shown that when employees experience perceptions of community at work (i.e., a sense of community and a sense of community responsibility), psychological well-being and behavioral engagement improve (e.g., greater job engagement, organizational citizenship, and leadership). Recent evidence also shows that experiences of community, as a motivational state, are better able to predict employee outcomes compared to a series of factors that have long been studied in the general management (i.e., affective organizational commitment, organizational identity) and in the public management literature (i.e., public service motivation). However, we know less about the conditions that lead to perceptions of community experiences at work. One recent qualitative investigation exposed a series of organizational conditions that appear to stimulate perceptions of community at work including C-Suite leadership support, organizational structure and context, characteristics of connection, managerial, job, and work unit characteristics, and responsibilities of human resource management professionals. The present study extends this study by empirically investigating organizational cultural conditions that are associated with perceptions of community at work. We test the ability of the Competing Values Framework, which includes constructs of Hierarchy, Market, Adhocracy, and Clan organizational cultures, and their ability to predict perceptions of the community. Findings showed that clan culture was most associated with perceptions of community in general and that clan culture within a department plays an important role in perceiving community at work. This study helps scholars understand cultural conditions that can lead to psychological experiences of community, it begins to frame cultural factors that scholars can empirically test in future studies, and it assists executives and managers in conceiving approaches to building cultures of community at work.

Sense of community improves community participation in Chinese residential communities: The mediating role of sense of community responsibility and prosocial tendencies.

Community participation is essential for community development and enhancing quality of life. Several studies have focused on the relationship between sense of community (SOC) and community participation in organizational settings. Guided by the community experiences framework, this study aims to examine how a SOC improves community participation in Chinese residential communities. Moreover, the study aims to assess the mediating role of SOC responsibility (SOC-R) and prosocial tendencies in that relationship. A sample of 433 residents completed questionnaires regarding their SOC, sense of community responsibility, prosocial tendencies, and community participation. Using a linear regression model, we found that a SOC can positively predict the level of community participation. Mediation effect analysis revealed that a SOC-R mediated the relationship between SOC and community participation. In addition, prosocial tendencies mediated the association between the SOC and community participation. Using multiple mediation analysis, we found that SOC-R and prosocial tendencies mediated the link between a SOC and community participation in a sequential manner. The findings of this study complement existing research by uncovering the mechanism underlying the relationship between a SOC and community participation.

Mobilizing to take responsibility: exploring the relationship between Sense of Community Responsibility (SOC-R), Public Service Motivation (PSM) and public service resilience during Covid-19

ABSTRACT This paper explores how other-oriented motivations: Sense of Community Responsibility (SOC-R) and Public Service Motivation (PSM) relate to voluntary support during the Covid-19 crisis. Drawing on original panel survey data, collected spring 2020, it compares SOC-R and PSM for civic participation. The study reveals that while both forms of motivations relate to voluntary support, PSM remains stable over time while SOC-R varies. Furthermore, SOC-R develops differently over time for those who engage in voluntary support and those who do not. Such heterogeneity is not observed for PSM. Based on these findings, the paper discusses SOC-R’s contribution to public service resilience.

An Integrated Model of Compliance with COVID-19 Prescriptions: Instrumental, Normative, and Affective Factors Associated with Health-Protective Behaviors.

BackgroundThe efficacy of public measures for reducing the transmission of the COVID-19 infection relies on citizens’ voluntary adherence with prescribed actions. Drawing on prior literature about compliant behavior, this study aimed to identify factors associated with people engagement in health-protective behaviors by including a conjoint complement of instrumental/self-oriented, normative/community-based, and affective variables.MethodA cross-sectional study involving a non-representative sample of 4045 Italian citizens was carried out during the first stage of the pandemic (April–May 2020). Variables associated with health-protective behaviors were perceived personal and societal concerns and perceived effectiveness of the institutional response to the outbreak (instrumental dimensions), and family and friends perceived norms and sense of community responsibility (normative dimensions). Two negative emotions (anxiety and fear) were included as mediators between personal and societal concerns and outcome behaviors.ResultsResults showed the importance of both self-interest and community-based factors. Indeed, self-interest concerns, family perceived norms, and sense of community responsibility were significant predictors of people’s decisions to engage in health-protective behaviors.ConclusionsThe research findings show that compliance with public health prescriptions is a multimodal phenomenon and integrating self-interest and community-based factors can offer a better understanding of people’s decision to engage in health-protective behaviors. Further, this study unveils that a shared sense of community is effective in encouraging adherence to recommended behaviors so as behavioral changes can be sustained by targeting the recommendations not only on risk minimization for oneself but also on the allocation of personal responsibility toward the belonging community.

COVID-19 in our lives: Sense of community, sense of community responsibility, and reflexivity in present concerns and perception of the future.

