LEVEL OF EARTHQUAKE DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AMONG FIRST

YEAR CRIMINOLOGY STUDENTS OF RAMON MAGSAYSAY MEMORIAL

COLLEGES

A Thesis

Presented to the Faculty of the Teacher Education Program

RAMON MAGSAYSAY MEMORIAL COLLEGES

General Santos City

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements in Thesis Writing 2

Bachelor of Elementary Education Major in Generalist

BERNADINA M. KASAN

DECEMBER 2023

Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

Rationale
 Disaster preparedness is a crucial aspect of ensuring the safety and well-

being of individuals, communities, and organizations in the face of natural or

man-made disasters. Being prepared can mitigate the impact of disasters and

save lives. disaster preparedness is grounded in the understanding that

disasters, whether natural or man-made, can have devastating consequences on

individuals, communities, and societies at large. By proactively preparing for

potential disasters, the goal is to minimize the impact on lives, property, and the

overall well-being of affected populations.

Natural and human-induced disasters are rampant in certain areas around

the globe,especially in disaster-prone and risk-vulnerable countries. In the

Philippines, where most of the provinces are susceptible to both natural and

human-induced disasters, disaster risk management acquires gradually more

crucial to government’s interference. Philippine Disaster Risk and Management

Act (PDRMA) of 2010.

Youth, including first-year Criminology students, represent a significant

segment of the population that plays a crucial role in community preparedness.

Understanding their knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to earthquake

preparedness can help tailor educational and awareness campaigns to address

their specific needs and enhance their ability to respond effectively during an

earthquake event. Criminology students, due to their future roles in law

enforcement and emergency response, are well-positioned to contribute to

community preparedness and resilience. Evaluating their earthquake

preparedness can identify potential gaps and opportunities to equip them with

essential skills and knowledge to assist communities in disaster situations.

Moreover, The Philippines is highly susceptible to earthquakes, making

earthquake preparedness a vital concern for its citizens. Earthquakes are one of

the most devastating and frightening natural disasters a person can experience.

They happen without warning in areas all around the world. Earthquakes can

cause major damage and fatalities in populated areas, but the earthquake itself is

not always to blame. Other natural disasters can be caused by earthquakes and

these can be equally, and sometimes more, destructive. June 25, 2018 By

Michele Cooper.

The Philippines is known to be highly vulnerable to natural disasters ranking

third out of 173 countries in terms of vulnerability to disaster risk (United Nations

University- Institute for Environment and Human Security, 2011). Disaster risk is

expressed in terms of potential loss of lives, deterioration of health status and

livelihoods, and potential damage to assets and services due to impact of

existing natural hazard. (Tuladhar, Yatabe, Dahal, & Bhandary, 2015). Hence,

the country placed special emphasis on minimizing disaster risk by developing

strategies for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). DRR is a systematic approach to

identify, assess and reduce disaster risk (Onstada et al., 2012) and avert the

unfavorable effects of natural disasters, facilitating a sustainable development

process. The Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience

of Nations and Communities to Disasters (HFA) serves as the global

blueprint for disaster risk reduction (DRR) efforts. Further, it plays an integral
part in managing disasters by reinforcing the capacities of communities towards

the risk and adverse impacts of natural hazards (Saño, 2010)

This study aims to fill a gap in existing knowledge by providing empirical data

on the level of earthquake preparedness among first-year Criminology students

at RMMC. This data can inform the development of targeted interventions, such

as educational programs, training sessions, and community-based initiatives, to

enhance their preparedness and contribute to building a more resilient society.

By investigating the earthquake preparedness of first-year Criminology

students at RMMC, this study seeks to contribute valuable knowledge that can

guide the development of effective disaster risk reduction strategies and

empower students to play a proactive role in ensuring community preparedness

and resilience in the face of this natural hazard.

Research Objectives

The researcher aims to determine the level of earthquake disaster

preparedness of 1st Year Criminology students of Ramon Magsaysay Memorial

Colleges.

Specifically, it will answer the following questions:

1. To determine the level of earthquake disaster preparedness of 1st year

criminology students

2. To develop an intervention program based on the result of the study.

Review of Related Literature

Review of related literature was presented in order for the researcher

understand the essential background of this study. In view thereof, other similar

studies and researches are likewise included because their bearing to the study

provide sufficient information that will help contribute to the justification of this

study.

Disaster Preparedness

The Philippines poorly performs in disaster management particularly on

financial utilization, information management, leadership, monitoring,

collaboration, and coordination with various stakeholders (Commission on Audit

[COA] Report 2014). Its rehabilitation and recovery effort in the past has been the

weakest (Office of Civil Defense [OCD] 2020).

