HELPERS

Identification of a Social Problem

In higher education, one of the primary goals of instructors is to make their students aware that their motivation should go beyond simply obtaining a degree during their years at university. It is important for them to use their knowledge and proactive attitude to serve society even after receiving their diploma. The goal of the "SEGÍTÉSEK" (which means "HELPERS" in English) program was to mentor students living in children's homes through weekly 2-hour personal sessions.

Research findings

The measurement tool used was the Self-report Altruistic Personality Scale (SRA), which assesses individuals' altruistic and selfless helping tendencies in different situations. The higher the score achieved by the respondent, the more help they have provided in everyday life. The questionnaire revealed that the participating students in the program displayed higher scores and exhibited more altruistic helping behaviors in everyday situations compared to the average for their age group.

Description of the method

The Helping Attitude Scale questionnaire was used to assess the general helping attitudes of the students. Through 20 questions, it examined their feelings, beliefs, and behaviors related to interactions with others. Comparing the results with international literature data, the participating students in the program demonstrated higher levels of helping attitudes compared to the average values of international and foreign university students.

The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) (Cohen et al., 1983) measures the thoughts and feelings that characterize a person's perception of stress. It assesses the subjective experience of stress during the past month, including the perceived predictability, controllability, and overload of daily life. According to the results, the stress levels of the participating students in the program were lower compared to the literature data. This indicates lower perceived stress and, concurrently, a higher general well-being, which provides a solid foundation for effective fulfillment of the helper role.

Contact

Nóra Lenkai (Eötvös Loránd University, Savaria University Centre)
E-mail