A purposive study conducted among mature adults aged 55 and older in Northeast Tennessee examined variants of volunteerism as well as volunteer needs of agencies and organizations and what percent of volunteers in those agencies fall within the specified age group. Mature volunteers in the region match profiles of other studies -- predominantly white, married, homeowners, who are protestant, females with educational levels beyond high school, and who have income levels above the regional average. Findings show that most volunteers attend religious services at least once each week but found no association between gender and informal volunteerism, between health and volunteerism, or that rural volunteers are more likely to participate in informal volunteer activities. Results were analyzed using the chi-square test of statistical significance.
","abstract_html":"<p>A purposive study conducted among mature adults aged 55 and older in Northeast Tennessee examined variants of volunteerism as well as volunteer needs of agencies and organizations and what percent of volunteers in those agencies fall within the specified age group. Mature volunteers in the region match profiles of other studies -- predominantly white, married, homeowners, who are protestant, females with educational levels beyond high school, and who have income levels above the regional average. Findings show that most volunteers attend religious services at least once each week but found no association between gender and informal volunteerism, between health and volunteerism, or that rural volunteers are more likely to participate in informal volunteer activities. Results were analyzed using the chi-square test of statistical significance.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Edwards, Martha Wilcox"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"MA (Master of Arts)","degree_level":"Thesis - unrestricted","degree_discipline":"Sociology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2004,"date_issued":"2004-05-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2004-05-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:19:35Z","subjects":["gerontology","older volunteers","variants of volunteerism","intergenerational volunteerism","mature adults","volunteering","Social and Behavioral Sciences","Sociology"],"languages":[],"rights":["Copyright by the authors."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/979","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Edwards, Martha Wilcox"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["1995-01-01T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2004-05-01T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Sociology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis - unrestricted"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["MA (Master of Arts)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["gerontology","older volunteers","variants of volunteerism","intergenerational volunteerism","mature adults","volunteering","Social and Behavioral Sciences","Sociology"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright by the authors."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://dc.etsu.edu/context/etd/article/2136/viewcontent/EdwardsM020404f.pdf","https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/979"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["A purposive study conducted among mature adults aged 55 and older in Northeast Tennessee examined variants of volunteerism as well as volunteer needs of agencies and organizations and what percent of volunteers in those agencies fall within the specified age group. Mature volunteers in the region match profiles of other studies -- predominantly white, married, homeowners, who are protestant, females with educational levels beyond high school, and who have income levels above the regional average. Findings show that most volunteers attend religious services at least once each week but found no association between gender and informal volunteerism, between health and volunteerism, or that rural volunteers are more likely to participate in informal volunteer activities. Results were analyzed using the chi-square test of statistical significance.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Variants of Volunteerism among Mature Adults within Communities of Northeast Tennessee."]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Edwards, Martha Wilcox"],"dc:date.available":["1995-01-01T08:00:00Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2004-05-01T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["A purposive study conducted among mature adults aged 55 and older in Northeast Tennessee examined variants of volunteerism as well as volunteer needs of agencies and organizations and what percent of volunteers in those agencies fall within the specified age group. Mature volunteers in the region match profiles of other studies -- predominantly white, married, homeowners, who are protestant, females with educational levels beyond high school, and who have income levels above the regional average. Findings show that most volunteers attend religious services at least once each week but found no association between gender and informal volunteerism, between health and volunteerism, or that rural volunteers are more likely to participate in informal volunteer activities. Results were analyzed using the chi-square test of statistical significance.
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