The contribution of personality characteristics and variables related to volunteering in predicting perceptions of leadership ability among adult volunteers at therapeutic riding centers in Israel

The assistance of volunteers in organizations is very common and has many advantages for both organizations and volunteers (Eliis, 1996; Misgav, 2014). Volunteering and social action are areas that have been gaining momentum and developing in recent years (Misgav, 2014).

 The purpose of this study is to examine personality variables and variables related to volunteering that contribute to the perception of leadership abilities of volunteers, since it is very important to examine the perception of leadership ability among volunteers. In a situation where volunteers develop leadership skills and perceive themselves as leaders, they influence their social and community environment in a broader and more systemic manner. Therefore, this study examined the contribution of personality variables (self-esteem and sense of control in life) and variables related to volunteering (motivations for volunteerism and Volunteer role) to predict the perception of leadership ability of volunteers.

The study is based on Wymer & Starnes's Model of Volunteer Behavior (2001). One of the components of "volunteer behavior" is the discovery of leadership ability, since volunteering focuses on taking responsibility for the volunteer's personal and communal behavior (Fisher, 1999; Levy, Yitzhaki and Schwartz, 2012).

Our research is conducted in six therapeutic riding centers in Israel, as part of a comprehensive study on volunteering at Bar-Ilan University. This study involved 111 adult volunteers. The volunteers filled in quantitative questionnaires (including questionnaires that serve the entire study, but this study will focus on variables: self-esteem, sense of life control, motivations for volunteering and the Volunteer role, and the concept of leadership ability), which have been distributed by me and assisted by volunteer coordinators at these centers.

For the purpose of examining the hypotheses of the study relating to the connections between the variables, Pearson tests were performed, which enable finding a link between the independent variables and the dependent variable. To examine which of the variables have the highest contribution and what their joint contribution is to the dependent variable regression tests were performed.

In this study, based on the volunteer behavior model, there is a direct correlation between the personality variables (self-esteem, sense of control in life and motives for volunteering), between the perception of leadership ability and the volunteer. On the other hand, the situational variable (Volunteer role) did not have a direct connection to the volunteer's ability to grasp his leadership ability.

In the regression tests it was found that the two personality variables (self-esteem and sense of control in life) has a significant contribution to predict the perception of leadership ability of volunteers. Regarding volunteering variables, it was found that only the variable egoistic motives for volunteering contributed significantly to the perception of the volunteer's leadership ability.

Research may have an applied and theoretical contribution. At the applied level, this study was conducted to examine the variables related to the concept of leadership ability, in order to try to cultivate and encourage this ability among volunteers in other places, as well as among new volunteers in the Center itself. On the theoretical level, there is a need for a research extension of knowledge in the field of volunteerism and leadership. Although volunteering has been gaining momentum in recent years, the research work on this subject is insufficient, and this study is intended to examine other aspects of the field in order to try to expand the literature on the subject.