The need for the study arose with the discovery that many older adults make significant contributions in volunteer work. However some do not feel as though these contributions are worthwhile (Morrow-Howell & Mui, 1989; Chambre, 1987). They may feel that the work they are doing is meaningless (Morrow-Howell & Mui, 1989; Chambre, 1987; Flynn & Webb, 1975). The study was conducted to determine the relationship of individuals who perceived they were making a significant contribution in volunteer work and their level of subjective morale. The number of hours, length of time, number of various jobs, and the use of a volunteer's skills, knowledge, and talents devoted to volunteer service are specifically identified as they relate to subjective morale.A pilot study was conducted on the telephone using 10-12 volunteers from a random sample of retired Ball State employees. These individuals were asked open-ended questions concerning several aspects of volunteering. Once the data was collected a Liekert questionnaire was developed using the common patterns noted in the volunteer's answers. The Liekert questionnaire was distributed to 50 volunteers, recruited from the Muncie, Indiana andthe New Castle, Indiana RSVP (The Retired Senior Volunteer Program) branches. The volunteers completed the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale: A Revision (PGC) and the Volunteer Attitude Questionnaire (VAQ).The results indicated no statistically significant relationship between volunteers who perceived they were making a significant contribution and their level of subjective morale. Likewise, the data indicated no statistically significant relationship between subjective morale and number of hours, length time, number of various jobs, and use of skills, knowledge, and talents devoted to volunteer services. The volunteers in the study reported a wide variety of subjective morale levels regardless of the factors examined in the study. It is apparent that older volunteers who perceived they were significantly contributing do not all develop increased morale. Morale appears to be a very complex factor which is individually determined depending upon the lifestyle of the older adult. / Institute of Gerontology
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/184139 |
| Date | January 1991 |
| Creators | Oliverio, Linda E. |
| Contributors | Crose, Royda G. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | vii, 60 leaves ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
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