Discusses the value that volunteering by older adults brings to individual lives and the benefits to society. Suggests that volunteering provides an enhanced sense of purpose by doing things for others and that understanding why elders volunteer will help identify better ways to support their efforts. (JOW)

A study gathered perspectives of business, employee volunteers, and community organizations in New Zealand regarding employee volunteering. Benefits and issues for each group were identified, and the role of volunteer centers in managing successful employee volunteer programs was highlighted. (Contains 19 references.) (SK)

Study of determinates of consistent and occasional alumni giving at a small, private liberal arts college over a 23-year period. Finds several similar determinants for both groups: For example, volunteering for the college, playing varsity sports. Occasional donors were male, members of either fraternities or sororities, and close to retirement.…

Two studies with 9- to 12-year-old children supported the hypothesis that lay theories about the malleability of human traits impact judgments of and behavior toward groups in need of volunteer help. The more children endorsed an incremental view (attributes can change), the more they reported liking, desiring social contact with, and perceiving…

This paper discusses a study that examined why older people volunteer for a research registry based at the University of Queensland, Australia. A mailed questionnaire was utilized to explore a list of reported motives developed from an in-depth qualitative phase. An exploratory factor analysis of the findings was conducted, which showed that there…

With ethno-culturally diverse immigrants arriving in constantly increasing numbers, connecting newcomers to residents in the local community is a growing challenge. Settlement houses have traditionally been the "machinery of connection" that bridges such diverse groups. This article reports the results of a study on settlement houses in…

Purpose: The limited evidence of effectiveness of existing teenage pregnancy strategies which focus on sex education, together with growing evidence that factors such as poor school ethos, disaffection, truancy, poor employment prospects and low expectations are associated with teenage pregnancy, has increased interest in interventions which…

The author was born and raised in rural, northern Mississippi. He went to a local school, the North Pontotoc Attendance Center, from first grade on. The author was always interested in math and science, but, then, he was interested in most all subjects. The expected path that his friends and siblings had followed was clear: attend a junior college…

In 1897, long before the entertainment industry made Nashville famous with country music and the Grand Ole Opry, the city was known as the "Athens of the South," with numerous institutions of higher learning. A century later, four of Nashville's oldest universities have united to promote science education in Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools…

In North America, 40-50 per cent of older adults are actively involved as formal volunteers in providing diverse health and human services. We review empirical studies concerning older adults' motivations for volunteering, as well as the health and morale benefits they derive from this expression of altruism. Knowledge of the exact nature and…

This study examined the planning that occurred when children participated in classroom playcrafting with either adult or child leadership. In a first-/second-grade classroom in an innovative public school, we videotaped 11 sessions in which children volunteered to develop a play with small groups of classmates and seven sessions in which adult…

Parental involvement comes in various forms and will differ as a child moves through primary and secondary school. Epstein's (2002) classic six-types model captures the potential scope of parental involvement: (1) basic obligations of parents as care-providers; (2) schools communicating with parents about school programs; (3) parent volunteering…

The population of students attending Jewish day schools includes an increasing number of students with exceptional needs. How Jewish schools meet the needs of these students is an important question. Inclusive education is a service model predicated on legal and philosophical mores as well as pedagogical and psychological findings. The quality of…

This study examines patterns of organized activity and their concurrent association with academic achievement, problem behavior, and perceived adult support in a sample of urban, early adolescent, middle school students (mean age = 13.01; N = 2,495). Cluster analyses yielded six activity profiles: an uninvolved group (n = 775, 31.1%), a multiply…

This study examines the history, development, and important characteristics of Project: LEARN, a community-based literacy program in Cleveland (Ohio). The program started in 1974 and is an affiliate of Laubach Literacy International. It has successfully used volunteer tutors to teach basic reading and writing skills to thousands of illiterate…