Role of Educational Institution and Family Upbringing in Consolidating the Culture of Voluntary Work among Students of Yarmouk University

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to investigate the role of educational institutions and family upbringing on ingraining the culture of volunteer work among university students. A random sample of 1450 students of both genders was interviewed individually via an oral questionnaire. The investigation revealed that 62% of students participated in volunteer work, of which 32% participated consistently while the rest participated occasionally. 41% of consistent participants were males versus 59% females. Consistent participants active for 5 years or more were only 10.5% (2.1% females, 8.4% males). This highlights the weak trends towards volunteer work among students. Results indicate that schools had the highest impact on students (54%), followed by the university (22%), then family (21%). The impact of schools was higher on females than males, while the impact of family and university was higher on males. A number of recommendations were drawn to promote volunteer work among university students.