This study is based on the notion that the most widely cited and used instrument for assessing volunteer motivations, the Volunteer Function Inventory (VFI), might not be sufficient in its aspiration to aid, streamline and benefit the recruitment and retention process within volunteer organizations. Understanding volunteers’ motivation is a crucial component in the process of securing future volunteer engagement in a world where their efforts are desperately needed. This study aims to explain motives and motivation behind volunteer efforts in extreme situations as well as to examine the dependability of the theoretical framework in relation to the forthcoming result, based on the following research questions: What motivated Swedish medical personnel to volunteer during the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa? How could the motives and motivation of Swedish medical personnel be categorized in accordance with the Volunteer Function Inventory (VFI)? Is the Volunteer Function Inventory (VFI) a sufficient tool for analyzing the motives and motivation of Swedish medical personnel in the given case? The presented research questions will be answer through a qualitative theory-consuming study, based mainly on interviews. The interviews are, however, complimented by various written sources in the field of research. The result and subsequent analysis confirms the authors’ notion on the VFI and highlights certain deficits in the tool’s execution and its succeeding result. The result of the study shows that the respondents were motivated by a great variety of motivational elements, a variety that the VFI cannot properly account for. Essential information is therefore left unexposed by the VFI, leaving the volunteer organizations in an undesirable situation where they, in their pursuit to recruit and retain the volunteers, are forced to evaluate and accommodate candidates without knowing their complete motivational process. Therefore, the authors deem the tool as applicable but not sufficient. Concludingly, the authors call for additional and more distinct functions in the VFI; an instrument for assessing if the volunteers are intrinsically or extrinsically motivated as well as a sub-section within the tool for determining the presence and character of inhibiting factors affecting the volunteers motivation. / Att fastställa och möta en volontärarbetares motiv och motivation är en avgörande del i arbetet med att säkerställa ett framtida engagemang. I en värld med återkommande naturkatastrofer, väpnade konflikter och epidemier är betydelsen av volontärinsatser större än någonsin. Studien ämnar således undersöka om Volunteer Function Inventory (VFI) – det mest citerade och använda verktyget inom forskningsområdet för att undersöka och fastställa volontärarbetares motiv och motivation – är tillräckligt tillförlitligt i dess strävan att underlätta, effektivisera och gynna rekryterings- och retentionsprocessen inom volontärorganisationer. Undersökningen bygger på en kvalitativ teorikonsumerande studie vilken baseras på djupintervjuer med svensk sjukvårdspersonal kring deras volontärinsatser under ebolautbrottet i Västafrika 2014. Studiens resultat och efterföljande analys påvisar att VFI som verktyg uppvisar vissa brister i dess nuvarande utformning och i den data som genereras. Studien visar att respondenterna motiverades av en stor variation motivationsdrivande element som VFI inte kan redogöra för tillräckligt väl. Detta lämnar volontärorganisationer i en oönskad situation där de i sin strävan att rekrytera och behålla volontärarbetare tvingas utvärdera personer utan att känna till deras fullständiga motivationsbild. Sammanfattningsvis efterfrågar författarna fler och mer distinkta funktioner i VFI; ett instrument för att avgöra om volontärerna drivs av inre eller yttre motivation samt ett tillägg för att kunna fastställa förekomsten, och således karaktären, av motivationshämmande faktorer hos en volontärarbetare.

This thesis focuses on motivation for volunteering in the humanitarian and development project Czech hospital in Itibo, Kenya, which operates under the patronage of Adra, o. p. s. The thesis selects main motivations leading to the decision for volunteering in Africa. The qualitative research is based on the VFI (Volunteer Function Inventory) theory and inquires into the motivations of doctors, medical students and the founder of the project, Aleš Bárta. Data collection method consist of an interview and the analysis of the pre-departure essay of medical students. But the aim of the thesis is to describe not only the motivations which are a part of the VFI theory, but also those not defined by VFI.

Purpose: Vocal fatigue (VF) is a primary vocal symptom experienced by professional voice users, such as teachers, whose voice is an occupational tool. The study determines the utilization of the Vocal Fatigue Index (VFI), a 19-item scale in identifying symptoms of VF and its severity in teachers. Methods: Using responses of 695 teachers who completed the VFI, Mokken scaling was conducted on the items to identify the experiences of VF and its associated hierarchical nature of VF symptoms in teachers. Mokken scaling was completed on a total of four groups: (a) Total teachers group, (b) No VF group, (c) Low VF group, and (d) High VF group. Results: Results revealed differences in item hierarchies between total teachers and across the separate groups of VF severity. Item hierarchy for teachers highlighted items from physical discomfort at the mild end of the hierarchy to items from symptom improvement with rest at the severe end of the hierarchy. Items related to avoidance presented as a separate scale for teachers presenting with high VF. Discussion: Mokken scaling in teachers provides insight into the underlying complexity of the experience of VF symptoms and reliance on differential behavioral strategies in its management, suggesting the heterogenous nature of latent trait for VF in this specific population.

