Factors affecting elementary and junior high school teachers’ behavioral intentions to school disaster preparedness based on the theory of planned behavior

Abstract

Taiwan's geographical location and environmental conditions present multiple hazards which, coupled with high population density and intensive land development, can easily result in significant impact from natural disasters. The key to reduce disaster risks lies in changing human behavior, diminishing man-made impact, and enhancing people's ability to cope with the consequences of disasters. In addition to the physical science, research on disasters should discuss psychological factors influencing people's intention to engage in disaster preparedness behavior. Schools are important facilities for education and, as a result, the practice and robustness of disaster management in the school has a profound influence on the disaster resilience of the campus and even the society as a whole. Understanding the potential factors influencing teachers' intention to engage in school disaster preparedness behavior is vital in that they are the main executors of school disaster preparedness. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) is the most commonly applied behavioral theory to discuss human's disaster preparedness behavior. From the perspective of disaster psychology, this study explored whether the TPB model could be used to explain the psychological perception variables of teachers' school disaster preparedness behavior, and further look into the personal background factors that affect teachers' intention and actual action in school disaster preparedness. This study collected sample data of elementary and junior high school teachers in Taiwan through questionnaire surveys. Subsequently, structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to propose the TPB model and ANOVA was used to explore the influence of personal background factors. The results showed that attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control all influenced the degree to which teachers engage in school disaster preparedness behavior, which is conformable to the TPB. Specifically, attitude was the main impact factor, which affected teachers' ability to take action through behavioral intention, whereas perceived control directly affected the degree to which teachers engage in disaster preparedness behavior. On the other hand, teachers' voluntariness was a key personal factor that affected teachers' intention and behavior in school disaster preparedness.