Are Tomorrow’s Teachers Ready to Save Lives in Cases of Emergency?

Abstract

It is beyond dispute that immediate and proper first-aid in cases of emergency plays a vital role in saving lives. At schools, teachers happen to be the first witnesses to sudden injuries and illnesses and are expected to confidently and efficiently respond to such cases of emergency to preserve students’ health. Therefore, whether teachers believe in themselves that they can implement correct first aid measures is quite critical. Therefore, through utilizing a new measure (The First Aid Self- Efficacy Scale), the present study intends to (1) assess tomorrow’s teachers’ first aid self-efficacy levels, (2) to identify whether significant differences exists among participants who received different types of first-aid trainings (1: no training, 2: course in the elementary school curriculum, 3: driving course, 4: voluntary professional training) in terms of their efficacy beliefs, and (3) to investigate the effect of gender on teacher candidates’ first aid self-efficacy levels. To address the research questions, a paired t-test and two one-way MANOVAs were conducted, and descriptive statistics have been provided. The results reveal that tomorrow’s teachers failed to believe in themselves especially when complex first aid measures are needed. Moreover, those who voluntarily attended first aid training programs were found to be significantly more self-efficacious. Male participants were discovered to feel more competent to initiate first aid interventions in case of sudden injuries and illnesses. To overcome the evident hesitancy to step into action in cases of emergency, more systematic and meticulous first aid training needs to be embedded in educational programs, particularly teacher education programs.