Date of Conferral
11-18-2025
Date of Award
November 2025
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Psychology
Advisor
Robin Friedman
Abstract
As global aging trends and longer life expectancy encourage many seniors to seek meaningful engagement through volunteering, this research examined how such activities influence their perceptions and experiences. While much of the existing literature on volunteering in later life has concentrated on individuals involved in local community service, little research has addressed what motivates seniors to volunteer abroad. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the perceptions and lived experiences of German volunteers aged 55 or older in development service in Tanzania and the influence of these experiences on their lives. The theoretical framework examined the guiding approaches on volunteer motivation in later life, particularly focusing on Erikson’s stage theory of development and Homans’s social exchange theory. Transcendental phenomenology was the research method. Data were collected through interviews with 12 participants, who had participated in development services in Tanzania for a minimum of 2 weeks within the past 10 years. Moustakas’s steps for data analysis were used and resulted in six themes: (a) initial motivation to volunteer, (b) the process of growth and transformation, (c) connecting personally across borders, (d) horizons of giving, generativity, and reward, (e) encounters in development contexts, and ethical issues, and (f) project work in Tanzania. Collectively, these findings highlight the powerful potential of international volunteerism among older adults to promote social change by fostering active aging, global solidarity, and lifelong engagement beyond retirement.
Recommended Citation
Wohanka, Barbara, "The Perceptions and Lived Experiences of German Volunteers Aged 55 or Older in Development Service in Tanzania" (2025). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 18776.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/18776
