Evaluation of earthquake knowledge levels of health sciences students and its effect on disaster volunteering works: Tekirdağ Namık Kemal University example

This research aims to evaluate the earthquake knowledge level of Tekirdağ Namık Kemal University Faculty of Health Sciences students and the contribution of this knowledge level to disaster volunteering activities. Disasters are events that negatively affect social life and require urgent intervention. Earthquakes are one of the most devastating natural disasters, causing great loss of life and property. In such events, a rapid and effective response is vital, and this is where disaster volunteers come into play. Disaster volunteers cooperate with professional teams during and after disasters and perform critical tasks such as saving lives and treating the injured. The main factor that increases the effectiveness of volunteers is the level of education and knowledge they receive before the disaster. Having knowledge about frequently encountered natural disasters such as earthquakes increases the effectiveness and response capacity of volunteers. In this study, survey forms and scales will be used to evaluate students' earthquake knowledge levels and the effects of this earthquake knowledge level on their volunteering activities. The population of the study consists of a total of 1200 students at Tekirdağ Namık Kemal University Faculty of Health Sciences. A minimum of 275 students were determined for sample selection. The dependent variable of the research is the students' earthquake knowledge levels. Independent variables are students' sociodemographic information and their level of participation in disaster volunteering activities. Survey participant form, disaster volunteering form and earthquake knowledge level scale will be used as data collection tools. This scale is designed to evaluate students' earthquake knowledge level. The collected data will be analyzed using SPSS software for statistical analysis. These data will be used to reveal the effects and relationships of students' earthquake knowledge levels on their volunteering activities. The results of the research aim to contribute to the identification of possible deficiencies and the direction of training on this subject by examining the students' level of knowledge about earthquakes and their relationship with disaster volunteering.