The aim of this study is to examine the association between citizens' perceptions of the effectiveness of the institutional response, their connection and responsibility to their community (Sense of Community-SoC; Sense of Community Responsibility-SoC-R), and their personal and social concerns about the current emergency and their perceptions of a postpandemic future during the first COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Another variable considered was the personal reflexivity about the COVID-19 pandemic. 3925 Italian adults completed an online questionnaire during the first COVID-19 lockdown. A structural equation model with mediation was tested. Institutional effectiveness was associated with SoC, SoC-R, current social concerns, and perceptions of a postpandemic future. SoC and SoC-R were associated with current personal and social concerns, and perceptions of a postpandemic future. Reflexivity was negatively associated with SoC and positively associated with SoC-R, mediating the relationships between SoC, SoC-R and current personal and social concerns and perceptions of a postpandemic future. Findings indicate the need to adopt a perspective that considers individual and socio-political levels and their interaction to better understand the impact of the pandemic during a national lockdown.

Prosocial behaviours under collective quarantine conditions. A latent class analysis study during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown in Italy.

We aimed to identify the patterns of prosocial behaviours under collective quarantine conditions. Survey data were collected from a sample of Italian adults during the March May 2020 COVID‐19 lockdown in Italy. Participants reported on offline and online prosocial behaviours, sense of community responsibility (SoC‐R) and perceptions of community resilience. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used for data analysis. A total of 4,045 participants completed the survey, and 2,562 were eligible (72% female; mean age 38.7 years). LCA revealed four classes of prosocial behaviours: Money donors (7%), Online and offline helpers (59%), Online health information sharers (21%) and Neighbour helpers (13%). The classes were partially invariant across age groups (18‐35 and 35‐65 years). Being a man, having achieved a higher educational level and higher SoC‐R scores were associated with belonging to the Online and offline helper class. The members of this class also reported the greatest perceptions of community resilience. The results provide insight on the multidimensionality of prosociality under collective quarantine conditions. Online and offline helpers could be targeted for promoting sustained altruism and involvement in community organisations. For the other groups, programmes should aim at eliminating barriers to help others in multiple ways. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement.

Sense of community responsibility at the forefront of crisis management

The COVID-19 pandemic has made it clear that a sense of community responsibility is crucial to mitigate the effects of viral spread. Many citizens across the world have heeded the call to isolate and self-distance, yet large numbers of individuals do not seem to understand their responsibility for others. This article explores how a sense of community responsibility is born in community contexts, how various features of a crisis impact community responsibility, and how public administration plays a crucial role in facilitating mitigation and solutions to crisis. The article also explores the utility of the Community Experience Model in crisis management contexts, and sets the stage for further exploration of community experiences in disaster and crisis scholarship and practice.

Motivated to act and take responsibility – integrating insights from community psychology in PSM research

ABSTRACT The concept sense of community responsibility (SOC-R) provides useful insights into public service motivation (PSM) research because SOC-R is act-relevant and connected to an identifiable community. A survey sent to 2,463 Danish councilors in multipurpose local governments illustrates how PSM and SOC-R as constructs are highly correlated, but not totally overlapping. SOC-R relates negatively to voluntary retirement but positively to visionary leadership and political influence, indicating that SOC-R is a supplementary motivation to take on responsibility and exercise leadership. The key contribution is thus a better understanding of motivation in public service provision.

Gleaner-Farmer Relationships: A Study of Recruitment and Relationship Development

Food loss and waste is a significant issue in the global food system. The agricultural practice of gleaning—recovery and distribution of unharvested produce directly from farms or the recovery of unsold produce from farmers markets—is seen as a multifunctional intervention, with the potential to address food loss, food insecurity, and the reliance of food pantries on processed food. While research has identified food donation and food recovery programs such as gleaning as potential solutions to issues of food loss and food insecurity, more research is needed to examine the actual communicative organizing practices associated with food recovery and gleaning efforts. With the aim of better conceptualizing the role that gleaning organizations might play in improving community food security and alleviating food loss, this study examines how gleaning programs develop and maintain relationships in emergency food systems. Based on 12 semistructured interviews with Vermont gleaning professionals, we aim (1) to describe the relationship between gleaning coordinators and farmers, with a focus on effective communication strategies for initiating and maintaining the relationship; and (2) to determine if participation in gleaning can add value to a farm enterprise. Results demonstrate the importance of farmers’ sense of community responsibility and gleaners’ individualized communication with farmers and knowledge of farming practices to the development and maintenance of gleaning relationships. See the press release for this article.

