Volunteerism Research Articles

The Multifaceted Field of Virtual Exchanges in Teacher Education: A Literature Review

Virtual exchanges can be seen as a powerful tool in fostering digital- pedagogical, intercultural, and foreign language competences in teacher education. Since the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, virtual exchanges in teacher education have gained increasing attention both in research and practice. Despite a growing number of publications and various fields and themes covered by research and reports, few publications are concerned with connecting and systematising the discourse on virtual exchanges between 2020-2023. This paper, thus, aims to offer a comprehensive overview of how virtual exchanges are employed in teacher education by adopting a scoping study approach and examining research papers published in this period of time. Our findings cover the planning, implementation, and evaluation of virtual exchanges, as well as some overarching recommendations for improving the delivery of virtual exchanges in teacher education as they are provided in the research papers. Virtual exchanges in teacher education are a multifaceted field since it has multiple aims, usages, and impacts, which largely depend on the (mostly voluntary) work of teacher educators, the institutional framework within which the exchanges take place, and student teachers’ motivation to participate. The future of virtual exchanges in teacher education would benefit by opening up beyond foreign language teacher education and combining small-scale with large-scale studies to better inform research and practice.

Report Evaluating Safety Culture at UiT

The system of safety associated with lab and fieldwork at UiT The Arctic University of Norway’s Tromsø campus is in serious need of improvement. A volunteer working group of employees evaluated current safety conditions at NT-faculty and beyond, and found a wide range of issues with many overlapping causes. This report contains their findings related to three overarching problem areas: communication, accountability, and training; as well as a range of topical safety areas such as chemicals, fieldwork, and biohazards. The report concludes that significant reform is needed from the top and at all levels to prevent both physical injury and further damage to the working environment.

Unveiling the Cultural Impact of 'Ashar': A Societal Perspective

‘Ashar’, also referred to as Hashar, stands as a prevalent tradition deeply ingrained within Afghan culture, characterized by collective voluntary labor directed towards specific communal tasks or projects. This research endeavors to delve into the urgent necessity of addressing the potential decline of this significant social activity and to propose diverse solutions for its preservation. With its unique capacity to nurture unity and cohesion among communities, ‘Ashar’ yields a myriad of benefits that resonate across individuals and groups. Even the simplest act of aiding a single person exemplifies the profound impact and intrinsic value of this communal tradition. Through an exploration of its multifaceted implications, this study aims to illuminate the critical importance of safeguarding ‘Ashar’ to perpetuate its invaluable contributions to Afghan society.

Productivity or Equity? Tradeoffs in Volunteer Microtasking in Humanitarian OpenStreetMap

Microtasking, the decomposition of tasks into small units of work, is prolific in human computation and crowdsourcing. Some peer production systems are beginning to leverage this same technique in volunteer contribution-based settings. While early research suggests that focusing volunteer work in this way using microtasking may be fruitful, the effects of microtasking on contributor behavior in volunteer peer production settings, like OpenStreetMap, remain unclear. This paper takes advantage of a natural experiment facilitated by the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap's Tasking Manager, a microtasking system, and employs causal inference analysis to evaluate the effects of a microtasking intervention on contributor dynamics. Our study systematically leverages a global dataset to analyze peer production dynamics, building on prior research to address a gap in peer production literature and informing the design of the microtasking interfaces. We causally show that, indeed, microtasking can be an effective intervention in peer production settings, but it may exacerbate power-law patterns that are common in such settings. By further analyzing project design decisions and characteristics, we develop implications for platform practitioners, with a focus on addressing engagement and contribution inequity issues prevalent in settings like OpenStreetMap.

Either win-win deal or exploitation? Narratives surrounding volunteering in the social scientific literature

Volunteering is an essential resource for European countries and can be an opportunity for social participation. Yet it can also lead to exploitation. Social scientific narratives on this object are important because of the role that scholars can play in the development and implementation of public policies. Drawing on the observation that older people provide a significant portion of volunteer work, this article examines to what extent and how the social scientific literature about older volunteers questions the risk of exploitation that is inherent to any form of voluntary engagement. We find that these discourses predominantly describe volunteering as a means to improve older people’s lives and as a needed contribution. Risks of exploitation are rarely addressed. To help avoid ageism in social sciences and in volunteering policies and programmes, we suggest that scholars should give more awareness to the volunteering-exploitation nexus in their studies of older volunteers.

