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Field
Intervention (Hidden)
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Before
1. The existing IVR education experiment (AEARCTR - 0010647) used a two-stage cluster randomized controlled trial with three experimental arms (two treatment arms and one control arm). In this RCT, 208 secondary schools were selected from a list of schools in the sub districts where the implementing organization, Global Development Research Institute (GDRI), operates.
In the first stage, these 208 schools were randomly allocated to one of three experimental arms (without stratification): T1 (self-help group), T2 (assisted group), and the control group. Each of the treatment arms (T1 and T2) comprises 69 schools, while the control group includes 70 schools. In the second stage, within-school randomization was conducted to select a subgroup of 9th grade students within T1 and T2 schools to receive the treatment. 15 students were selected on average per school. The students assigned to the ‘Self-help’ group (T1) were provided audio lessons which could be accessed through the IVR system by calling a registered phone number anytime during the 6-month intervention period. The students assigned to the ‘Assisted’ group (T2) received biweekly phone calls from a tutor to discuss the content covered in the IVR audio lessons in addition to access to the IVR audio lessons. The students in the control group did not receive any intervention.
The baseline survey was conducted in November 2022 prior to the commencement of the intervention. Demographic information, income, employment, assets, etc. were obtained in the baseline survey. The baseline characteristics are balanced between the treatment and control group. The existing RCT is interested in three primary groups of outcomes: (a) students’ learning outcomes, (b) students’ time and effort spent on educational activities, and (c) students’ aspirations and other non-cognitive skills.
2. Follow-up survey
The focus of our study is to use the existing RCT design to examine the inclination to volunteer among students in the treatment and control groups. To do so, we will run a separate follow-up survey independent of the data collection pre-specified in AEARCTR - 0010647. We shall appoint an independent group of enumerators to conduct a follow-up survey for our study.
In the follow-up survey we will first ask questions from the “Bales Volunteerism-Activism Scale" (Bales, 1996) to measure students’ propensity to volunteer. Second, we will provide students with a volunteering “sign-up sheet.” Half of those who sign up or register will be randomly assigned real volunteering tasks later. On the sign-up sheet, there are two volunteering options: (1) cleaning activities; and (2) helping primary school students with their homework . The sign-up sheet also elicits their preference ranking of the two volunteering options. The volunteer activities will be held once a week for an hour, spanning four weeks in October 2023. We will inform the students that the volunteer activities will not clash with school hours or activities. We will use the information collected through the questionnaire and sign-up sheet to construct the outcome variables that reflect the students’ propensity to volunteer.
3. Random assignment of volunteer activities (new RCT)
Once students sign up, we will conduct a new RCT. We will randomly assign half of the registered students in volunteer activities in each experimental arms of the existing RCT. We will contact the randomly selected students and request their participation for their most preferred activity. Short description of the volunteer activities is given below:
Cleaning activities: These volunteer activities will take place near the school premises on a non-school day for 1 hour every week for 4 weeks. On the dedicated days for cleaning activities the volunteers will sign in and sign out at the end of the one-hour activity for their participation to be recorded.
Helping primary school students with their homework: For this activity wee will ask each randomly selected volunteer who were interested in helping primary school children with their homework to seek permission and coordinate a time with their neighbor to help their primary school going child with homework for 1 hour every week for 4 weeks. We will collect the name, address, primary caregivers’ phone number of the child who will be selected by the volunteer. We will verify participation with the neighbors that receive help from the students.
4.Post volunteering survey
After the conclusion of volunteer activities which will last for a month, we will survey all the students in the treatment and control groups of the existing RCT (IVR educational intervention) and ask about their volunteering motivation with a questionnaire using the Volunteer Functions Inventory (VFI) scale (Clary et al., 1998).
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After
1. The existing IVR education experiment (AEARCTR - 0010647) used a two-stage cluster randomized controlled trial with three experimental arms (two treatment arms and one control arm). In this RCT, 208 secondary schools were selected from a list of schools in the sub districts where the implementing organization, Global Development Research Institute (GDRI), operates.
In the first stage, these 208 schools were randomly allocated to one of three experimental arms (without stratification): T1 (self-help group), T2 (assisted group), and the control group. Each of the treatment arms (T1 and T2) comprises 69 schools, while the control group includes 70 schools. In the second stage, within-school randomization was conducted to select a subgroup of 9th grade students within T1 and T2 schools to receive the treatment. 15 students were selected on average per school. The students assigned to the ‘Self-help’ group (T1) were provided audio lessons which could be accessed through the IVR system by calling a registered phone number anytime during the 6-month intervention period. The students assigned to the ‘Assisted’ group (T2) received biweekly phone calls from a tutor to discuss the content covered in the IVR audio lessons in addition to access to the IVR audio lessons. The students in the control group did not receive any intervention.
