COMPULSORY VOLUNTEERISM:

1. COMPULSORY VOLUNTEERISM: A SURVEY OF ATTITUDES TOWARDS REQUIRED COMMUNITY SERVICE Research conducted by: Kate Crachy Supervisor: Dr. Keena Bradley University of St. Thomas Houston

2. ABSTRACT • Attitudes towards community service range from total disinterest to incredibly fulfilling for those who complete it. While compulsory community service often generates unfavorable attitudes in high school students, some students continue to volunteer long after high school graduation. A Likert style survey was created to assess the current attitudes of male high school students as they complete required community service hours. This survey, completed in religion classes at a Catholic high school, recorded the feelings of students spanning all grade levels, providing insight into how current high school males view community service. Results show that attitudes towards required community service become more favorable over time. A reason behind the shift in attitudes could perhaps be due to increased exposure to service as high school progresses, given the compulsory completion of 25 service hours each year a student is enrolled within the high school site. Further research could seek to identify causes for this shift in attitudes, which were outside the scope of this research.

3. HYPOTHESIS • Because seniors tend to report more favorable experiences in their completion of community service than do other younger students, I hypothesize that the responses of participants towards community service will demonstrate more favorable attitudes with each passing grade level.

4. DESIGN • This design is both quantitative and qualitative in nature. Likert-style prompts within the survey were assessed and assigned value, and open-response questions were coded into categories. • All students within this high school setting are required to complete a minimum of 25 hours of community service each year they attend school. The independent variable in this particular study will be the age of participants, as students in each grade level will be completing the survey. The dependent variable is the attitude towards service each participant expresses. That is, to what extent each participant either enjoys or does not enjoy completing volunteer work.

5. SURVEY PROMPTS • LIKERT Responses • I already have completed or plan to complete more service hours than the school requires. • I enjoy volunteering. • I feel apprehensive about participating in service opportunities sometimes. • I seek out new and different service opportunities throughout the year. • If service wasn’t required by the school, I would still be willing to participate in community service. • I feel personal satisfaction from participating in service work. • I believe the Christian Service program is an important part of the Saints’ curriculum. • The minimum requirement for service hours required by the school is too high. • I will continue to do service work after I graduate high school. • I see value in high school students completing service hours in their spare time. • Completing my community service has strengthened my faith. • I have learned something I otherwise would not have because of my volunteer work. • I have met someone I otherwise would not have because of my volunteer work. • Service hours are more enjoyable to complete when I am in a small group rather than by myself. • Open Response:If service hours were not required by the school, what would motivate you to volunteer your time? • If you have ever felt nervous prior to arriving at your service destination, what part of the experience made you nervous? • What do you think prevents students from wanting to complete their service hours?

6. PROCEDURE • Surveys were distributed to religion classes the second week of classes in the first semester of the academic year. All students in two classes within each grade level completed the survey, totaling 50 participants in each grade. Surveys were given to religion teachers to give to students directly with no interference from the researcher. • Religion teachers read explicit directions from the researcher out loud prior to distributing the surveys to class participants and then handed a survey to each student in class. Upon completion, surveys were collected by the religion teachers then physically given to the researcher after each class concluded the day of the study. Surveys were then sorted by grade level and ordered numerically.

7. FINDINGS

8. FINDINGS • Results showed a statistical difference in responses between freshman and senior students, specifically for the prompt “I feel satisfaction from participating in community service.” • In response to this particular prompt, 54% of freshman students responded with either “strongly agree,” or “agree” as their response. In contrast, 74% of senior students responded with either “strongly agree,” or “agree” as their response.

9. FINDINGS • In addition, freshman students report a higher rating of apprehension prior to completing service than seniors, based on the number of respondents who selected strongly agree/agree to the prompt “I sometimes feel apprehension about participating in service opportunities.” • In response to this prompt, 60% of freshman participants report feeling some anxiety before completing service hours, whereas only 12% of senior participants report the same feelings of apprehension.

10. STRENGTHS • 50 students in each grade level were surveyed, in a school with only 700 students. With roughly 28% of the student body included in the survey scope, the internal reliability is very strong. • The anonymity of the participants is a strength of this study. Surveys did not ask for names, and were coded numerically according to grade level. As a result, the chance of the answers remaining confidential was extremely high, especially considering the bulk of the survey only asked for respondents to circle answers on a 5-point scale. Given that the researcher did not know any of the participants selected for this study, the risk of identifying specific respondents was very low.

11. LIMITATIONS • Those surveyed were all male, from a Catholic school in urban San Diego, California. The external validity of the study could be compromised by only studying the attitudes of male students. • Community service for these participants was mandatory for high school graduation. As a result, some students may have already been apprehensive about the required volunteer hours prior to beginning them. Attitudes of high school students may be different towards service hours when those experiences are voluntary. Perhaps attitudes would be altogether more favorable towards volunteering when not required by a student’s school.

12. RECOMMENDATIONS • More research could include identifying what exactly makes completing service enjoyable. This data could then, in turn, inform administrators tasked with structuring high school community service programs and requirements. • Expand research to include co-educational students of both genders to verify reliability of responses.

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