Immaterial intimacy: The neoliberal entanglement of digital technologies in social movement volunteer work

Outside of visible moments of mass mobilization, ongoing latent work, such as direct service and mutual aid, is a long-standing tradition in social movements. Yet, like all labor, personal digital devices have changed the norms and practices of direct service social movement work. In this article, as situated in the technology–media–movement complex (TMMC), I analyze qualitative interview data ( N = 26) with volunteers from a yearlong ethnographic project at an abortion fund hotline in the reproductive justice movement in the US South. To name hotline volunteers’ digital care labor, I offer the term immaterial intimacy to describe its ubiquitous, ephemeral, and intimate nature. I argue immaterial intimate labor enabled the organization to provide a responsive service, but relied on individualized digital volunteer work, existing within gendered and neoliberal norms. I discuss and question the use of personal digital technologies for direct service volunteer work in contemporary social movements.

Voluntary Movements in India: Gandhian Perspectives

Voluntary organizations are part of a larger civil society. The concept of voluntarism is as old as the mankind itself, whereas Gandhian concepts of voluntary work are the product of the twentieth century.voluntary or the civil society sector today is comprised of a very diverse group of institutions ranging from those who want to facilitate the development of the poor and the marginalized, to those who run economic and service delivery activities that privatize public institutions and services.

Dampak rasa syukur pada keterlibatan kerja sukarelawan: Peran mediasi modal psikologis

This research is crucial to comprehend and enhance volunteer work engagement in non-profit organizations, emphasizing the mediating role of psychological capital to guide organizations in building and sustaining volunteer contributions by understanding the mechanisms through which gratitude influences work engagement. This study aims to determine the role of psychological capital on gratitude and work engagement in volunteers. The research design used quantitative methods with purposive sampling with 250 respondents, dominated by female respondents with an average age of 18-21 years. Data collection used three questionnaires: 24 items Psychological Capital Questionnaire scale (PCQ), 17 items Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) and 11 items Gratitude Questionnaire (GQ-6). The validity uses Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) with Lisrel 8.7 and the hypothesis is tested by regression analysis with mediators using PROCESS by Hayes in SPSS Ver. 26. The results showed psychological capital (optimism, hope, self-efficacy, resilience) significantly mediates gratitude and work engagement relationships in volunteers.

Before, after and beyond the Matzak case: Overview of the Belgian jurisprudence

The Matzak case, a landmark ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), challenged traditional understandings of working time and rest periods, particularly for volunteer firefighters in Belgium. Despite earlier cases before Belgian courts, the Matzak decision brought significant shifts in jurisprudence, influencing how volunteers were categorised and how stand-by time was interpreted. This article examines the impact of the Matzak judgment on Belgian case law, tracing its evolution from pre- Matzak rulings to post-decision interpretations. Analysing decisions from the Court of Cassation and the Constitutional Court, the study explores the redefinition of volunteers as employees and the qualification of stand-by time as working time. The reluctance of Belgian courts to adapt their views on stand-by duty prior to Matzak is highlighted, with persistent adherence to principles established in the Simap case. However, the Matzak ruling prompted questions about the treatment of voluntary firefighters and the adequacy of legal distinctions. Despite initial resistance, subsequent cases challenged previous interpretations, leading to clarifications by the Court of Cassation. Ambiguities remain, as seen in the Simon case, raising concerns about consistent application of Matzak jurisprudence. The unique status of voluntary firefighters in Belgium presents challenges, as they operate in a legal grey area with regards to rights and working conditions. Municipalities are urged to regulate their working time in the absence of general legislation. Nonetheless, the recognition of firefighters as workers by the CJEU offers promise for their legal standing under EU law. Increasing recognition of comparability between volunteers and professionals suggests a move towards more equitable treatment. Looking beyond Matzak, the article explores implications for the evolving digital workplace, where boundaries between work and personal time blur. The Matzak principle, which introduces objective limitations on devotion to personal and social interests, offers a framework for addressing these challenges. By considering potential applications in the digital realm, the article emphasises the importance of protecting worker well-being and rest periods, consistent with the objectives of the Working Time Directive. In conclusion, the Matzak case has had a significant impact on Belgian jurisprudence regarding the working time of volunteer firefighters and the adjudication of stand-by periods. While challenges and ambiguities persist, the ruling has spurred a reassessment of legal frameworks and encouraged greater recognition of the rights of volunteer workers. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, the Matzak principle provides a valuable tool for navigating complex issues of work-life balance and ensuring the protection of workers’ rights.