Panay is a 1,169,247-hectare island (Department of Environment and

Natural Resources (DENR), 2018) with a population of around 2.4 million

(Philippine Statistics Authority 2016).

Iloilo City, the regional center of business and government is the 5th most

populated highly urbanized city outside the capital Manila. In 2017, it posted a

6.1% economic growth (National Economic and Development Authority 2017).

 Public perception of climate change vulnerability is important to explore for

several reasons. First, it can be assessed against observed climate data to see if

people are directly perceiving or experiencing changes in their environment

(Combest-Friedman et al., 2012, Monirul et al., 2017)

Additionally, non-formal education, like disaster trainings and drills, are also

positively linked with increased resilience. Consequently, living in a community

with higher levels of education significantly increases the implementation of

preparedness activities (Hoffmann and Muttarak, 2017).

Surprisingly, given the commonality of the factors identified across the

climate change and disaster preparedness literature, the potential direct linkages

between perception of climate change and disaster preparedness is under-

explored, especially in the Philippines. One exception found that awareness of

climate change and disaster risk was positively associated with self-efficacy,

distress, risk perception, concern, responsibility, resilience, and adaptive

capacity, while distress, risk perception, and dconcern were found to have a

negative association on resilience, concluding that higher risk perception and

concern may not positively influence adaptive capacity (Mercado 2016).

Generally, the people with high seismic risk perception and a prior

earthquake experience tend to have better preparedness.( Qing et al., 2021).It is

promote to geological and natural disasters such as earthquakes and volcanic

eruptions due to its archipelago located in the Pacific Ring of Fire (Blanco,

2015). The country’s location is alsohighly vulnerable to numerous

meteorological hazards. (Lapidez et al., 2015).

It is located in the path of tropical cyclones, that were categorized as a

tropical depression, tropical storm, severe tropical storm, typhoon, and super

typhoon. According to Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical

Services Administration, there is an average of 20 tropical cyclones entering the

Philippine area of responsibility. The Philippine government has allocated crucial

resources to establish disaster capacity and degrade population vulnerability and

exposure, locally and nationally.Some of the schools in Davao City are

conducting a Disaster Preparedness Activity to help each student on what to do

in terms of any upcoming calamities. According to Mac Mamon (2017),

The Department of Education (DepEd) implements one of the contingency of

the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management act of 2010 (DRRM Act)

to promote this activity preparedness in the school curriculums and any other

school programs, and to boost the level of resiliency of the students toward

natural disasters. The City Government of Davao established the Central 911 on

2004 in performing the mitigation process needed for the city. They built 911

buildings and bought vehicles in fulfilling the readiness against suburban

hazards. Furthermore, the City was recognized as the best government

emergency management system (Sunstar Davao, 2018).

 Previous studies that pertained to disaster preparedness focused on the

Disaster Risk Reduction and Management of Tarlac City, its disaster risk

reduction and managementstructure (Mohammed, 2018).

The author of the said study also stated that the CDRRMO has a hazard map

with identified barangays prone to flooding, lahar flow, an earthquake.The plans

of the City Government are aligned with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk

Reduction, and is evident in the list of programs and projects in their action plans.

The existence of community-based responders showed that the City Government

had extendedsupport to the barangay level by molding local officials on how to

respond in times of disaster (Mohammed, 2018).

Another study by Hoffmann & Muttarak (2017) shows the Education and

Experience Impacts on Disaster Preparedness in two countries, mainly in the

Philippines and Thailand. On the contrary, the edge of this study regarding

disaster preparedness despite the existing studies is that this research highlights

the evaluation and assessment of what the STEM students have learned and

how they could contribute on the mitigation process while being prepared from

the disasters.

Unanticipated events such as disaster can inundate the capacity of the

affected people to manage its impact. Numerous people are exposed to natural

disasters in their life periodically; most disasters cannot be prevented.Knowing

how prepared the SHS students of UIC is, in times of calamities that could occur,

assess the mitigation approaches they implement starting from themselves.

Thus, this is a strong indication of the urgency and prioritization needed for this

research’s topic in lined with disaster preparedness. (Kulatunga, 2017)

This literature review will explore the dominant discourse surrounding the two

main categories that make up disaster risk, based on the World Risk Report’s

index, which are exposure and vulnerability (Behlert et al., 2020).

The described challenges for collaboration on health DRR in the Philippines

included as a main element the lack of available documents and awareness of

DRR activities and available research (Banwell et al., 2016).

