ED423428 1998-00-00 Volunteering and

Adult Learning. ERIC Digest No. 202.

ERIC Development Team

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Table of Contents

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Volunteering and Adult Learning. ERIC Digest No. 202.....................1

VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT AND ADULT EDUCATION............. 2

LEARNING THROUGH VOLUNTEERING................................. 2

VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATIONS AS LEARNING ORGANIZATIONS 4

CONCLUSION.................................................................. 4

REFERENCES.................................................................. 5

ERIC Identifier: ED423428

Publication Date: 1998-00-00

Author: Kerka, Sandra

Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult Career and Vocational Education Columbus OH.

Volunteering and Adult Learning. ERIC Digest

No. 202.

THIS DIGEST WAS CREATED BY ERIC, THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

INFORMATION CENTER. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ERIC, CONTACT

ACCESS ERIC 1-800-LET-ERIC

"The history of adult education has been a history of voluntary activity and voluntary

association" (Ilsley 1989, p. 100).

Today, volunteerism, and the growing field of volunteer management, continue to reflect

ED423428 1998-00-00 Volunteering and Adult Learning. ERIC Digest No. 202. Page 1 of 7
close associations with adult education. Research and practice in adult education can

inform the development of learning opportunities for volunteers. With this in mind, this

Digest describes some of the similarities between the fields of volunteer management

and adult education and examines some of the types and methods of learning that

occur in the context of volunteering.

VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT AND ADULT

EDUCATION

Like adult education, the field of volunteer management shows increasing movement

toward professionalization, as practitioners attempt to define a knowledge base,

establish philosophical and ethical foundations and standards for entry and practice,

form a distinctive subculture, and achieve recognition (Fisher and Cole 1993). The

demographic profile of both adult learners and the volunteer pool is changing. No longer

do full-time homemakers constitute the majority of volunteers; opportunities for service

draw senior citizens, students in service learning projects, full-time professionals, and

people with disabilities (Geber 1991). These changing demographics propel changes in

the practice of both fields. Volunteer managers are changing the type of tasks assigned

to volunteers, the hours and places in which tasks are done (including offsite and

online), and the kinds of training and recognition they offer to accommodate the needs

of the new breed of volunteers (ibid.). Both fields are concerned with issues of

recruitment and participation. People with more education are more likely to participate

in adult education as well as in volunteer service (Morris and Caro 1995; Rumsey

1996).

The establishment of standards--both for the profession of volunteer management and

for volunteer service itself--is generating debates similar to those among adult

educators over purposes and objectives. Ilsley (1989) suggests that professionalization

is making the volunteer field more technical and market oriented, similar to the way

business language and methods are being borrowed in adult education. The agenda of

volunteer organizations, especially those focused on social change, is in danger of

being coopted as government and corporations formalize what may have been more

grassroots, nonformal efforts (ibid.). Elsey (1993) identifies a similar debate in both the

volunteer field and adult education over focus on individuals or society. He envisions the

two fields forming a "third way" between government and the free market in the

formation of civil society. For Elsdon (1995), voluntary activity is about both individuation

and good citizenship, for it is through individual empowerment, achieved by participating

and learning from that experience, that service is rendered.

LEARNING THROUGH VOLUNTEERING

"Learning is part of the contract between the organization and the volunteer" (McCabe

1997, p. 18). "Volunteering is a powerful source of learning" (Ross-Gordon and Dowling

1995, p. 307). Altruism may be the most obvious reason behind volunteering, but there

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Page 2 of 7 ED423428 1998-00-00 Volunteering and Adult Learning. ERIC Digest No. 202.
are many other motivational factors that have an explicit or implicit link to learning. For

some, learning new skills for career advancement or exploring job options is an

important motivator (Geber 1991; Rumsey 1996). For others, skills and experiences

gained through volunteer service fulfill a need for relationships, personal growth and

development, achievement, or affiliation. Acquiring a sense of purpose and making

meaning of experience is a goal of other volunteers (Freedman 1994). Comprehensive

orientation and volunteer training programs show that the "organization values them

enough to make an investment in them" ("Seven Steps" 1997). Learning motivations

vary by age. Rumsey (1996) found that younger volunteers especially valued the

knowledge and career-related experience they acquired. Freedman (1994) discovered

that older volunteers were less motivated by altruism than desire for purpose, affiliation,

growth, and meaning.

