The disaster resilience project: a school-based feasibility and acceptability study

To assess the feasibility and acceptability of the pilot version of the Disaster Resilience Project (DRP), an empirical study was undertaken in two Victorian Secondary schools in Australia. The study had three main objectives: 1) to determine the overall feasibility and acceptability of the DRP as an educational resource; 2) to determine the feasibility and acceptability of the individual lessons and the specific teaching and learning activities comprising those lessons; and 3) to determine the feasibility and acceptability of the teacher-delivered model of implementation. The study was not intended to evaluate the effectiveness of the DRP in terms of student learning outcomes or disaster resilience outcomes, but to inform the merit of the program and to guide design enhancements, which can then be tested in a future effectiveness trial.

The study adopted an exploratory inductive research design and qualitative research methods that enabled the feasibility and acceptability of the DRP to be studied from the standpoint of students and teachers. Students and teachers are rarely afforded any substantive role in the development of DRE programs.

Through an inductive approach which privileged student and teacher voice, this study sought to rectify the general exclusion of teachers and students from DRE program development and provide them with a platform for directly participating in decision-making relating to program design and implementation.

The study was conducted in a Catholic independent school located on the southern fringe of Ballarat and a Victorian Government school located on the eastern side of Dandenong Ranges. Across the two schools, teachers delivered the DRP to four Year 7 and three Year 8 classes. A total of 128 students from these classes then participated in focus group discussions and four teachers participated in in-depth semi-structured interviews. Both the student focus group discussions and the teacher interviews explored the overall feasibility and acceptability of the DRP, the feasibility and acceptability of the individual lessons and learning activities, and the feasibility and acceptability model of implementation.