Unfortunately, the response mechanisms worked as they had been working

until that moment: regional solidarity, support from neighbouring Regions and

then the support from the National level. Prevention activities had not been

enhanced other than the “traditional” ones such as the evacuation centres and

the activities that the Filipino population had been developing previously…so

there was already a way and a road to follow, at least documentation wise.

Nevertheless, local governments are understaffed (Alcayna et al., 2016) and lack

the means needed to implement the national policies.

As a result, all the DRR community based activities that are being developed

and have been identified in previous studies (Alcayna et al., 2016) of the full
disaster response cycles have identified important gaps, both at research and

practical levels

The enactment of the RA 10212 (Brassard et al., 2015) created the basis for a

shift in the approach, coming from a disaster preparedness and response to the

strengthening of the DRR Management.

The international response produced a big influx of resources into the country

as well as a “reality check” for the Filipino authorities. In many cases, Local

Governments and Local NGOs were not aware of the cluster system for

coordination of resources and not understand the how and where to request their

needs (Alcayna et al., 2016).

Theoretical Framework

This study was anchored on the following theories by The Theory of Planned

Behavior and Disaster Preparedness of Mehdi Najafi (2017),Inquiry-Based

Theory of John dewey (1960), Cognitive Development Theory of Jean Piaget

(1896), The Protection Motivation Theory (PMT), The Theory of Planned

Behavior (TPB).

The Theory of Planned Behavior and Disaster Preparedness of Mehdi Najafi

(2017) which emphasizez that disaster is “a serious disruption of the functioning

of a community or a society involving widespread human, material, economic or

environmental losses and impacts, which exceeds the ability of the affected

community or society to cope using its own resources”. Although the categories

and causes of disasters may differ, their impacts are common; therefore, a

disaster plan should address disaster impacts. Disaster preparedness is defined

as actions that ensure resources necessary to carry out an effective response

are available before a disaster, or they can be obtained promptly when needed.

Disaster preparedness are preparations and adjustments such as storing

food and water, preparing a household emergency plan, preparing an emergency

kit, and other activities that reduce risk or injury and damage. Actually, disaster

preparedness is a health protective behavior, so the behavioral approaches have

taken center stage as a means of it. Even though hundreds of thousands of lives

were affected without warning by disasters yearly, most people do not concern

themselves by preparing until disaster strikes. Therefore, it has become obvious

that a more broad-based effort of behavioral change is required. Effective

interventions to promote disaster preparedness require a thorough understanding

of the factors that influence performance or nonperformance of disaster

preparedness behaviors (DPB).

Inquiry-Based Theory of John Dewey (1960) which emphasized that every

child is active, curious, and eager to learn. He thought that children needed to

engage with others and work independently as well as cooperatively with their

classmates and adults. Dewey’s experiential learning pedagogy (that is, learning

through experiences) comprises the learner actively participating in personal or

authentic experiences to make meaning from it. This framework defines the

elements required to generate deep and meaningful learning. According to the

original concept, the education experience occurs at the intersection of three

presences: cognitive, teaching, and social. Presence is described in our

application of this paradigm as a state of awareness, receptivity, and

contentedness to the social, cognitive, emotional, and physical workings of both

the person and the group in the context of their learning settings (derived from a

definition by Rodgers and Raider-Roth, 2006)

Inquiry-based teaching and learning are more vital than ever as a learning

process and a subject for learning to learn. Inquiry-based teaching and learning

originated in the 1960s, during the so-called "me generation," and drew

inspiration from foundation thinkers in education such as Dewey (1938) and

Vygotsky (1997), who saw the use of individual experience and the construction

of one's knowledge structures as critical to engagement and learning outcomes.

Learning through cognitive engagement, as opposed to content-based learning,

gives students more influence over how they acquire a knowledge foundation.

Beyond content acquisition, inquiry-based learning is seen as a key opportunity

for developing competence in higher-order thinking skills (Garrison 2016).

Based on Schwab's (1966) early work, this teaching approach provides

structure to guide students through active inquiry procedures. Schwab defines

active inquiry as the process of inviting learners to identify linkages between

concepts or variables through the use of questions, challenges, and material. As

the learners progress, questions or difficulties are provided to them, and they
must find their own solutions. A topic is provided in the third and final stage, and

learners find questions, issues, approaches, and answers as the teacher guides

and promote learning (Cleveland-Innes et al., 2018).

Lastly Cognitive Development Theory, by Jean Piaget (1896) a Swiss

psychologist emphasizes that child’s intelligence changes as they mature.

