A specialized training program enhances university students’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices on volunteering: evidence from Oman

The decreasing involvement of youth in voluntary practices necessitates training and mobilizing them for voluntary activities. Therefore, the present study aimed to develop and test the efficacy of a culture-sensitive training program on enhancing knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of volunteer...

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Main Authors: Emad Farouk Saleh, Wafa Said Al-Maamari, Ahmed Thabet Helal Ibrahim, Magdy M. Mostafa, P. Padma Sri Lekha, E. P. Abdul Azeez
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-08-01
Series:Frontiers in Sociology
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsoc.2025.1636370/full
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author Emad Farouk Saleh
Wafa Said Al-Maamari
Ahmed Thabet Helal Ibrahim
Magdy M. Mostafa
P. Padma Sri Lekha
E. P. Abdul Azeez
author_facet Emad Farouk Saleh
Wafa Said Al-Maamari
Ahmed Thabet Helal Ibrahim
Magdy M. Mostafa
P. Padma Sri Lekha
E. P. Abdul Azeez
author_sort Emad Farouk Saleh
collection DOAJ
description The decreasing involvement of youth in voluntary practices necessitates training and mobilizing them for voluntary activities. Therefore, the present study aimed to develop and test the efficacy of a culture-sensitive training program on enhancing knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of volunteering among university students in Oman. We adopted a quasi-experimental design with a pre-post-test on the KAP of volunteering and designed a specialized training program spanning 10 weeks. Training was given to two groups of university students independently during different semesters to test the efficacy of the program (group 1 and group 2). The results of the paired t-test suggested a significant difference in knowledge, attitude, practice, and overall KAP [group 1: t(29) = 15.73, p < 0.01; group 2: t(59) = 7.18, p < 0.01] in the pre-post-tests in both groups, pointing to the good efficacy of the program. Cohen’s d indicates a significant effect size for the KAP of volunteering in both groups. The results emphasize the relevance of mobilizing students for volunteering by enhancing their awareness and practice of volunteering. We recommend adding this training program as part of extra-curricular activities in academic institutions across Oman and similar contexts. Facilitating voluntarism among university students has implications for contributing to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through education for sustainable development efforts envisaged in targets 4.7 and 17.7.
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spelling doaj-art-83ff5abec5e347e8b97dfc7d2f004bd42025-08-20T14:10:08ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Sociology2297-77752025-08-011010.3389/fsoc.2025.16363701636370A specialized training program enhances university students’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices on volunteering: evidence from OmanEmad Farouk Saleh0Wafa Said Al-Maamari1Ahmed Thabet Helal Ibrahim2Magdy M. Mostafa3P. Padma Sri Lekha4E. P. Abdul Azeez5College of Arts and Social Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Seeb, OmanCollege of Arts and Social Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Seeb, OmanCollege of Arts and Social Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Seeb, OmanCollege of Arts and Social Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Seeb, OmanSchool of Social Sciences and Languages, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, IndiaSchool of Social Sciences and Languages, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, IndiaThe decreasing involvement of youth in voluntary practices necessitates training and mobilizing them for voluntary activities. Therefore, the present study aimed to develop and test the efficacy of a culture-sensitive training program on enhancing knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of volunteering among university students in Oman. We adopted a quasi-experimental design with a pre-post-test on the KAP of volunteering and designed a specialized training program spanning 10 weeks. Training was given to two groups of university students independently during different semesters to test the efficacy of the program (group 1 and group 2). The results of the paired t-test suggested a significant difference in knowledge, attitude, practice, and overall KAP [group 1: t(29) = 15.73, p < 0.01; group 2: t(59) = 7.18, p < 0.01] in the pre-post-tests in both groups, pointing to the good efficacy of the program. Cohen’s d indicates a significant effect size for the KAP of volunteering in both groups. The results emphasize the relevance of mobilizing students for volunteering by enhancing their awareness and practice of volunteering. We recommend adding this training program as part of extra-curricular activities in academic institutions across Oman and similar contexts. Facilitating voluntarism among university students has implications for contributing to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through education for sustainable development efforts envisaged in targets 4.7 and 17.7.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsoc.2025.1636370/fullvolunteeringawarenessOmanknowledgeattitude and practicetraining program
spellingShingle Emad Farouk Saleh
Wafa Said Al-Maamari
Ahmed Thabet Helal Ibrahim
Magdy M. Mostafa
P. Padma Sri Lekha
E. P. Abdul Azeez
A specialized training program enhances university students’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices on volunteering: evidence from Oman
Frontiers in Sociology
volunteering
awareness
Oman
knowledge
attitude and practice
training program
title A specialized training program enhances university students’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices on volunteering: evidence from Oman
title_full A specialized training program enhances university students’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices on volunteering: evidence from Oman
title_fullStr A specialized training program enhances university students’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices on volunteering: evidence from Oman
title_full_unstemmed A specialized training program enhances university students’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices on volunteering: evidence from Oman
title_short A specialized training program enhances university students’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices on volunteering: evidence from Oman
title_sort specialized training program enhances university students knowledge attitudes and practices on volunteering evidence from oman
topic volunteering
awareness
Oman
knowledge
attitude and practice
training program
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsoc.2025.1636370/full
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