Design and psychometric evaluation of schools’ resilience tool in Emergencies and disasters: A mixed-method

Abstract

Background In addition to their educational role, resilient schools have a good capacity in response to disasters. Due to the large student population, the schools can be a safe and secure environment during disasters, in addition to maintaining their performance after. Given the role and importance of the schools, the impact of culture and environment on resilience, without any indigenous and comprehensive tool for measuring the resilience in Iran, the study aimed to design and psychometrically evaluate the measurement tools. Method This study was conducted using a mixed-method sequential explanatory approach. The research was conducted in two main phases of production on items based on hybrid model and the psychometric evaluation of the tool. The second phase included validity (formal, content and construction) and reliability (multiplex internal similarity, consistency and reliability). Result The integration of systematic and qualitative steps resulted in entering 91 items into the pool of items. After formal and content validity, 73 items remained and 44 were omitted in exploratory factor analysis. A questionnaire with 5 factors explained 52.08% of total variance. Finally, after the confirmatory factor analysis, the questionnaire was extracted with 29 questions and 5 factors including "functional", "architectural", "equipment", "education" and "safety". Internal similarity and stability in all factors were evaluated as good. Conclusion The result showed that the 29-item questionnaire of school resilience in emergencies and disasters is valid and reliable, that can be used to evaluate school resilience. On the other hand, the questionnaire on assessment of school resilience in disasters enables intervention to improve its capacity.

Development and Validation of an Instrument for Assessing Nurses’ Control Sources of Resilience in the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Also, for confirming the differential validity of the instrument, the following conditions were considered: ASV< AVE and MSV<AVE ( 38 ). The convergent and discriminant validity of the instrument was measured using the Excel macro of Professor James Gaskin in the Excel software ( 39 ).…”

Roles of Schools and Educators in Supporting Resilience in Young Children after Disasters

“…Schools exist as meaningful environments for children and their communities; therefore, ensuring that schools remain open or open as quickly as possible post-disaster as an educational environment provides a sense of normalcy for the affected community (Mirzaei et al, 2021;Pacheco et al, 2022;Seyle et al, 2013). Masten (2015) reiterates that "schools are a powerful symbol of normal life in societies," which is why they are so significant after a disaster or tragedy (p. 218).…”

“…Schools also play an essential role in community disaster risk, response, and recovery (Masten, 2020;Mirzaei et al, 2021). Pacheco et al (2022) suggest that schools play a significant role as "community hubs for local disaster risk management planning," and they are environments that are locally accessible (p. 7).…”

“…One additional method of promoting resilience is for educators and community planners to allow children to play an integral role in suggesting creative restoration and rebuilding ideas for their school and community after a disaster (GADRRRES, 2022;Mirzaei et al, 2021).…”

“…Communities rely on schools as children's educational, social, and economic developmental hubs, and schools can be safe and caring environments in a disaster, highlighting their importance in supporting children's resilience and rebuilding communities (Alpen Institute, 2021;Mirzaei et al, 2021). Schools and educators are often regarded as trusting spaces and individuals, thus, schools become a haven, educators' roles surpass traditional classroom teaching, and caring educators regularly monitor their students' well-being, inherently nurturing resilience during a disaster (Brooks & Goldstein, 2008;D'Emidio-Caston, 2019;Gardner & Stephens-Pisecco, 2019).…”