Stakeholders self‐organization and adaptive governance in social enterprises: Membership representation, worker control and client orientation

AbstractThe article uses elements of complexity theory, social systems theory, and new institutionalism to analyse stakeholder self‐organization in Italian non‐profit social enterprises. Organizational development goes through an evolutionary process of trial and error, in which stakeholder self‐organization produces governance rules and routines to achieve adaptation and resilience in a changing socioeconomic environment. Survey data regarding social cooperatives, which are prevalent in Italy as a form of social enterprise, display how diverse stakeholders engage in self‐organization and self‐positioning within key governance bodies of membership and board of directors. The results demonstrate that in the absence of investor ownership, producers, especially paid staff but also volunteer workers, assume the main responsibility for decision‐making and control. Client orientation, the production of economic and social value in favour of customers and users, is achieved in a context of high relational intensity through participation in the co‐production and co‐creation of services, as well as the pooling of non‐commercial resources and favourable price discrimination, less through participation in decision‐making and control. This emerging evolutionary pattern can support the development of new organizational and business models for social enterprises.

A Lack of Clarity, a Lack of OCB: The Detrimental Effects of Role Ambiguity, Through Procedural Injustice, and the Mitigating Roles of Relational Resources

ABSTRACT If employees lack information about their job responsibilities, do they halt their voluntary work efforts, and if so, why and when? To answer these questions, this study attempts to unpack the relationship between employees’ role ambiguity and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and proposes both a mediating role of procedural injustice and a moderating role of relational resources (i.e. social interaction and goodwill trust). Survey data collected from employees who work for a services organization in Mozambique indicate that a critical reason that unclear role descriptions diminish extra-role work activities is that employees criticize their organization for maintaining unfair decision-making processes. The informality and trustworthiness of their peer relationships mitigate this detrimental effect. For employees who feel stressed by insufficient information about job responsibilities, this study indicates a risk that their organizational standing might become compromised because they respond by refraining from work-related voluntarism. Organizations need to encourage high-quality interpersonal exchanges to help reduce this risk.

Occupation-Related Volunteering: A Qualitative Systematic Literature Review, Conceptualization, and Directions for Future Research

This review investigates the volunteering-work nexus, where an individual’s paid occupational work in the business, government, or voluntary sector is akin to their volunteer work: tasks and responsibilities are similar, but the structure, conditions, and relationships differ. Performing work spans their business and volunteer worlds and brings dynamic interactions between work and volunteering. Pro bono, skills-based, or corporate volunteering are terms in use; however, these conceptualizations of the underlying and interconnecting practices of work and volunteering are too limited. This transdisciplinary, qualitative systematic literature review of 62 scientific articles studies individuals using conceptualizations of work, volunteering, and occupations over their working life, from service-learning to retirement. With ambiguous boundaries and terminology in the literature, we introduce a new term— occupation-related volunteering—defined as an individual acting to benefit others without payment or coercion, developing, using, or maintaining their occupational knowledge, skills, and abilities, and drawing upon their economic, social, and cultural capital. The definition anticipates that an individual’s occupational resources change over their working life and vary depending on whether the volunteer is acting independently or with the support of their workplace. Occupation-related volunteering extends paid-unpaid and formal-informal boundaries to include volunteering in “paid” work time and in informal, community-based organizations and less public roles, such as mentoring. Finally, we encourage future research using the bibliometric data, suggestions in the reviewed articles, and our synthesis of the individual’s perspective of performing their occupational work as a volunteer.