The baseline survey was conducted in November 2022 prior to the commencement of the intervention. Demographic information, income, employment, assets, etc. were obtained in the baseline survey. The baseline characteristics are balanced between the treatment and control group. The existing RCT is interested in three primary groups of outcomes: (a) students’ learning outcomes, (b) students’ time and effort spent on educational activities, and (c) students’ aspirations and other non-cognitive skills.
2. Follow-up survey
The focus of our study is to use the existing RCT design to examine the inclination to volunteer among students in the treatment and control groups. To do so, we will run a separate follow-up survey independent of the data collection pre-specified in AEARCTR - 0010647. We shall appoint an independent group of enumerators to conduct a follow-up survey for our study.
In the follow-up survey we will first ask questions from the “Bales Volunteerism-Activism Scale" (Bales, 1996) to measure students’ propensity to volunteer. Second, we will provide students with a volunteering “sign-up sheet.” Half of those who sign up or register will be randomly assigned real volunteering tasks later. On the sign-up sheet, there are two volunteering options: (1) cleaning activities; and (2) helping primary school students with their homework . The sign-up sheet also elicits their preference ranking of the two volunteering options. The volunteer activities will be held once a week for an hour, spanning four weeks in October 2023. We will inform the students that the volunteer activities will not clash with school hours or activities. We will use the information collected through the questionnaire and sign-up sheet to construct the outcome variables that reflect the students’ propensity to volunteer.
3. Random assignment of volunteer activities (new RCT)
Once students sign up, we will conduct a new RCT. We will randomly assign invitations to half of the registered students in volunteer activities in each experimental arms of the existing RCT. We will contact the randomly selected students and request their participation for their most preferred activity. Short description of the volunteer activities is given below:
Cleaning activities: These volunteer activities will take place near the school premises on a non-school day for 1 hour every week for 4 weeks. On the dedicated days for cleaning activities the participation in their one-hour activity will be recorded.
Helping primary school students with their homework: For this activity wee will ask each randomly selected volunteer who were interested in helping primary school children with their homework to seek permission and coordinate a time with their neighbor to help their primary school going child with homework for 1 hour every week for 4 weeks. We will collect the name, address, primary caregivers’ phone number of the child who will be selected by the volunteer. We will verify participation with the neighbors that receive help from the students.
4.Post volunteering survey
After the conclusion of volunteer activities which will last for a month, we will survey all the students in the treatment and control groups of the existing RCT (IVR educational intervention) and ask about their wellbeing, subjective happiness and volunteering motivation with a questionnaire using the Volunteer Functions Inventory (VFI) scale (Clary et al., 1998).
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Field
Secondary Outcomes (Explanation)
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Before
1. Helping with household chores
We will also use data from the existing RCT endline survey regarding time spent doing household chores to see whether students in treatment groups are more helpful to their families. Student’s own assessment of minutes spent helping parents with household chores or outside work per day (average over last week).
The sum of minutes will be reported by the participant for the following household activities: cooking, cleaning up the house, bringing clean water to your house, bringing groceries from a hut or Bazar, helping siblings to study, farming or gardening, parent’s income-generating activities (e.g., fishing, tailoring, etc.), other income-generating activities to support their family.
The specific survey question asks: “Do you help with [activity]? If yes, how much time in a day (average over last week)? [Answer: in minutes]”
2. Dimensions of volunteer attitude
We will use the four dimensions from “Bales Volunteerism Activism scale” to analyze the underlying features that create active volunteer attitude and see whether treatment group students score higher in any of the dimensions. According to the scale there are four clear dimensions which make up the active volunteer attitude. We will average scores on the five items of each dimension to obtain the score for each respondent. The scale has the following dimensions:
2.1. A sense of effectiveness
The perception of personal efficacy, control, and significance in tackling social issues is reflected in specific questions (b, c, f, m, p). Example: Potential volunteers will have very strong negative reaction to the statement, “Anything I do can’t really change the world’s problems.” This suggests that these respondents place great importance on their ability to make a profound impact in addressing societal challenges.
2.2. Sociability and generability
The perception that volunteer priorities global issues alongside their personal commitments. This is reflected in specific questions (d, h, j, o, r, t). For instance, potential volunteers will strongly disagree with the statement, “People with ordinary lives don’t feel the need to get heavily involved in social causes.”
2.3. Idealism or philosophical commitment
This demonstrates the inclination to make sacrifices for the betterment of society and their perception that addressing significant challenges involves incurring real costs. It is evident in the responses to specific questions (e, g, I, k, n). For instance, potential volunteers will strongly agree with statements such as “There will be peace only when there is justice”.