The types of learning that occur in volunteer settings cross the spectrum of adult

learning. Different contexts result in different types of learning, depending on the

objectives of the organization and volunteer and the content and methods involved

(Ilsley 1989). For example, institutions such as Literacy Volunteers of America may

focus on instrumental learning to meet organizational goals, providing training in skills

needed for specific tasks such as literacy tutoring. In ad hoc groups such as hospital

guilds, social-expressive learning fulfills volunteers' social needs and imparts

organizational values through group socialization and collaborative activities.

Problem-focused organizations such as a volunteer fire department might emphasize

problem solving, experiential learning, teamwork, and group process to accomplish their

mission. In organizations dedicated to social causes, such as environmental groups,

critical/reflective learning might focus on political processes and empowerment to

achieve desired social change (ibid.).

Formal education and training are essential, because volunteers need initial and

ongoing orientation to learn about the organization and training to perform particular

tasks or assume additional responsibilities. Workshops, seminars, mentorship,

apprenticeship, training manuals, and other methods familiar to the education enterprise

are integral to the mission of volunteer agencies. However, research shows that formal

education is not "the primary source of the most significant learning" (Ross-Gordon and

Dowling 1995, p. 313). Learning is a crucial factor in volunteers' satisfaction with their

experience, and satisfied participants are more likely to remain committed to the

organization. However, "much of that learning is beyond managerial control" (Fiset et al.

198, p. 75). Volunteers frequently report learning by experience, interaction, or

observation (ibid.). Informal and incidental learning that occurs in the process of activity

is a significant part of the volunteer experience.

Self-directed learning (SDL) projects can involve both formal and informal methods.

However, although a majority of volunteers Portelli (1997) surveyed had conducted SDL

projects, they did not consider their volunteer experiences to be SDL, perhaps because

such projects were largely unplanned and learning needs were not explicitly expressed.

Similarly, Elsdon (1995) found that many volunteer activities have no ostensible learning

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objectives but do result in such outcomes as personal growth, confidence, and

interpersonal skills. Although many instances of deliberate learning and change among

volunteers were evident, the "single most important finding from our work is that this

unpremeditated group of changes--confidence, empowerment, making constructive

relationships, organizational learning, ability and willingness to shoulder

responsibility--is mentioned as the first and most important one by an overwhelming

majority" (ibid., p. 79).

VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATIONS AS LEARNING

ORGANIZATIONS

These findings suggest that "an organizational climate that recognizes the motivation of

volunteers both to serve and to learn" (Fisher and Cole 1993, p. 118) is an essential

element in the success of a volunteer enterprise. If, as Fiset et al. (1987) assert, much

of the learning that will occur is beyond managerial control, volunteer managers may

need to focus on how their organizational culture supports learning.

Elderhostel is an example of an organization that explicitly links learning and

volunteering. A basic assumption of its Service Program is that informal learning will

occur as participants acquire new skills, work in teams, and solve problems. This

experiential learning is augmented by some formal education. Beyond formal and

informal learning, "participants are given structured time for integrating what they have

learned," which "helps them to incorporate the service experience into their broader life

experience in a more meaningful way" (Lamdin and Fugate 1997, p. 106). Norsman

(1997) also found that a climate in which participants can reflect, think critically, and act

on behalf of their organization resulted in transformative learning.

Elsey (1993) confirms the need for reshaping the climate and culture of volunteer

organizations. Although volunteers in his study valued training opportunities and

learning, there was some opinion that resources should not be spent "indulging" in

training rather than service, "a reflection of old culture" (p. 6). However, others

recognized the importance of personal empowerment through learning as a motivation

for volunteering and acknowledged the value it added to organizational effectiveness.

CONCLUSION

The value of learning through volunteer service is now being emphasized in the

involvement of elementary-secondary and college students in service learning projects.

Volunteering also holds great potential for adult learning, even if the connections are not

always explicit. Adult educators can help improve the quality of learning through the

volunteer experience in a number of ways:

-- Advocating a broader view of learning that goes beyond courses and workshops to

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include mentoring, peer support, and information needs (McCabe 1997).

-- Sharing with volunteer managers current knowledge about self-directed learning,

program development, and assessment of adult learners (Ross-Gordon and Dowling

1995).

-- Providing greater recognition and support for informal learning by increasing

individuals capacity for critical reflection, enabling them to recognize and document their

volunteer activities as learning experiences.

Elsdon (1995) believes that "voluntary organizations are about individual learning and

change, about empowerment to fulfill one's potential, and about mutual caring" (p. 80).

Volunteer service is an important site of lifelong learning opportunities that benefit both

individuals and society.

REFERENCES

Elsdon, K. T. "Values and Learning in Voluntary Organizations." INTERNATIONAL

JOURNAL OF LIFELONG EDUCATION 14, no. 1 (January-February 1995): 75-82. (EJ

506 015)

Elsey, B. "Voluntarism and Adult Education as Civil Society and the Third Way for

Personal Empowerment and Social Change." INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF

LIFELONG EDUCATION 12, no. 1 (January-March 1993): 3-16. (EJ 458 797)

Fiset, J. C.; Freeman, D. J.; Ilsley, P. J.; and Snow, B. R. "Adult Learning in Volunteer

Settings: A Neglected Connection." In PROCEEDINGS OF THE 28TH ADULT

EDUCATION RESEARCH CONFERENCE, compiled by R. P. Inkster, pp. 72-77.

Laramie: University of Wyoming, May 1987. (ED 283 936)

Fisher, J. C., and Cole, K. M. LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT OF VOLUNTEER

PROGRAMS: A GUIDE FOR VOLUNTEER ADMINISTRATORS. San Francisco:

Jossey-Bass, 1993.

Freedman, M. SENIORS IN NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE. Philadelphia,

PA: Public/Private Ventures, 1994. (ED 373 178)

Geber, B. "Managing Volunteers." TRAINING 28, no. 6 (June 1991): 21-26. (EJ 427

976)

Ilsley, P. J. "The Voluntary Sector and Adult Education." In HANDBOOK OF ADULT

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ED423428 1998-00-00 Volunteering and Adult Learning. ERIC Digest No. 202. Page 5 of 7
AND CONTINUING EDUCATION, edited by S.B. Merriam and P.M. Cunningham, pp.

99-111. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1989.

Lamdin, L., and Fugate, M. ELDERLEARNING. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press, 1997.

McCabe, A. "Constraints and Creativity." ADULTS LEARNING 9, no. 2 (October 1997):

17-19. (EJ 554 902)

Morris, R., and Caro, F.G. "Productive Retirement: Stimulating Greater Volunteer Efforts

to Meet National Needs." JOURNAL OF VOLUNTEER ADMINISTRATION 14, no. 2

(Winter 1996): 5-13. (EJ 538 731)

Norsman, A. S. "Learning Organizations: Education and Change in the Voluntary

Sector." Ph.D. dissertation, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1997. DAI-A, 59/01, p. 1,

July 1998. ProQuest Digital Dissertations AAT 9736082

<http://wwwlib.umi.com/dissertations/>

Portelli, P. "Self-Directed Learning Effects in Voluntary Associations Organizational

Framework." In EXPANDING HORIZONS IN SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING, edited by

H. B. Long et al., pp. 255-267. Norman, OK: Classic Book Distributors, 1997.

Ross-Gordon, J. M.; Dowling, W. D. "Adult Learning in the Context of African-American

Women's Voluntary Organizations." INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LIFELONG

EDUCATION 14, no. 4 (July-August 1995): 306-319. (EJ 507 794)

Rumsey, D. "Motivational Factors of Older Adult Volunteers." Ph.D. dissertation,

University of Idaho, 1996. DAI-A 58/03, p. 1, September 1997. ProQuest Digital

Dissertations AAT 9725203 <http://wwwlib.umi.com/dissertations/>

"Seven Steps to Achieve Effective Volunteer Support." CANADIAN FUNDRAISER,

August 13, 1997. <http://www.charityvillage.com/charityvillage/research/rvol16.html>

Developed with funding from the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S.

Department of Education, under Contract No. RR93002001. Opinions expressed do not

necessarily reflect the position or policies of OERI or the Department. Digests may be

freely reproduced.

Title: Volunteering and Adult Learning. ERIC Digest No. 202.

Document Type: Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs)

(071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073);

Descriptors: Adult Education, Adult Learning, Educational Opportunities, Learning

Processes, Organizational Climate, Voluntary Agencies, Volunteer Training, Volunteers

Identifiers: ERIC Digests, Learning Organizations, Volunteer Management

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