Children's cognitive development involves more than just learning; they also

need to create or refine a mental model of the world around them. The

pedagogical growth of blended learning began with the behaviorist, cognitive and

social constructivist rationales of pedagogy and progressed into connectives,

which are regarded as the learning theory of the current digital age. Piaget saw

an unexpected underlying mechanism of cognitive development at work in

children's ordinary acts. Moment-to-moment contacts with items or people, in his

opinion, lead to universal ways of viewing the world. This knowledge evolves as

thought grows through numerous phases from infancy to adulthood. Piaget's idea

was the first important theory of cognitive development, and it resulted in the first

significant body of study on children's thinking (Blake, 2015; Miller, 2011).

Developed by Roger Parrot, PMT proposes that individuals' motivation to

engage in protective behaviors is influenced by two primary factors:

Perceived severity: Their perception of the seriousness and potential harm of the

threat (earthquake in this case).Perceived self-efficacy: Their belief in their ability

to perform the necessary actions to protect themselves (earthquake

preparedness).
 Developed by Icek Ajzen, TPB proposes that individuals' intentions are the

strongest predictors of their actual behavior.This framework suggests that

students' preparedness behavior will be influenced by attitudes their positive or

negative evaluations of earthquake preparedness. Also in Subjective norms, their

perceptions of social pressure to engage in preparedness activities. Lastly

perceived behavioral control, their belief in their ability to overcome obstacles

and successfully implement preparedness actions.

Significance of the Study

The findings of this study could be of significance to the following group of

individuals:

The School Administration. The studys findings will provide valuable

insights into the current level of earthquake preparedness among first-year

Criminology students, allowing RMMC to develop targeted interventions and

programs to improve their knowledge, skills, and access to resources, ultimately

enhancing their safety and well-being during earthquake events. By

understanding the strengths and weaknesses of existing disaster preparedness

initiatives, RMMC can develop more comprehensive and effective risk

management strategies, ensuring the safety of its entire student population in the

face of natural hazards.

The Teachers. The findings of this study may assist them in decision-making

on a variety of alternative ways for increasing student awareness in prepairing for

disaster. This would serve as their foundation for determining what appropriate
intervention they would provide to improve students’ performance in the subject,

particularly in facing calamities in ongouing and outgoing to school

The Parents. This study will give them a better understanding and

perspective on the possible intervention that will be provided. Thus, this could

guide them in handling disaster even at their home.

The Students. This study encourages students to become active

participants in promoting a culture of preparedness within the college community.

Students can share their knowledge and skills with peers, family members, and

the broader community, contributing to a more resilient society. By participating

in the study and engaging with educational materials, students will gain valuable

knowledge about earthquake preparedness, reducing their vulnerability and

empowering them to take proactive steps to protect themselves and their loved

ones.

The Future Researcher. This study will add to the growing body of

information in the field of educational research. The result of the study will serve

as a guide for other researchers who would like to embark or conduct a study

related to this.

Definition of Terms

The term used in this study is given an operational definition to establish a

common understanding among its readers

Disaster Preparedness The process of planning and taking steps to

minimize the impact of a disaster. This includes activities such as identifying

potential hazards, developing evacuation plans, storing emergency supplies, and

learning first-aid skills.

Earthquake. A sudden and violent shaking of the ground, caused by the

sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust. This energy is typically caused by

the movement of tectonic plates, which are large slabs of rock that make up the

Earth's crust. Earthquakes can range in intensity from barely noticeable tremors

to violent events that can cause widespread damage and destruction.

Chapter 2

METHOD

This chapter presented the discussion on the research methodology of the

study. It includes the research design, research locale, population and sample,

research instrument, data collection and statistical tools used for an accurate

data interpretation.

Research Design

This study utilized the descriptive survey method of research. As widely

accepted, the descriptive survey method of research categorizes as a survey that

collects data through observation. The method of research is concerned with the

current phenomena in terms of situations, practices, beliefs, processes, and so

on. Survey research is the most often utilized method across all disciplines.

Descriptive study is to describe individuals, events, or conditions by studying

them as they are in nature. A survey study includes gathering information about

one or more people possibly about their characteristics, attitudes, or prior

experiences by questioning them and tabulating their responses (Siedlecki,

2020)

Research Locale

The researcher conducted the study at Ramon Magsaysay Memorial

Colleges located in Pioneer Avenue, Corner Roxas Avenue General Santos City.

This is a private and non-sectarian educational institution which aspires to

maintain and improve students' academic performance while being globally

competitive in terms of teaching-learning experience through the continuing

provision of excellent education under the supervision of the school

administrator, teachers, and stakeholders it is dedicated to provide students with

an inexpensive and high-quality education. It also strives for excellence in South

Central Mindanao dedicated by giving holistic education. The PACUCOA

conferred Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Colleges as the only Higher Education

and it is also an ISO Certified school. The college offers a range of two-year

Associates and four-year Bachelor’s Degrees in Accountancy, Liberal Arts,

Business, Engineering, Information Technology, Education, Social Work and

Criminology as well as graduate program in education.