2.4 The ‘feel good’ factor
This dimension suggests that the potential volunteers believe that their actions not only benefit others but also contribute to their own personal growth and fulfillment. It is reflected in the responses to specific questions (a, 1, q, s). Potential volunteers will show a highly positive reaction to statements such as “The more you put into life, the more you will get out of it” and “I know that when I’m working to help others, I’m also helping myself.”
3. Motivation to volunteer
Motivation to volunteer will be measured using the ‘Volunteer Functions Inventory’ (VFI) (Clary et al., 1998) (Table A2 ), which has been applied widely in the volunteering literature. There are 30 questions in the scale which consists of a set of six motivational functions served by volunteerism. Students will indicate to what extent each motive influences their decision to volunteer using the 7-point scale provided. The scale ranges from 1 ‘not at all important/accurate’ to 7 ‘extremely important/accurate’. Scale scores result from averaging scores on the five items of each motivational function, so that individuals’ scores on each scale can range from 1 to 7; higher score will reflect greater importance of the motivation.
3.1Value
Engaging in volunteer service can serve the purpose of providing individuals with opportunities to express their values associated with altruism and humanitarian concerns for others. The factor ’Value’ is reflected in question no. 3, 8, 16, 19 and 22.
3.2 Understanding
Volunteering can fulfill is providing individuals with opportunities for new learning experiences and the chance to apply and develop their knowledge, skills, and abilities that might otherwise remain untrained. The factor ‘Understanding’ is reflected in question no 12, 14, 18, 25 and 30.
3.3 Social
Another significant function served by volunteering revolves around motivations related to relationships with others. By engaging in volunteer work, individuals can strengthen social connections, seek approval from significant others, and derive satisfaction from contributing to the well-being of others within their social networks. The factor ’Social’ is reflected in question no. 2, 4, 6, 17 and 23.
3.4 Career
Volunteering is related to career-related benefits that individuals can obtain through their participation in volunteer work. By engaging in volunteer activities, individuals can gain valuable experience, develop transferable skills, and enhance their professional networks, all of which can contribute to their career advancement and growth. The factor ‘Career’ is reflected in question no. 1, 10, 15, 21, 28.
3.5 Protective
This function revolves around safeguarding the ego from negative aspects of the self. In the context of volunteerism, these motivations may serve to remove guilt over being more fortunate than others and to address one’s personal issues. By volunteering, individuals can find peace, alleviate guilt, and address personal challenges, thus providing themselves with a sense of ego protection and well-being. The factor ’Protective’ is reflected in question no. 7, 9, 11, 20 and 24.
3.6 Enhancement
Lastly, a sixth function proposed for volunteering roots from the recognition that the ego, particularly its relationship to affect, extends beyond protective processes. Specifically, in the case of positive mood, people engage in helping activities to maintain or enhance their positive effect. The factor ’Enhancement’ is reflected in question no. 5, 13, 26, 27 and 29.
4. Attendance in actual volunteer activities
We will record the attendance of the randomly selected registered students who were assigned volunteer work to participate in volunteer activities. We will create two participation variables. The first is a binary outcome (1 for participation, 0 for non-participation) and the second is a continuous variable on a scale of 1 to 4, reflecting the number of days of participation.
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After
3.3 Secondary outcomes from the post-IVR survey
3.3.1 Helping with household chores.
We will use data from the existing RCT endline survey regarding time spent doing household chores to see whether students in treatment groups are more helpful to their families. Student’s own assessment of minutes spent helping parents with household chores or outside work per day (average over last week).
The sum of minutes was reported by the participant for the following household activities: cooking, cleaning up the house, bringing clean water to your house, bringing groceries from a market, helping siblings to study, farming or gardening, parent’s income-generating activities (e.g., fishing, tailoring, etc.), other income-generating activities to support their family.
The specific survey question asks: “Do you help with [activity]? If yes, how much time in a day (average over last week)? [Answer: in minutes]”
3.3.2 Dimensions of volunteer attitude
We will use the four dimensions from “Bales Volunteerism Activism scale” to analyze the underlying features that create active volunteer attitude and see whether treatment group students score higher in any of the dimensions. According to the scale there are four clear dimensions which make up the active volunteer attitude. We will average scores of each dimension to obtain the score for each respondent. The scale has the following dimensions:
3.3.2.1 A sense of effectiveness
The perception of personal efficacy, control, and significance in tackling social issues is reflected in specific questions (b, c, f, m, p). Example: Potential volunteers will have very strong negative reaction to the statement, “Anything I do can’t really change the world’s problems.” This suggests that these respondents place great importance on their ability to make a profound impact in addressing societal challenges.
