Non-volunteerism of university sport students: a leisure constraints theory approach

Abstract

Research indicates that student volunteerism has declined in numerous countries. The current South African sport industry is heavily dependent on volunteers to deliver services in communities and at sporting events. A serious effort may be necessary to successfully and positively recruit and manage volunteers. The purpose of this study was to identify factors, which may constrain volunteerism amongst university sport students. Data were collected from an in-class convenience sample utilising a self-administered questionnaire to students (N=279) enrolled in a sport curriculum at two universities in the Gauteng Province. The volunteer questionnaire of Auld and Cuskelly was used to gather data. Of the returned questionnaires, 153 students classified themselves into the category of "never volunteered before" and completed that specific section of the questionnaire. These responses were included in the study. An Exploratory factor analysis using Principal Components Analysis was conducted to identify constraining volunteer factors for sport students. Five factors emerged, namely 'organisation environment perception', 'perceived workload', 'psychological aspects', 'perceived lack of skills' and 'time constraints'. This study provides a promising contribution in identifying factors constraining volunteering amongst university sport students.