2010 Volume 50 Issue 4 Pages 122-132
This paper aims to measure the effectiveness of the volunteer training program carried out to support volunteer activities as partners of conversation and communication for senior citizens. The investigation was carried out in two comprehensive community support centers in Saitama prefecture. Changes concerning volunteer skills, knowledge, and consciousness among 51 trainees were analyzed before and after the program in 2006. With respect to skill investigation, the trainees were videotaped and their conversations and communication were evaluated and scored. In regard to knowledge and consciousness investigation, the trainees' answers to written tests and questionnaires were scored. The author used the Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-ranks test for analyzing these scores. As a result, it was found that the trainees' attendance at the training program improved their volunteer skills and their motivation for the volunteer activities. It also reduced the uneasiness that they may have initially felt in relation to these activities. Finally, the volunteer training program helped the trainees acquire skills and knowledge that are necessary for volunteer activities and helped boost their morale.
