Noticing a lack of literature on volunteerism in South Africa, Sociology graduate student Sara Compion decided to focus her studies on home. Within her research, Compion began investigating connections between volunteering and democratization while also exploring why many South Africans volunteer, titling her dissertation “Volunteering and democratization in Africa: How individual traits and national contexts inform non-political volunteering.” In this podcast, Sara Compion discusses her research, interest in volunteerism, and about receiving the National Science Foundation Dissertation Improvement Grant.
Graduate students and faculty interested in brushing up on quantitative research methodology, software knowledge or grant-writing techniques should get to know QIPSR. The Quantitative Initiative of Policy and Social Research is an organization committed to enhancing quantitative research across various colleges at the University of Kentucky.