The aim of this study is to explore what motivates youth from so called “exposed” areas to commit to voluntary work, and how the youth view their own role and the role of the organisation in a context of social mobilization. In order to answer the research questions of this study, the commitment of youth in a non-profit organization has been studied using several different methods of data collection. In order to measure the function of motivation amongst the youth, the survey Volunteer Functions Index (VFI) has been used. VFI is a tool used to measure motivation based on what functions an activity performs in the life of the individual. In order to achieve a greater understanding and be able to explore aspects that the VFI does not cover, four semi-structured interviews were conducted with current and former members of the organization. In order to better understand the context of the organization and to be able to ask more questions during the interviews, a participant observation was done within the work of the organization. The study shows that the youth that participate in the study perceive their commitment in the organization as an important part of their identity and that the identity is an important aspect of what possible actions are perceived to be available and attractive. It also seems as if the commitment to the organization is tied to the opportunity to change the social conditions for one self and others. The study also shows that the organization has been more successful in achieving social mobilization amongst girls than amongst boys, and that some of the participants attribute this to the gender roles that permeate the area / Denna studie syftar till att undersöka vad som motiverar ungdomar från så kallade utsatta områden till att engagera sig ideellt samt hur ungdomarna uppfattar sin egen och organisationens roll i en kontext av social mobilisering. För att kunna besvara studiens frågeställning har ungdomars engagemang i en ideell verksamhet studerats med hjälp av flera olika datainsamlingsmetoder. För att mäta ungdomarnas motivationsgrunder har enkäten Volunteer Functions Index (VFI) använts, ett verktyg som mäter motivation utifrån vilka funktioner aktiviteten har i individens liv. För att skapa en djupare förståelse och kunna fånga upp aspekter som inte täcks in av VFI har fyra semi-strukturerade intervjuer genomförts med nuvarande och före detta deltagare i organisationen. För att skapa förståelse kring kontexten och skapa förutsättningar för att ställa fler frågor under intervjuerna föregicks dessa av en deltagande observation inom organisationens verksamhet. Materialet visar på att ungdomarna som deltar i studien uppfattar engagemanget i organisationen som en viktig del av sin identitet och att identiteten är viktig för vilka handlingsalternativ som man uppfattar som möjliga och attraktiva. Det tycks dessutom som att engagemanget i organisationen är kopplat till möjligheten att förändra de sociala förutsättningarna för sig själva och andra. Studien visar också att organisationen varit mer framgångsrik med social mobilisering bland tjejer än bland killar och att vissa av deltagarna kopplar detta till de könsroller som genomsyrar området.

Purpose Vocal fatigue (VF) is a primary vocal symptom experienced by professional voice users, such as teachers, whose voice is an occupational tool. The study determines the utilization of the Vocal Fatigue Index (VFI), a 19-item scale in identifying symptoms of VF and its severity in teachers. Methods Using responses of 695 teachers who completed the VFI, Mokken scaling was conducted on the items to identify the experiences of VF and its associated hierarchical nature of VF symptoms in teachers. Mokken scaling was completed on a total of four groups: (a) Total teachers group, (b) No VF group, (c) Low VF group, and (d) High VF group. Results Results revealed differences in item hierarchies between total teachers and across the separate groups of VF severity. Item hierarchy for teachers highlighted items from physical discomfort at the mild end of the hierarchy to items from symptom improvement with rest at the severe end of the hierarchy. Items related to avoidance presented as a separate scale for teachers presenting with high VF. Discussion Mokken scaling in teachers provides insight into the underlying complexity of the experience of VF symptoms and reliance on differential behavioral strategies in its management, suggesting the heterogenous nature of latent trait for VF in this specific population.