Readers, Writers, and Everything in Between: Considering Co-Creative Relationships on Digital Storytelling Platform

This paper uses the notion of the empowered reader in hypertext to think about the role of readers and creative partners in constructing art and digital storytelling. Using the Indian digital storytelling platform 'Voices of Rural India' as a field site, this research considers the role of the fan and other facilitators of digital storytelling as being central to the production process. While there has been argument for including the work of fans as a form of labor, I argue instead for calling this a co-creative partnership, in the vein of Banks and Humphrey (2008). In doing so, I resist the urge to label all forms of production as labor and consider instead the fruits this creative relationship may bear. This paper also looks closely at the idea of volunteerism in the context of Voices of Rural India and the ways in which volunteer work can become a form of unpaid labor in the context of digital storytelling. Overall, this paper seeks to empower the practice of reading and argue for its necessity and worth in the wider infrastructure of digital storytelling and creative production, while also promoting the notion of creative partnership and shared storytelling.

The legal classification of volunteers: A cross-European case law comparison

This contribution provides a structural analysis of the case law of national courts in the EU, EEA and UK confronted with questions on the classification of volunteers. It explores the criteria and rationales used by courts to decide whether workers hired as volunteers should be reclassified as employees. These are put into perspective by reference to more recent evolutions of court approaches to employee status, particularly in the context of the platform economy. Given the societal relevance of voluntary work, a particular focus lies on the question of whether the operation of volunteer organisations might face challenges due to the tendency to broadening the concept of worker.

Voluntary work in the Italian experience: the curious case of ‘socially useful workers’

The demarcation of the personal scope of application of EU labour law results from the interplay between national legislation and the CJEU case law. This article analyses the particular case of socially useful workers in the Italian legal system and questions its compliance with EU law. It does so by exploring an intricate legal framework and the relevant interpretation by domestic and European adjudicators.

가톨릭대학교 종교교육과 학교사목에 대한 비평적 고찰

[Objective] The purpose of this study is to analyze the positive results and tasks that the Catholic University of Korea has achieved through curricular and extra-curricular areas and pastoral care.
 [Contents] First, in the curricular area, the Catholic University of Korea educates the value of a culture of human respect based on the Catholic spirit through four basic liberal arts courses and the ‘Catholic Metaversity’. But a new chaplain’s office is needed to oversee the holistic education and the proclamation of the Gospel. In the extra-curricular area, various opportunities for volunteer work are provided to help students respect Catholic humanism. But it is necessary to add programs related to Christian unity and interreligious dialogue. Lastly, in relation to pastoral care, the chaplain’s office not only helps the community mature in faith, but also strives to testify the teachings of Jesus Christ through life. There is a need for the community to be open to non-Catholic and foreign members.
 [Conclusions] First, helping students discover the value of human respect through the curricular area and putting that value into practice through the extra-curricular area and the pastoral care is the most ideal missionary method in a ‘secularized’ society. Second, it must be shown that academic exchange between science and theology is possible in a ‘highly industrial’ society. Lastly, the heritage of the Catholic faith can be further enriched through close exchange with neighboring religions in a ‘multi-religious’ society.

The Legal Regulation of the Volunteer Work Contract in Light of the Saudi System Between Reality and Expectations

The study aimed to clarify the legal regulation of the volunteer employment contract in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, through the Saudi volunteer work law and its executive regulations. To achieve this goal, the research was divided into an introduction and three sections: The introduction dealt with the concept of volunteer work, while the first section was devoted to explaining the concept of the volunteer work contract. The second section dealt with the effects of the volunteer work contract, and finally, the third section dealt with the termination of the volunteer work contract. The researcher used the descriptive and analytical approach as well as the comparative approach. The study concluded with many results including that the essence of volunteer work is to achieve public benefit without compensation, and that if the work or effort is in exchange for a financial reward, then it does not have the status of volunteer work. The results also showed that the expiration of a volunteer work contract is subject to the general causes of expiration and dissolution of contracts in general. In addition to being subject to special reasons related to it due to its characteristics. As for the recommendations, the study recommended several recommendations, the most prominent of which is: that volunteer work in the Saudi system be within the framework of a written contract between the volunteer or volunteer team and the beneficiary.

