Werla: Experiences of Physical Education Teachers in Responding to Disasters

Disasters, whether natural calamities or unforeseen accidents, are inherently unpredictable and can occur at any time, both inside and outside the classroom. As students spend most of their time at school, the teachers become their primary guardians. Among educators, PE teachers play a key role in emergency preparedness, fostering physical awareness, resilience, and quick decision-making. Hence, this qualitative phenomenological study investigated the experiences of PE teachers in responding to disasters. Data was collected from 10 PE teachers in total utilizing in-depth interviews that were facilitated using an interview guide questionnaire. The data was analyzed using thematic analysis to unravel themes. Based on the findings, skills acquired in responding to emergency situations flourished to have three major themes: First Aid Skills, Medical First Response, and the Community Emergency Response Team training. Among the experiences encountered by PE teachers upon responding to emergency situations are: experiences of hunger and sacrifice, fear for life and safety, and gained bruises and pains. PE teachers’ reactions and actions during emergency situations are encapsulated by three major themes: feeling of fear and anxiety, staying calm, keeping focus and presence of mind. After becoming volunteers and becoming responsible for the safety of some, the learnings of the participants are revealed by three major themes: knowledge and skills are an advantage, community emergency response is essential, and preparedness and focus are vital. PE teacher training programs efficiently equip teachers to deal with crises, accidents, and first aid. Higher education institutions must maintain these programs and offer continuous professional development to meet evolving needs if teachers are the first to respond to incidents in schools. Community collaboration and student training are also essential for boosting overall resilience. Future studies should examine different emergency response methods as well as the impact of environmental and cultural elements on teacher reactions if our goal is to enhance teacher responses during emergencies. Article visualizations: