Primary school teachers' views about volunteering: an empirical study in Rhodes. Vasileios Papavasileiou, Eleni Nikolaou, Yota Xanthacou, Ioannis Papadomarkakis, Dimitrios Matzanos, Maria Kaila University of the Aegean, School of Humanities,1 Dimokratias Ave, Rhodes 85132, Greece Abstract It is widely accepted that the role of teachers in cultivating the value of volunteering is very important. Primary school teachers in Rhodes city were the population of the study. 157 teachers participated in this study, which took place from March to June 2016. The results of this study show that nearly have of the sample doubt about the selflessness of volunteers as well as about the ability of primary school students to plan voluntary actions. As far as the motivations of the volunteers are concerned, they consider that the main motivator behind their actions is their willingness to help and offer. Simultaneously, they state that some volunteers are motivated by other motives such as the acquisition of experiences, and their social recognition. They also state that one of their motives is to enrich their CV. The teachers of this sample consider that teachers' participation in voluntary actions is essential, although they do not always participate in such actions, as most of them have responded that they have not participated in any voluntary action this year. In addition, although they consider very important students' participation in voluntary actions, the do not model volunteering by their example. Key words: volunteerism, teacher, primary school, motivations. Introduction In recent years, there has been a serious decline in the quality of the social services offered, as well as in important areas such as education, health and social care. Simultaneously, it is evident the tendency of the state to reduce public expenses, which results in increasing social problems and disrupting social cohesion. Therefore, volunteering as an organized movement and expression of society is essential more than ever, as the adverse economic circumstances and the negative characteristics of current society impose its development (Georgiou, 2012). The concept of volunteerism is associated with solidarity, selflessness and offer. Volunteering is conceptualized as service delivery and civic participation without receiving any compensation, aiming at the general public good and the well-being of citizens and society (United Nations, 1999). Volunteer is the person who offers services, work, sponsorship or any other contribution to society or offer undertaken of free will (Brown, 2000). Volunteerism has multiple dimensions. It sometimes includes recurring actions on a regular basis, through structured programs or organizations as "formal volunteering", as well as individual actions, temporary and unique, as "informal volunteering". The forms of volunteering are multiple. It has applications in many fields, such as in social services, environment, civilization and sports. A modern form of volunteering which develops dynamically is the so-called on line or virtual volunteering. Social offer through the use of internet and social media is now a contemporary everyday reality (AmichaiHamburger, 2008). Volunteerism has been studied extensively by many social sciences (Gilliath, et al., 2005), as it affects both individual and social development (Lee and Brudney, 2009) Volunteering constitutes a multidimensional process with multiple facets. The contribution of several scientific fields, 1 interdisciplinary approach, is essential for understanding deeper the concept of volunteerism (Lockstone, 2004). The non-profit offer through voluntary actions can contribute to better addressing social, economic, environmental and cultural problems, compensating thus for the indifference or the weakness of the state and the market. Volunteering also contributes to social capital (Xu & Ngai, 2011). It is evident that the motives that activate voluntary actions are multiple (Widjaja, 2010) and are associated with individual characteristics and social factors (Houle et al., 2005). Altruism, solidarity, awareness of responsibility, involvement in community, participation in groups, sociability, experiences, entertainment and personal satisfaction are among the main social and moral motives (Penner, 2004; Houle et al., 2005; Widjaja, 2010; Stebbins, 2015). Volunteering constitutes a way of life, as it contributes to social progress, since it alleviates human suffering, limits social and economic discrimination, promotes and enhances the active participation of citizens, defends human rights, improves the quality of interpersonal relations, enriches and strengthens solidarity and social cohesion (Georgiou, 2012; Winfield, 2013). Volunteering is a fundamental humanitarian value, which is associated with many other ethical and social values such as caring, provision of social services, solidarity, social justice, freedom, respect, tolerance, self-reliance, individual and collective responsibility. The development of these values should be a priority (Kates et al., 2005). Based on these values, the socialization agents can contribute to shaping students with profound social conscience, and social responsibility, who undertake initiatives, are committed to their obligations, who are sincere, selfless, cooperative, who demonstrate solidarity and combine theory with action (Carpenter & Myers, 2007). Volunteering is developed through education that starts from the immediate and wider family environment that lays the foundations of the value system of each individual. It is cultivated at school and develops in the neighborhood, in the district, in the city, in the homeland and the whole world, which constitutes the social environment of the individual and the group (Brown et al., 2007). The school unit with a sense of responsibility towards society is an important vehicle for the development of voluntary actions. The role of the school unit in developing volunteerism is important, as it can contribute to raise awareness of the importance of selfless offer, to raise awareness on issues of voluntary participation, to cultivate the value of volunteering, to contribute to the development of attitudes and skills by undertaking initiatives and activating the voluntary offer through activities and actions. Methodology The view that the role of teachers is very important in cultivating the value of volunteering and its adoption as a way of life, is widely accepted. In this context primary school teachers' views are explored about the issues of volunteering and their active participation in voluntary actions. A questionnaire was used for data collection, which provides the opportunity to collect a large amount of multiple information from a large amount of people. Simultaneously, the presence of the researcher is not necessary and there is anonymity. The questionnaire that was used in current research was consisted mainly of closed-ended questions (Bell, 2010; Cohen, Manion, & Morrison, 2011; Bryman, 2012). Primary school teachers were the population of the study. The sample was consisted of 157 teachers. 58 (37%) were men and 99 (63 %) were women. The current research took place from March to June 2016. 2 15 teachers (10 %) had 1-5 years of experience, 19 teachers (13%) had 6-10 years of experience, 28 teachers (18 %) had from 11 to 15 years of experience, 19 teachers (12%) had from 16 to 20 years, 18 teachers (12%) from 21 up to 25 years and 54 teachers (35%) had more than 25 years work experience in primary education. It is worth noting that the highest percentage of teachers that participated in the current research had more than 25 years of experience, whereas the lowest percentage had from 1 to 5 years of experience. 122 teachers of the sample had completed further studies. That is, 36 of the teachers were holders of a second university degree (29%), 68 of them hold a master's degree (56%), 8 of them hold a Ph.D. (7%) and 10 of them stated that they have completed various other studies. It is worth noting that the highest percentage of teachers (56%) are a master's degree holders and a 7% hold a Ph.D. After the questionnaires have been collected, we proceeded to the content analysis and categorization of the answers to the open-ended questions. Then, the coding of the participants' answers was conducted, as well as the statistical analysis of the research data. Results The research conducted regarding primary school teachers' views about volunteering and their active participation in voluntary actions is wider. In the context of the present research, some indicative results are presented below. Table 1 Distribution of frequencies of the answers of the teachers' sample regarding whether volunteering is attributed to selfless motives f f% Always 70 45% Sometimes 79 51% Never 7 4% Total 156 100% Table 1 shows that the highest percentage of primary school teachers in Rhodes (51 %, 79 teachers) believes that "sometimes" volunteering is associated with selfless motives. The percentage of teachers who stated that volunteering is "always" associated with selfless motives is lower. Finally, even lower is the percentage of teachers who state that volunteering is "never" associated to selfless motives. Therefore, we conclude that half of the teachers of our sample doubt about the selflessness of volunteers. Table 2 shows that the highest percentage of primary school teachers in Rhodes (39 %, 61 teachers), responded that primary school teachers can moderately plan voluntary actions, 36 % (56 teachers) responded that they are "very" able to plan voluntary actions, 18 % (27 teachers) could occasionally plan voluntary actions, whereas 6 %, 9 teachers) can plan voluntary actions "a great deal". Finally, 1 %, 2 teachers) states that primary school children are "not at all" able to plan voluntary actions. Therefore, we conclude that the highest percentage of primary school teachers in Rhodes can moderately plan voluntary actions. 3 Table 2 Distribution of frequencies of the answers of teachers' sample regarding whether primary school students are able to plan voluntary actions f f% Not at all 2 1% Little 27 18% Somewhat-Moderately 61 39% Much 56 36% A great deal 9 6% Total 155 100% As far as the motives of volunteers are concerned, the highest percentage of teachers (56 %, 88 teachers) responded that volunteers "always" want to help other people, whereas a high percentage of primary school teachers in Rhodes (43 %, 68 teachers), stated that volunteers "sometimes" want to help other people. Finally, (only 1 %, 1 teacher) stated that they "never" want to help other people. We attempted to explore further the attitudes of the teachers of our sample regarding their views about other motivations of volunteering that are linked to the profession and social recognition. Table 3 Distribution of frequencies of the answers of teachers sample regarding the professional motives of volunteers f f% Always 22 14% Sometimes 120 76% Never 15 10% Total 157 100% Table 3 shows that the highest percentage of primary school teachers in Rhodes (76 %, 120 teachers) responded that volunteers "sometimes" want to enrich their CV. 14 %, (22 teachers) responded "always", whereas the lower percentage of teachers (10 %, 15 teachers) stated "never". We conclude that the highest percentage of teachers believes that volunteers "sometimes" want to enrich their CV. Table 4 Distribution of frequencies of the answers of teachers sample regarding volunteers motive of social recognition f f% Always 19 12% Sometimes 114 73% Never 23 15% Total 156 100% 4 Table 4 shows that the highest percentage of primary school teachers sometimes seek their social recognition. A lower percentage 15 % (23 teachers) stated that volunteers "always" seek their social recognition, whereas the lowest percentage of teachers (12 %, 19 teachers) stated "never". We conclude that the highest percentage of teachers believes that volunteers "sometimes" are motivated by social recognition. Table 5 Distribution of frequencies of the answers of teachers sample regarding the importance of students participation in voluntary actions. Ν % Not at all 1 1% Of little importance 3 2% Moderately important 13 8% Much 74 47% A great deal 65 42% Total 156 100% Table 5 shows that 74 teachers consider "very" important the participation of students in some voluntary action (47 %). 65 teachers consider "very much" important students participation (42 %). 13 teachers consider that the participation of students in voluntary actions is of moderate importance (8 %). 3 teachers (2 %) attribute little importance to students participation in voluntary actions. Finally only 1 believes that the participation of students in voluntary actions is "not at all" important (1%). Table 6 Distribution of frequencies of the answers of the sample regarding the importance of teachers participation in voluntary actions Ν % Not at all 1 1% Of little importance 3 2% Moderately important 22 14 % Much 64 41 % A great deal 66 42% Total 156 100% 5 66 primary school teachers in Rhodes responded that their participation in voluntary actions is "very much" important (42 %). Furthermore, 64 teachers stated that their participation in voluntary actions is "very" important (41 %). Fewer teachers (22) stated that their participation in voluntary actions is "moderately" important (14 %). 3 teachers (2 %) responded that voluntary actions are of little importance. Finally, only one teacher stated that teachers' participation in voluntary actions is "not at all" important. Table 7 Distribution of frequencies of the answers of teachers sample regarding their participation in voluntary actions this year. Ν % Not at all 52 34% Once 38 25% Twice 22 14% Three times 10 6% More than three times 33 21% Total 155 100% 52 teachers (34 %) responded that they have not participated in any voluntary action this year, 38 responded that participated once in some voluntary action this year (25 %), whereas 33 teachers (21 %) stated that they have participated more than three times in voluntary actions this year. Furthermore, 22 teachers (14 %) stated that they participated two times in voluntary actions this year, whereas 10 (6 %) have participated three times. Conclusions - Suggestions The results of the present study cannot be generalized to the general population, as it is a small-scale research. However, the resulting conclusions can be a starting point for a general reflection in the context of research, which examines the role of the school in the development of voluntary actions. Firstly, it should be noted that almost half of the teachers of the sample doubt about the selflessness of volunteers, which is in contrast with the very essence of volunteerism emanating from pure motives to the other. This can be interpreted on the basis of the characteristics of modern society of our times, which is dominated by utilitarianism and the concept of financial transaction in human relations. The majority of teachers believe that children of primary school are not adequately trained to plan voluntary actions. This belief was expected, as most children have not acquired similar experiences in the context of modern Greek school, as voluntary activities are not usually systematic and planned pedagogical processes. 6 Then, there is an attempt to explore the attitudes of primary school teachers in Rhodes about the motivations of volunteers. Specifically, teachers believe that volunteers are sensitive to social problems and clearly believe that the main motivator that pushes them toward volunteer projects is the willingness to help, however, they assert that they are motivated to a considerable extent from other incentives, such as the acquisition of experience and social recognition. One of their motives is also to enrich their CV. As far as their participation in voluntary actions, a considerable percentage of teachers of elementary school, nearly one third, indicates that they have not participated in any voluntary action in the last year. The majority of teachers consider students' participation in voluntary actions very important. Furthermore, they assert that the participation of teachers themselves in voluntary actions is equally important. However, it is worth noting that although the teachers of our sample consider important their participation in voluntary actions, they stated that they have not participated even once this year in any voluntary action. In addition, while they consider very important students' participation in voluntary actions, they do not model volunteering by their example. Finally, the teachers of the sample consider more important students' participation in voluntary actions than their own participation. The modern school which serves its social role, should cultivate humanitarian values and the ideals of social responsibility and solidarity. Educators could be models of selfless offer by their example and their active participation. Students in the context of educational planning can contribute to these actions, by their ideas, participation and actions. Each school unit can design, implement, and evaluate activities and actions which are characterized by social offer in collaboration not only with other school units, but also with family, community and other social institutions, local authorities, voluntary organizations, non-profit organizations, the government and its services as well as the global community. School units can utilize cooperation networks and the possibilities offered by ICT for humanitarian, social, environmental, cultural and international forms of voluntary actions at the local, regional, and international level, in order to shape the active citizens of the present and the future. The aim of the current school is to shape active citizens. 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