As the society has become complicated and the importance of mutual dependence is being increased the role of the local residents as a welfare service provider has been accordingly increased, especially the necessity of expanding the hospital volunteer...
As the society has become complicated and the importance of mutual dependence is being increased the role of the local residents as a welfare service provider has been accordingly increased, especially the necessity of expanding the hospital volunteers’ role which constitutes a part of the axis for improving the medical service quality cannot be too much emphasized.
Therefore, this study is to seek for and present an efficient policy implications with reference to the results of the study on the volunteers behavior. To meet this purpose researcher has inquired into the relative influence of the various variables which was confirmed as a focal decision element for the behavior of hospital volunteer and then analyzed the relations between these variables by the means of the structural equation model based on the theory of planned behavior.
Research was performed through a comprehensive study by understanding the elements that affect the hospital volunteer’s behavior and integrating thedocumentary records with quantitative studies, hence, reached to the goal of this research. Survey was carried out on those experienced volunteers working at C Hospital in Kwang-Ju metropolitan city from August 1st through August 20th,2005. 145 sheets or 72.5% was retrieved out of 200 questionnaires distributed.
The data collected was, after addressed by the means of concrete statistics analysis, used to analyze to see what differences exist among the variables of the research model in regarding to each individual’s characteristic including the elements that affect the hospital volunteers. For this analyzing task, SPSS 12.0 Korean Language Version was used to study Factor analysis, Reliability analysis, Technical Statistic analysis, Correlation analysis, T-test and Disintegration analysis then completed the coessential verification of Disintegration and F verification. For the hypothetical verification, AMOS 4.0 was utilized by structural equation model analysis method to verify the causal model relations between the elements precedent and the volunteer’s attitude of hospital volunteer, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, behavioral intention and other elements affecting the behavior of hospital volunteer behavior and then verified the hypothesis relationship between these variables.
The results of the substantiated research and analysis brought conclusions to follow.
First, elements analysis revealed that, with a minor exception, most of the variables proposed in the process of reviewing the theory have affected directly and/or indirectly the hospital volunteer’s behavior.
Second, those that were considered as a mediate endogenous variable on this research; the variables of behavioral intention, attitude of hospital volunteer, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control, have been turned out as a variable which is mediating the relations with multiple dependent variables. Particularly, the survey proved that the variable which has the greatest impacton the behavioral intention was the hospital volunteers’ attitude and this attitude was influenced greatly by their self-respect. This implies much in that when they have a feeling of self-respect from their voluntary activities they more positively participate in the voluntary service. Also noticed is that since hospital volunteers’ relationship with the patients has no less influence on their behavior and they are a great help in wide respects to the patients, it is desirable to have this good nature to be advertised not only to the patient but also to the public in a more positive way.
Third, a volunteer’s external normative beliefs has more influences than the internal one on developing his subjective norm. in other words, important is self-conviction on his activities and still more important is a formation of a value of the voluntary activities granted by a reference group such as his family.
Four, one’s perception of the achievement condition affects the perceived behavioral control. As this proves, the more the hospital volunteers recognize that the achievement condition was well arranged for their service activities, the more positive attitude they showed in participating in the voluntary activity.
From the results of this research, the following policy implications can be derived to revitalize hospital voluntary service activities.
First, To change the hospital volunteer’s attitude it should rather be emphasized that through the voluntary service activities they would realize that what he is engaged in is worthwhile for their self-respect and life than explain the meaning of the effectiveness from the voluntary service activities.
Second, it appeared that the hospital volunteer usually decides his voluntary service activity by both his neighbor’s recommendation and his own will and noticeably, advices by the people around him has more effective drive on theirdecision than by his own voluntarily mind. Therefore, for those who are interested in participating in the voluntary service activity it is important that the people around the applicants should give them some kind of motivation and encouragement, also the program which can connect the volunteers to the clients should be functional efficiently.
Third, volunteer should have positive and enthusiastic attitude toward his voluntary activity to make it meaningful and worthwhile, also their activity should be appreciated and respected by the people around and further more this should be set as a norm consciousness.
Finally, the clarification of interactions between cause and effect that explains hypothetical verification of this research is not enough because of limited research samples and of that the hospital volunteer’s positive volunteer behavior and its affecting elements were calculated in subjective and indirect method. However, we can not jump to such a conclusion that the high rate of data correspondence should explain the social phenomenon more precisely. What should be noted is that a successful revitalization of the activity of hospital volunteer depends much on how to manage the various elements affecting hospital volunteer's behavior that was derived from this research, and further more it would give a practical tool for the social welfare policy-making.