Becoming selfless for others: A grounded theory of commitment to service

• Main Authors: Agoncillo, Roland Nino L., Borromeo, Roberto T.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2013
• Subjects: Volunteer workers in Christian education; Lay ministry; Selflessness (Psychology); Education; Higher Education
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/faculty_research/5410
• Institution: De La Salle University

This paper evolved a grounded theory on being an Educational Partner particularly on seed of the shared mission in an educational institution. Fifty participants representing different stakeholders were interviewed over a period of almost 2 years. Interviews were analyzed using the constant comparison method. “Becoming Selfless for Others” was the core category that emerged. As a process, “Becoming Selfless for Others” consisted of five stages: Discovery of the nature of being a partner, Identifying the impetus , Contextualizing the process, Manifesting or acting out being an educational partner, and Unveiling the outcomes/consequences of being an educational partner. These processes can serve as a grounded typology or construct to enable stakeholders to gain a better hold of how they live, grasp, and deal with their “commitment to service” and what it means to “become selfless for others”. Based on the findings, educational stakeholders can be classified as kernel seeds, hard-coated seeds and moisture-soaked seeds based on their actual lived experiences in being educational partners. The theory posits that “becoming selfless for others” goes beyond the stakeholders' profession and work. Likewise, the theory speculates that certain predisposing factors such as self-identity, passion and commitment of the stakeholders could have an influence in the multi-distinct processes of “becoming selfless”.