The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of volunteer experience and motivation by (a) identifying major influences impacting the volunteer with the Christian setting, (b) analyzing the impact of those influences upon volunteer experience and motivation, and (c) inferring volunteer motivation from that impact. Special attention was paid to the influences of the organization's climate, management practices of supervision and evaluation and involvement in a peer support group.The setting for this study was a Christian church with a membership of 726 people, located in a mid-sized town in Indiana. In this study formal interviews were conducted with ten informants chosen for their volunteer teaching activity. Using a recording device, three hours of interview evidence was gathered from each informant. This evidence was transcribed and analyzed.Five major categories of influence within this Christian setting emerged through an analysis of the evidence:Characteristics of the organizationInfluence of peer support group participationBenefits received by the volunteerFrustrations with volunteer teachingInteraction between the volunteer's Christian faith and the teaching experienceThis study's major conclusion was that a comprehensive peer support group system should be developed to address the problems of organizational support, teacher training, supervision and evaluation, and teacher accountability. This support group system should also address the need for greater church-wide communication and improved spiritual growth opportunities. / Department of Educational Leadership

Adult volunteer instructor training is an important transaction in the dissemination of community health courses to citizens in schools, worksites, religious organizations, and recreational centers. Yet prior to this study little was known about this process by which an individual was transformed from a willing volunteer into a volunteer instructor. / Ed. D.

Namibia continues to face an ongoing struggle in protecting the rights and civil liberties of its LGBT population with LGBT rights-based organisations in the country strongly relying upon their volunteers to take advantage of political opportunities and manage multiple visibilities. Despite a growing body of international research into volunteer motivation and the beneficial application of such knowledge in volunteer management strategies, a dearth of literature exists on the motives of volunteers within LGBT rights-based organisations. This study uses data from qualitative interviews with 6 formal volunteers from Namibian LGBT rights-based organisations to explore volunteer motivations. A thematic analysis of the research findings reveal the complex motivations underlying volunteering in these organisations. Volunteer motivations in Namibian LGBT rights-based organisations included: (a) addressing and promoting humanitarian concerns; (b) improved social interaction, integration and support; (c) self-regulatory opportunities for personal enhancement; (d) developing career prospects; and (e) responding to past homophobic incidents. Barriers to volunteering were also identified and included: (a) strained organisational resources; (b) LGBT discrimination; and (c) complacency. For volunteer recruitment and retention strategies to be effective, organisations need to recognise and satisfy volunteers’ motives while also properly training and assisting volunteers in their respective roles. Also, given the local LGBT community’s sense of complacency, Namibian LGBT rights-based organisations would greatly benefit by strategically engaging community members and working to overcome the community’s lack of urgency. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

The objectives of the study were to determine infant and young child feeding (IYCF) knowledge of Household Health Promoters (HHPs) and examine its relationship with demographic characteristics. Quantitative, non-experimental descriptive design was used. Seventy-one randomly selected HHPs participated in the study. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. The results showed that the mean IYCF knowledge score was 77.8% (N=71). The knowledge of the respondents was not uniform across the components of IYCF which ranged between 19.72% for duration of breastfeeding to 100% for colostrums feeding. None of the socio-demographic characteristic was significantly associated to the mean knowledge score. The study identified that refresher training should be provided to the HHPs on IYCF with emphasis on the aspects of IYCF with scores below the mean / Health Studies

The objectives of the study were to determine infant and young child feeding (IYCF) knowledge of Household Health Promoters (HHPs) and examine its relationship with demographic characteristics. Quantitative, non-experimental descriptive design was used. Seventy-one randomly selected HHPs participated in the study. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. The results showed that the mean IYCF knowledge score was 77.8% (N=71). The knowledge of the respondents was not uniform across the components of IYCF which ranged between 19.72% for duration of breastfeeding to 100% for colostrums feeding. None of the socio-demographic characteristic was significantly associated to the mean knowledge score. The study identified that refresher training should be provided to the HHPs on IYCF with emphasis on the aspects of IYCF with scores below the mean / Health Studies