Enhancing learning in physical therapy education through simulated patients: A meta-analysis

As hands-on instruction gives pupils the chance to apply the information and skills they gain while attending school to a real-world clinical setting, it may be beneficial for those participating in beginning employees physical therapy (PT) education programmes. Experiential learning is presently used in all entry-level PT programs in the form of clinical experiences; however, it has the potential to be included across the curriculum to improve student engagement as well as the application and retention of learned information. The objective of this article is to argue that there should be a greater emphasis placed on hands-on experience in physical therapy (PT) education programs that are designed for new graduates. Simulators, integrating medical experiences, volunteer work, public customer support organisations, and opportunities for professional growth are just a few of the various methods used in experiential education. The opportunity to put theoretical knowledge into practice in a setting free from criticism is very beneficial to students. Learning via experience may be especially helpful in subject preparation area when students have fewer opportunities to preparation their abilities since fewer possibilities are available. Students will be better prepared for the sort of meditative rehearsal that is necessary to make the changeover from learner to the skilled practitioner if they engage in the course of reflecting on their experiences, which is a typical activity that is conducted in combination with experiential learning.

Self-reported perceptions of ethical and professional expectations of medical students in China and the influence of voluntary work during the COVID-19: a survey on “Five Characteristics”

In the post-pandemic era, there is a need for medical professionals with creativity, clinical expertise, and social responsibility. The Chinese government issued a directive to enhance the “Five Characteristics” perceptions of medical students, incorporating moral integrity and adeptness in saving lives and aiding the injured, embracing a compassionate approach to medical practice, possessing the knowledge essential for academic distinction, mastering technical expertise, and the artistry of applying scientific methodologies. The purpose of this study was to investigate the opinions related to ethics and professional behaviors of medical students at one Chinese medical school using a validated 19-item survey instrument and analyze its influencing factors. We conducted a survey in a medical university in Anhui Province, China, and collected 1966 valid questionnaires using the “Five Characteristics Rating Scale”. The results indicated high perceptions of “Five Characteristics” among Chinese medical students (85.42 ± 8.727). Lower-grade-year medical students (86.59 ± 7.888) had higher “Five Characteristics” perceptions than upper-grade-year medical students (84.29 ± 9.327, P < 0.05). In addition, medical students experiencing voluntary work during the COVID-19 pandemic showed higher perceptions (86.21 ± 8.357) than those without such experience (85.13 ± 8.842, P < 0.05). Grade year and voluntary work experience during the COVID-19 pandemic were influencing factors of “Five Characteristics” perceptions. Our research offers a theoretical foundation for governments and medical schools to cultivate doctors with high ethical standards and professional expectations.

Sharing for Health, Inclusion, and Sustainability: The Co-Production of Outdoor Equipment Lending in Norway

This study analyses the promotion of public health, social inclusion, and environmental sustainability in two Norwegian cities through the co-production of outdoor equipment-lending outlets. Building on seminal insights from Elinor Ostrom, we investigate how the co-production of equipment-lending initiatives can bridge the divide between government, civil society, and the market. Engaging citizens in outdoor activities to promote public health, social inclusion and sustainability is a political focus area in Norway, but the activities often demand access to expensive equipment. Since the 1990s, many Norwegian municipalities have organised lending outlets for outdoor equipment, often relying on volunteer work. The emergence of BUA, a nationwide NGO aimed at engaging children and youth in outdoor activities, added the goal of environmental sustainability as a foundation for equipment-lending outlets. Additionally, it became a catalyst for the articulation of a diverse array of partnerships for the co-production of equipment lending as a public service. This study draws on fieldwork and in-depth interviews with users, staff, volunteers, and institutional partners at two lending outlets, in Kolbotn and Tromsø, in south-eastern and northern Norway. We focus on the co-production of BUA as a public service and discuss how the interplay of various actors leads to the achievement of societal and environmental goals, and subsequently how equipment-lending initiatives can facilitate collaborative consumption practices with the potential to reduce consumption.