Assessing undergraduate student engagement with emergency preparedness activities and factors affecting their perception of preparedness

Abstract

This dissertation explored undergraduate students’ engagement with emergency preparedness activities and the factors that may influence their Perception of Preparedness. An anonymous online survey was conducted with undergraduate students at a public university in the Mid-Atlantic, and the results were analyzed using a quantitative methods approach. Preparedness activities were organized into three activity groups: Stockpile Items & Emergency Kits, Planning & Plans, and Knowledge & Training. This research utilized Lindell & Perry’s Protective Action Decision Model (PADM) (2012) to guide identification and organization of variables, and to explore potential causal relationships between factor groups and Perception of Preparedness. Findings from the analyses indicated that undergraduate students engaged in all three types of emergency preparedness activities, and their engagement had a statistically significant relationship with their Perception of Preparedness. The PADM adapted to an outcome of “Perception of Preparedness”, and statistical testing of whether it provided a statistically significant framework of influential factors yielded mixed results. The dissertation provided several contributions, including an in-depth literature review, an assessment of the emergency preparedness of undergraduate students, and a door-opener for testing the application of the PADM to Perception of Preparedness.