Study of Students’ Perceptions of Natural Disaster Plans and Emergency Preparedness at a Higher Education Institution

Disaster response and emergency preparedness procedures are predicted through an in-depth and unique understanding of planning, mitigation, response, and recovery efforts. It is also contingent on both emergency responders and those impacted by the disaster to comprehend the specific social and geographical challenges of their local environment. Higher education institutions must provide students with a safe and nurturing environment to help with academic and social development. With this increased emphasis on safety, it is imperative that higher education institutions understand their students' perceptions of disaster response and emergency preparedness efforts. This purpose of this study was to utilize transformational leadership theory as a way to explore students' perceptions of natural disaster plans and emergency preparedness efforts at a higher education institution. Qualitative interviews were conducted with students regarding their knowledge of natural disaster and emergency preparedness efforts and through qualitative analysis, 12 themes emerged. The results from this study suggest a disconnect between administrators and students with regards to the effective communication of natural disaster and emergency preparedness information. In conclusion, the unique characteristics of higher education institutions such as governance and structure create a need for the emphasis of emergency preparedness procedures such as preplanning, and mitigation efforts by leadership personnel. Transformational leadership, specifically individual consideration, intellectual stimulation, inspirational motivation and idealized influence, were examined as a possible framework for addressing the characteristics of higher education institutions that limit effective communication of emergency procedures.