As a private, non-sectarian college, RMMC considers itself as a center of

innovation, development, and excellence in the South Central Mindanao region.

It is also one of the schools in the Philippines that cater to the K-12 Senior High

Level. This K-12 program offers different strands such as Science, Technology,

Engineering and Mathematics, Humanities and Social Sciences, General

Academic Strand and Accounting, Business and Management. RMMC also is a

TESDA school based that offers different competencies such as Bookkeeping

NC III, Housekeeping NC II, Health Care Servicing NC II, Massage Servicing NC

II, Dress Making NC II, Electrical Servicing NC I & NC II, Security Servicing NC II,

Drafting NC II, Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) NC I, Front Desk NC II, and

Driving NC II.
Figure 1. Locale of the Study

Population and Sample

The research respondents were the 114 first-year college students in the

course of College of Criminology Justice who were enrolled at Ramon

Magsaysay Memorial Colleges (RMMC) during the academic year 2022-2023.

Table 1. Respondents: 1st year Criminology

Gender Frequency Percentage

Male 100 47

Female 114 53

Total 214 100

Research Instrument

The survey questionnaire was the major instrument used in conducting the

study hence, the researcher opted to adapt a research questionnaire from

(Hafiszudin 2015; Lu, 2021) about the level of earthquake disaster preparedness
which used in this study. It was a questionnaire that formulated by the researcher

and validated by the research experts. It was to secure the relativity of the

questions aimed to determine the level of earthquake disaster

preparedness .Questionnaires were given to the respondents and they answered

the questions by checking the box based on their chosen scale. Below is the

scale that was used in analyzing the data.

Scale Description

4 Strongly Agree

3 Agree

2 Disagree

1 Strongly Disagree

Data Collection

For a systematic approach to conducting this research, it was best to

organize procedures in gathering data. The researcher wrote a letter and formally

asked the permission of the school to conduct a survey about the level of

earthquake disaster preparedness among first year criminology students of

ramon magsaysay memorial colleges.Then, the researcher adapted a research

questionnaire from (Hafiszudin 2015; Lu, 2021) displaying a 20 items checklist

type of questions. Questionnaires were distributed to participants and collected

by the researcher after participants had finished them. Participants assured that

the investigation conducted solely for the purpose of academic research and did
not affect their assessment in any way so that they could respond to the

questionnaire objectively and honestly.

Moreover, to ensure the confidentiality and honesty of answers, the

researcher handed the instruments to the respondents via survey form, in

determining the level of earthquake disaster preparedness of first year

criminology students The questionnaires were distributed at the middle of the

semester to all First year students taking the Criminology course. The collected

data was tabulated and statistically analyzed using descriptive survey and

weighted arithmetic mean as the statistical tools. Hence, the results that were

gathered had been tallied and undergone a comprehensive analysis based on

the statistical tool that was used.

Statistical Tools

Descriptive Statistics including weighted arithmetic mean in treating was

used in the problem 1 which focused on determining the level of earthquake

disaster preparedness among first year criminology students of Ramon

Magsaysay Memorial Colleges

Ʃ(w . x)
x=
Ʃw

Where: x = weighted arithmetic mean

x = data values to be averaged

w = weights applied to x values

Ethical Consideration

The purpose of this study is to gather students’ responses that helped

inform the ongoing development of this and other learning courses. Participation

in this survey is voluntary and so is their response treated confidentially and

anonymously. Non-participation in this study does not jeopardize the student's

progress in this course. Therefore, there was an ethical consideration that has

distinct implications for this quantitative research. These issues and concerns

came out basically from the methodology that was involved in this study. This

study followed the standards of the RMMC Ethics and Review Committee for the

guidelines of ethical consideration particularly in addressing the population and

data.

Through the voluntary participation, the participants will be granted the

option to participate without any preparation for penalties, compensation, or

benefit loss. Therefore, when the goal and advantages of the study were

demonstrated to them their rights to offer the body of the participants’ knowledge

will be carefully measured and foresighted upon. In this research, the participants

will not compel to participate in the study. They were free to leave their

involvement when they are uncomfortable throughout the study's execution. She

had undergone series of revisions for her thesis based on the suggestions and

recommendations made by her adviser who had guided the researcher all

throughout for the completion of this paper. The refinement of the paper had

been made possible through the guidance of her adviser.