Sense of community, sense of community responsibility, organizational commitment and identification, and public service motivation: a simultaneous test of affective states on employee well-being and engagement in a public service work context

ABSTRACT The present study has two aims. First, we examine sense of community, sense of community responsibility, organizational commitment and identification, and PSM in predicting measures of employee engagement and well-being. Second, we examine if PSM acts as a direct or indirect predictor of the employee measures. The findings highlight that community experiences are powerful predictors and that the role of PSM is more indirect than direct. The study provides a step forward in understanding the utility of psychological predictors when simultaneously compared, and offers hope for future studies where we continue to conduct comparative analyses beyond the boundary of public management.

Sense of community responsibility and altruistic behavior in Chinese community residents: The mediating role of community identity

Currently there are no validated scales to evaluate altruistic behavior within Chinese communities. Moreover, the relationship between sense of community responsibility, altruistic behavior, and community identity is unknown. The present study aimed to establish the reliability and validity of a revised version of the Self-Report Altruism scale for Chinese community residents, and to explore the mediating effect of community identity on the association between sense of community responsibility and altruistic behavior. First, this scale was revised by reviewing existing Chinese versions of Self-Report Altruism scale and identifying 20 Chinese items that had the same meaning as the English items. Next, a community sample of 615 Chinese residents were recruited to conduct a psychometric scale evaluation. Results from item analysis, reliability and validity analyses, exploratory factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that the revised Self-Report Altruism scale, consisting of 17 items across two dimensions, was reliable and valid. Next, 1172 community residents were recruited from 34 provinces in China for a cross-sectional study to address the study’s second aim. Multiple regression analyses demonstrated that community identity has an indirect effect between sense of community responsibility and altruistic behavior. Implications and directions for future research were also discussed.

The Effect of Sense of Community Responsibility on Residents' Altruistic Behavior: Evidence from the Dictator Game.

Understanding the new mechanism of altruistic behavior is pivotal to people’s health and social development. Despite the rich literature on altruism, this is the first study exploring the association between the sense of community responsibility (SOC-R) and altruistic behavior by repeated dictator games. Data were gathered from 95 residents (30% male; M age = 33.20 years). Demographic variables, money motivation, and SOC-R were measured. The results revealed that there was a significant positive correlation between SOC-R and altruistic behavior, and SOC-R had a positive predictive effect on residents’ altruistic behavior. With the increasing of the number of tasks assigned, the level of residents’ altruistic behavior gradually decreased. There was a significant difference in money allocation between the groups with high and low levels of SOC-R. The level of altruistic behavior in the group with a high level of SOC-R was significantly higher than that in the the group with a low level of SOC-R. Findings from the present study highlighted the potential value of strengthening residents’ SOC-R in the improvement of altruism. Implications and directions for future research were also discussed.

Quality of collaboration within health promotion partnerships: Impact on sense of community, empowerment, and perceived projects' outcomes.

Community coalitions or intersectoral partnerships have long been advocated for the promotion of population health. In the present study, we assessed the quality of the functioning of health promotion partnerships created within a large community health promotion program implemented by the Emilia-Romagna region located in the north-east of Italy (2014-2016). In particular, we aimed to test the effectiveness of partnership working in strengthening participants' empowerment, sense of community and ultimately, the outcomes of a well-functioning partnership, conceptualized as including perceived effectiveness of health promotion interventions developed by the partnership, trust in their implementation and personal commitment in health promotion in the future. Participants were 238 stakeholders (e.g., health professionals, representatives of local administrations, teachers, representative of community and volunteer organizations, and citizens) formally included in six partnerships lead by six major local health services. Using Bayesian structural equation modeling, we found that a higher perceived quality of collaboration within the partnership enhances the outcomes of a well-functioning partnership, by strengthening their sense of a health-promoting community and empowerment. Sense of community responsibility did not predict future commitment in health promotion. The study findings suggest that community members' ownership and feeling of responsibility, as well as empowerment constitute positive partnership processes.

Measuring Sense of Community Responsibility in Community-Based Prevention Coalitions: An Item Response Theory Analysis.

Research on sense of community (SOC) has traditionally been approached from a resource perspective. Recently, however, research on the experience of SOC has evolved to include a related but distinct construct of sense of community responsibility (SOC-R), or feelings of accountability for the well-being of a community. This study applied item response theory to examine the psychometric properties of a SOC-R scale used in anevaluation of community-based substance abuse prevention coalitions. Data were collected in 2017 from coalition members (analytic sample=309) in the northeastern United States. Findings indicate that the scale was reliable, unidimensional, and functioned well, particularly at low and moderate levels of the construct. The addition of two items intended to capture higher levels of the construct improved the scale's functioning at higher levels of SOC-R. The adapted SOC-R scale was also shown to have moderately strong relationships with conceptually relevant variables, including SOC, coalition participation, number of roles performed in the coalition, and engagement in community action activities. These findings provide empirical evidence to support the reliability and validity of the SOC-R scale, and have critical implications for our conceptualization of the SOC construct, its measurement, and for the evaluation of community-based prevention interventions.