Social Learning among Transplant Event Volunteers

Volunteering in adapted sports competitions has not been studied as much as in other competitions. Survey data from volunteers in a supportive role at the European Transplant Sport Week 2016 in Finland were analysed to report the way involvement in the event increased knowledge of transplantation. Through social learning theory, the aim of the study was to report the associations between changes in knowledge, training and volunteering experience of supportive role volunteers. A representative sample of the adult volunteers (n=95, Male=35, Female=60; Disabled=31, non-Disabled=64; Mage=49.7y old, SD=16.8) responded to a web-based survey. Questions included self-perceived knowledge of transplantation before training, after training and after the event. The data was analysed through ANOVA repeated measures to test the changes of knowledge at each phase, after adjusting for prior experience with transplantation. There were large effects from the knowledge rating (ranged from 4-10) prior to training (mean 6.04; SD=1.46) to after training (mean=7.89; SD=1.01, d=1.48) after the event (mean=8.82; SD=0.81, d=2.36) for people with no experience with transplantation. People with experience with transplantation (n=11) reported increased knowledge from training (mean=8.91, SD=0.70, d=1.31), but not from between after training and after the event. As volunteers' knowledge of the organ transplant sport had increased significantly due to the volunteer training and working at the event, it can be noted that the volunteer programme was successful in terms of achieving the desired goal.