Preparing future professionals to act towards sustainable development: an analysis of undergraduate students' motivations towards voluntary activities

Considering the need to prepare students to act towards sustainable development, volunteering activities can be an effective mean for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to develop the required skills in students for it. In this sense, this research aims to analyse the reasons for undergraduate students to participate in voluntary activities. Data from 192 undergraduate students were collected to conduct this analysis. These students were divided into two groups: those that participate (or recently participated) of social projects and those that do not participate. Considering this feature as the dependent variable, seven independent variables were analysed through Binary Logistic Regression. From the seven variables analysed, two were validated as variables that affect the decision of students to engage in voluntary activities: 'Incentive from the HEI for students to participate in volunteer programs' (V4) and 'The student's own beliefs lead to voluntary work' (V7). Their odds ratios were 2.901 and 3.164, respectively. The findings of this research contribute to the literature about volunteering, since it explores the motivations that lead undergraduate students to engage in these activities. The findings showed the importance of HEIs (Higher Education Institutions) incentives towards volunteering, which emphasizes the role played by these institutions in students' actions.