Refusal of students from volunteering: research and management decisions in overcoming

Abstract

Problem and purpose of the study. The organization of educational activities of schoolchildren and students in the field of education is an urgent managerial task. In the implementation of this task, within the framework of the state policy of many countries, an important place is given to the volunteer activity of young people. The purpose of this article is to identify the factors of youth non-participation in volunteer projects and to propose management solutions that allow improving educational work by activating the volunteer activity of schoolchildren and students. Methods. The article is based on the results of research projects implemented in the Sverdlovsk region (Russian Federation) in 2020-2022. The authors analyze data from a quantitative survey of students in the region (N=1105, 2020). The sample is quota-based with an error of no more than 3,5%. The sample is based on quotas by gender, age, level of education and place of residence. Quantitative data are supplemented by data from 8 focus groups conducted with schoolchildren, students of colleges and universities in the Sverdlovsk region in 2022. Results and discussion. The article proves that the choice of the position of participation or non-participation in volunteering is determined by the previous experience of volunteer activities. The main factors were identified: experience (r=0.306; p<0.001), regularity of previous volunteer work (r=0.4; p<0.001), level of responsibility for what happens in the hometown (r=0.290; p<0.001) and membership in youth organizations (r=0.379; p<0.001), which are significant for all age groups of young people. For schoolchildren, the factor of interest and participation in city events was additionally manifested, for college students it is an interest in politics, for university students it is their financial security. Conclusion. Based on the results of the study, recommendations have been developed to improve the conditions for youth volunteering in the education system. It is proved that socially oriented non-profit organizations are better at preventing refusal from volunteering than educational institutions. To activate the volunteer participation of students, the variability of short-term, but fairly regular and well-organized social projects is important. © 2023 LLC Ecological Help. All rights reserved.