Velofarynxinsufficiens (VFI) innebär en nedsatt förmåga att under tal och födointag stänga till mellan mun- och näshåla vilket leder till ett avvikande tal. Operation med svalglambå är en metod som kan användas för att behandla VFI och tidigare forskning har visat goda resultat avseende dess effekt på talet. Dock menar vissa forskare att operationen kan ha negativa effekter och att den bakomliggande orsaken till insufficiensen kan påverka graden av framgång. Aktuell studie ämnade undersöka huruvida operation med svalglambå påverkade talet vid VFI samt belysa om några skillnader fanns mellan olika patientgrupper avseende operationens effekt på tal. De olika patientgrupperna var (a) patienter med spalt, (b) patienter med spalt i kombination med ett syndrom eller en sekvens och (c) patienter med VFI utan förekomst av spalt. Eftersom tidigare studier dessutom indikerat att postoperativ talbehandling hos logoped kan vara relevant för vissa patienter undersöktes det också under vilka omständigheter det skedde. Journaler, inklusive perceptuella lyssnarbedömningar av talet genomförda av logopeder, och enkätsvar studerades för de 66 patienter som deltog. Dessa utgjorde 43,1% av alla 153 patienter som genomgått operation med svalglambå på Akademiska sjukhuset i Uppsala år 2000-2011. Talbedömningar genomförda före och ett år efter operation visade att talet förbättrades avseende förståelighet (p<0,001), hypernasalitet (p=0,005) och tryckreducerad artikulation (p=0,001) samtidigt som hyponasalitet inte ökade (p=0,55). Patienter med spalt i kombination med syndrom eller sekvens uppvisade större förbättring av hypernasalitet jämfört med de andra grupperna (p=0,037). 32 patienter gick i postoperativ talbehandling hos logoped och patienter med enbart spalt fick behandling i något högre utsträckning än patienter med gomspalt i kombination med syndrom eller sekvens. Kompensatorisk artikulation var den enda talavvikelsen vars förekomst kunde relateras till att patienten gick i postoperativ talbehandling. Resultaten indikerar att operation med svalglambå är en lämplig metod för att behandla VFI oavsett bakomliggande orsak. Nyckelord: Velofarynxinsufficiens, svalglambå, LKG, syndrom, primär VFI, talavvikelse, talbehandling / Velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) refers to the failure of separating the oral cavity from the nasal cavity during speech and deglutination. This leads to increased airflow through the nose and is the cause of resonance disturbances such as hypernasality and nasal emission. Previous studies evaluating the success of pharyngeal flap surgery to treat VPI have indicated satisfying result although some studies stress side effects due to postoperative constrictions. The underlying cause of VPI has been shown to influence the postoperative result. With this background we investigated the differences in speech, pre-, and one year post pharyngeal flap surgery and compared the three groups (a) cleft palate, (b) cleft palate in combination with a syndrome or a sequence, and (c) VPI without cleft palate. We also investigated the co-occurance of postoperative speech therapy regarding different speech parameters and the underlying cause of VPI. 66 of the 153 patients who underwent a pharyngeal flap surgery at Akademiska sjukhuset in Uppsala 2000-2011 agreed to participate in the study. 32 patients attended postoperative speech therapy. The data was collected through medical records and a survey and included perceptual analyses of speech pre-, and post surgery performed by speech and language pathologists. According to the results from the perceptual assessment, the pharyngeal flap surgery resulted in improved speech; intelligibility (p<0.001), hypernasality (p=0.005) and weak consonant pressure (p=0.001). Hyponasality did not increase significantly (p=0.55). Patients with cleft palate in combination with a syndrome or a sequence showed greater improvement regarding hypernasality (p=0.037). The only speech disturbance co-occurring with the presence of postoperative speech therapy was compensatory articulation. Patients with cleft palate seemed to receive postoperative speech therapy in a higher extent than patients with cleft palate in combination with a syndrome or a sequence. These results indicate that pharyngeal flap surgery is a successful way of treating VPI disregarding underlying cause. Keywords: Velopharyngeal insufficiency, pharyngeal flap, cleft palate, syndrome, primary VPI, speech deviation, speech therapy

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<div>Service-learning is an organized volunteer activity in which learners serve the community while utilizing and enhancing their own skills, thus benefiting both the learners and the community. Studies have shown that students gain various benefits from participating in a service-learning activity, especially in their academic skills and civic growth through continued reflections (Eyler, Giles, & Braxton, 1997; Eyler & Giles, 1999; Billig, 2000; Grassi et al., 2004; Steinberg, Bringle, & Williams, 2010), often increasing their motivation to learn the related subject (Steinberg et al., 2010). Service-learning has been implemented in foreign language courses in the United States, especially Spanish (Barreneche & Ramos-Flores, 2013). However, service-learning literature on Japanese as a foreign language is limited.</div><div>The researcher founded a service-learning program in the Japanese language. In the program, the university students enrolled in intermediate- or higher-level Japanese courses help Japanese children with their schoolwork as volunteer tutors. The researcher conducted a qualitative case study on four of the student-tutors to examine the program's potential benefits to maintain and enhance the student-tutors' various motivations toward learning Japanese. The Volunteer Functions Inventory (VFI) (Clary, Snyder, & Ridge, 1998) was used as an analysis scheme, which reports six most commonly found functions, or varying motivations, for participating in a volunteer activity. The student-tutors indicated five out of the six VFI functions, showing a connection between their service-learning experience and their personal growth. They built strong connections with the Japanese community and kept their motivation to improve their Japanese skills to better help the children. It is hoped that the present research will contribute to providing an example of Japanese service-learning in the U.S.</div>