ORCID Profile
0000-0002-1170-1780
Current Organisation
University of Florida
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Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 10-09-2013
Abstract: Due to the importance of volunteers within the sport industry, there have been increased efforts to determine the motivation behind these acts of volunteerism. However, most research has focused on volunteers with professional sporting events and organizations, and very few studies have investigated volunteer motivations behind sport-for-development initiatives. The purpose of this study is to investigate the motivation of volunteers who chose to take part in the World Scholar-Athlete Games, a multinational sport-for-development event, and to identify factors related to their retention. This qualitative study was guided by the functional approach to volunteer motivation. Results revealed volunteers were motivated by values, social, understanding, career and self-enhancement factors. In addition, volunteers whose initial motivations for volunteering were satisfied continued to donate time to the event year after year. Implications for theory and practice, as well as future research directions, are discussed.
Publisher: Human Kinetics
Date: 2015
Abstract: Much sport-for-development (SFD) research has focused on the impact initiatives have on participants, and not on other stakeholders such as volunteers. Some research suggests volunteerism enables social capital gains, while other scholars have been skeptical, with even less known about how volunteers are impacted by working for SFD events rather than for ongoing programs. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate how, if at all, a large, multinational SFD event contributed to social capital development of volunteers. Findings revealed volunteers experienced social capital development through building relationships, learning, and enhanced motivation to work for social change and reciprocity. As very little research has examined the efficacy of SFD events in contributing to social capital development, the findings extend the literature on SFD events. It would be prudent for SFD events to target programming to impact the experience of volunteers to retain them and contribute to social capital development.
Publisher: Routledge
Date: 16-10-2015
Publisher: Human Kinetics
Date: 05-2015
Abstract: The purpose of this research project was to examine the impact of participating in a sport-for-peace event and one’s social dominance orientation on prejudice and change agent self-efficacy. In Study 1, participants ( n = 136) completed questionnaires both before and following their participation in a sport-for-peace event. The event was designed to ensure both high levels of and quality intergroup contact, with interactions confirmed through a manipulation check. Results from the doubly repeated measures analysis of variance indicate a significant decrease in prejudice and a significant increase in change agent self-efficacy. Social dominance orientation did not influence the nature of these changes. In Study 2, the authors conducted focus group interviews with 27 participants to better understand how the event impacted prejudice and change agent self-efficacy. Results indicate that the team-based sport environment and social opportunities were instrumental in prejudice reduction while the educational platform was important for increasing change agent self-efficacy.
Publisher: Cognizant, LLC
Date: 06-2014
DOI: 10.3727/152599514X13947236947464
Abstract: One neglected area of research in sport event management has been to examine the motivations of in iduals to take part in large, multinational sport-for-development (SFD) events. The importance of examining such motivations is highlighted by SFD's frequent struggle with attracting in iduals to the programs, despite well-meaning intentions and agendas. Hence, we undertook this study to examine participant motivations for attending the World Scholar-Athlete Games and World Youth Peace Summit, a combined, multinational SFD event with a peace agenda set in the US. We conducted two studies—one quantitatively focused and the other through personal interviews and focus groups. Results from both studies revealed that in iduals were motivated to participate in order to engage in world learning, for skill development, and for the opportunity to travel, with world learning being the most prominent factor. International participants had higher mean scores on all factors than domestic participants, and sport participants were more motivated by skill development than fine arts participants. These findings imply that sport events with a peace focus should highlight socialization opportunities and the mission of the organization to attract participants, while still providing an environment of healthy competition and skill development.
No related grants have been discovered for George Cunningham.