3.3.2.2 Sociability and generability
The perception that volunteer priorities global issues alongside their personal commitments. This is reflected in specific questions (d, h, j, o, r, t). For instance, potential volunteers will strongly disagree with the statement, “People with ordinary lives don’t feel the need to get heavily involved in social causes.”
3.3.2.3 Idealism or philosophical commitment
This demonstrates the inclination to make sacrifices for the betterment of society and their perception that addressing significant challenges involves incurring real costs. It is evident in the responses to specific questions (e, g, i, k, n). For instance, potential volunteers will strongly agree with statements such as “There will be peace only when there is justice”.
3.3.2.4 The ‘feel good’ factor
This dimension suggests that the potential volunteers believe that their actions not only benefit others but also contribute to their own personal growth and fulfillment. It is reflected in the responses to specific questions (a, 1, q, s). Potential volunteers will show a highly positive reaction to statements such as “The more you put into life, the more you will get out of it” and “I know that when I’m working to help others, I’m also helping myself.”
4. Secondary outcomes from the post volunteer intervention survey
4.1 Motivation to volunteer
Motivation to volunteer will be measured using the ‘Volunteer Functions Inventory’ (VFI) (Clary et al., 1998) (Table A2.1), which has been applied widely in the volunteering literature. There are 30 questions in the scale which consists of a set of six motivational functions served by volunteerism. Students will indicate to what extent each motive influences their decision to volunteer using the 7-point scale provided. The scale ranges from 1 ‘not at all important/accurate’ to 7 ‘extremely important/accurate’. Scale scores result from averaging scores on the five items of each motivational function, so that individuals’ scores on each scale can range from 1 to 7; higher score will reflect greater importance of the motivation .
4.1.1 Value
Engaging in volunteer service can serve the purpose of providing individuals with opportunities to express their values associated with altruism and humanitarian concerns for others. The factor ’Value’ is reflected in question no. 3, 8, 16, 19 and 22.
4.1.2 Understanding
Volunteering provides individuals with opportunities for new learning experiences and the chance to apply and develop their knowledge, skills, and abilities that might otherwise remain untrained. The factor ‘Understanding’ is reflected in question no. 12, 14, 18, 25 and 30.
4.1.3 Social
Another significant function served by volunteering revolves around motivations related to relationships with others. By engaging in volunteer work, individuals can strengthen social connections, seek approval from significant others, and derive satisfaction from contributing to the well-being of others within their social networks. The factor ’Social’ is reflected in question no. 2, 4, 6, 17 and 23.
4.1.4 Career
Volunteering is related to career-related benefits that individuals can obtain through their participation in volunteer work. By engaging in volunteer activities, individuals can gain valuable experience, develop transferable skills, and enhance their professional networks, all of which can contribute to their career advancement and growth. The factor ‘Career’ is reflected in question no. 1, 10, 15, 21, 28.
4.1.5 Protective
This function revolves around safeguarding the ego from negative aspects of the self. In the context of volunteerism, these motivations may serve to remove guilt over being more fortunate than others and to address one’s personal issues. By volunteering, individuals can find peace, alleviate guilt, and address personal challenges, thus providing themselves with a sense of ego protection and well-being. The factor ’Protective’ is reflected in question no. 7, 9, 11, 20 and 24.
4.1.6 Enhancement
Lastly, a sixth function proposed for volunteering roots from the enhancing positive mood. People often engage in helping activities to maintain or enhance their positive effect. The factor ’Enhancement’ is reflected in question no. 5, 13, 26, 27 and 29.
4.2 Life satisfaction and perceived health condition
In the post volunteer survey, we will inquire with participants from the existing RCT (IVR education intervention) about their subjective assessments of both their overall health condition and life satisfaction. These assessments will be gathered enabling participants to provide nuanced responses. From these responses, we will construct two distinct variables:
4.2.1 Perceived health: This variable will incorporate participants’ self-reported perceptions of their current health status. It will be based on their responses on the five-point scale and will serve as an indicator of how individuals view their own health.
Survey question: How would you rate your health at the present time? [Answer: 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent)
4.2.2 Life Satisfaction: This variable will capture participants’ subjective evaluations of their life satisfaction levels. Again, this assessment will be derived from their ratings on the seven-point scale, providing valuable insights into participants’ overall contentment and happiness.
Survey question: How satisfied are you at present with your life, all things considered? [Answer: 1 (completely dissatisfied) to 7 (completely satisfied)]
By incorporating these variables into our analysis, we aim to gain a deeper understanding of the perceived health conditions and life satisfaction of our participants after the educational program and volunteer intervention.
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