Do more better? Understanding the associations of increased volunteer service with positive attitudes and responsibility

ABSTRACT A total of 1,046 students from seven local secondary schools in Hong Kong were interviewed to examine the association between the time students devoted to volunteering and the number of service organisations students joined to fulfil personal and social responsibility and volunteer intentions. The results indicated differential effects of students’ volunteering hours and the number of organisations in which they participated on their responsibility and intention to serve. Students had a stronger sense of volunteer responsibility and volunteer intention if they devoted more time to volunteering and joined more volunteering organisations. Multivariate analysis showed that hours of ongoing volunteerism was positively and strongly correlated with the level of volunteering responsibility and intention to volunteer. This study has informed practitioners in schools, such as social service providers, social workers and teachers, possible approaches to refine the frameworks of volunteer services and arrange suitable service opportunities for students.