From volunteer intention to volunteer behavior: An empirical study on volunteer service participation among university students in China

Wenting Zhu and Ninggui Duan

African Educational Research Journal
Published: September 18 2026
Volume 14, Issue 3
Pages 717-732
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22832585

Abstract

High participation yet low retention in university student volunteer service is associated with constraints on the effectiveness of practice-based education in higher education. Existing research has predominantly focused on the formation mechanisms of volunteer intention, whereas the intention–behavior transition and the underlying mechanisms of sustained participation remain insufficiently understood. Drawing on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), this study integrates the Big Five personality traits to develop a “psychological cognition–volunteer intention–volunteer behavior” analytical framework. Based on a sample of 508 university students with volunteer service experience from 24 public undergraduate institutions in Guizhou Province, China, this study examines the mechanisms linked to university students’ volunteer behavior. The findings indicate that attitude, perceived behavioral control, and Big Five personality traits are positively associated with volunteer intention, with personality traits demonstrating the strongest explanatory power. Volunteer intention is positively associated with volunteer behavior, fully mediating the relationships between attitude, Big Five personality traits, and volunteer behavior, while exhibiting differentiated mediation pathways between perceived behavioral control and volunteer behavior. Subjective norm shows no significant association with volunteer intention yet is negatively associated with volunteer behavior, reflecting the “subjective norm paradox” in the indigenous campus context and suggesting that sustained university student volunteer participation is more closely linked to intrinsic value identification and perceived competence. This study broadens the explanatory boundaries of the Theory of Planned Behavior, providing theoretical support and practical reference for higher education institutions to address the predicament of short-term participation and optimize volunteer service education and mobilization support systems.

Keywords: University students, volunteer service, Theory of Planned Behavior, personality traits.

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