The First Aid Education in Schools

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Table of Contents

Rationale
Theoretical Framework
References

Rationale

Incidents are an integral part of human lives, and it is valid to say that children are exposed to a greater risk of injuries and accidents due to their developmental characteristics and more active lifestyle. Considering that children spend a significant amount of time in educational settings, schools need to take those risks into account when developing their safety systems. They must have adequate resources and processes to prevent traumas and also respond to them efficiently.

Basic first aid is regarded as one of the core components of school safety. In simple words, first aid means a rapid, initial response to an emergency before providing a proper, professional medical treatment (Santhikrishna & Rekha, 2018; Qureshi et al., 2018). As stated by Marques et al. (2014), such a response requires not only adequate knowledge and good technical skills but also the ability to act promptly, without second-guessing, hesitation, and anxiety. According to Abd El-Hay, Ibrahim, and Hassan (2015), when performed properly, first aid can mark a difference between life and death, temporary and permanent morbidity, quick and prolonged recovery. Thus, there is no doubt that the development of first aid skills among the members of the school population, including teachers and students, is key to better school safety.

Nevertheless, when attempting to incorporate the first aid curriculum in schools, it is also pivotal to keep in mind that there may be a lot of barriers to the effective provision of first aid training to students. In their study that involved a sample of Norwegian teachers, Bakke, Bakke, and Schwebs (2017) revealed that among the factors that educators perceived as limiting in terms of the amount and quality of first aid education are the lack of clear learning objectives, absence of necessary learning materials and equipment, and insufficient/inadequate training as first aid instructors. At the same time, Ganfure et al. (2018), found that teachers’ overall professional experience and attitudes towards first aid training and first aid, in general, can affect the degree of their first aid competence. These findings are in line with those provided by Hardin-Fanning and Ricks (2017) who stated that perceptions of values of certain activities, as well as one’s belief in the ability to perform these activities and obtain positive results, defines the level of willingness to change own behaviors and participate in educational programs. Based on all this research evidence, it is valid to say that subjective, psychological factors can substantially affect the success during the integration of first aid training in the curriculum. Therefore, the present project will focus mainly on the subjective perceptions of first aid education among teachers and students.

The understanding of links between the initiation of first aid training in Saudi Arabian schools and school safety also requires additional investigation of organizational obstacles to change. Thus, the intended research will also explore which organizational factors are perceived by the school population as barriers to the implementation of first aid training. Previous studies on the matters of first aid performance in schools conducted in Saudi Arabia were primarily dedicated to examining the levels of teachers’ knowledge and their overall attitudes to first aid education. For example, in one of those studies, Alyahya et al. (2019) found that the level of Saudi Arabian educators’ knowledge of first aid is currently low, whereas participation in first aid training can help them to respond to emergencies better. The present research will expand the existing pool of evidence by adding more information regarding individual and organizational factors defining the performance of first aid in Saudi Arabian schools. Moreover, by clarifying which obstacles to better first aid training are the most common, the study will offer some ways to remove them and facilitate the creation of a more effective safety culture at schools.

Theoretical Framework

The research process will substantially rely on Lewin’s theory of organizational change and the force-field theory/model, in particular. This model is based on the assumption that any situation is maintained in quasi-equilibrium as a result of a balance between the forces that influence it in opposing ways (Masunda, 2015). In other words, while some forces may drive organizations and teams for change and progress, others strive to maintain the status quo and prevent any changes from happening.

Based on the quasi-equilibrium model, to initiate the change process, one must reduce the influence of the restraining forces. For this particular action of weakening the resistance and strengthening the drive for change in an organization, Lewin utilized the term “unfreeze” (Kraus, 2016). Without unfreezing the established status quo, it is impossible to abandon the old and obsolete patterns of behavior and adopt and maintain the new and productive ones (Kraus, 2016). Only after completing this initial step in the planned change process, one can move to the next phases. They include the change itself or the continual achievement of desired outcomes and refreezing, which refers to the reinforcement of processes and factors that have led to change (Mwangala, 2014). It is worth noting that in his theory, Lewin focused primarily on psychological and sociological notions (Kraus, 2016). It means that the driving and restraining forces are primarily those that originate from a work team and the way it is managed.

As it was previously mentioned in the paper, organizational restraining factors that may be related to internal processes, resources, and structures that schools utilize regularly will be also taken into account in this study. Some of these organizational restraining forces may include those introduced by Bakke, Bakke, and Schwebs (2017), such as inadequate professional and informational support for teachers. However, by Lewin’s assumptions, the resistance forces will be regarded mainly as psychological obstacles to the realization of new projects and initiatives in the intended research. Workers’ certain beliefs, attitudes, and values may either interfere with the change process or facilitate it (Turner, 2017). For instance, when one feels cynical of an intended change or when he/she fears that it may induce more stress, uncertainty, and other unfavorable outcomes, he/she tends to deny it (Luoma, 2015). Since such a negative perception and the presence of other restraining forces inhibit success, it is essential to diagnose employees’ resistance to change and identify which factors exactly cause their objection.

When speaking about the matter that will be investigated in this study, it can be argued that teachers’ positive attitudes towards the integration of first aid training in the curriculum and their belief in the initiative’s effectiveness will aid the school during the transition process. Thus, before managing the change and influencing employees’ attitudes and beliefs, it is appropriate to investigate their feelings regarding first aid education. After collecting and interpreting data on this issue, it will be possible to provide practical recommendations to school leaders to assist them in developing more targeted and effective communication strategies. The practical recommendations will be aimed at dispelling possible uncertainties and doubts regarding the value of first aid education in schools and removing organizational barriers to the planned change.

References

Abd El-Hay, S. A., Ibrahim, N. A., & Hassan, L. A. (2015). Effect of training program regarding first aid and basic life support on the management of educational risk injuries among students in industrial secondary schools. IOSR Journal of Nursing and Health Science, 4(6), 32-43.
Alyahya, I., Almohsen, H., Alsaleem, I., Al-Hamid, M., Arafah, A., Turki, Y. A.,… Alkharfi, M. (2019). Assessment of knowledge, attitude, and practice about first aid among male school teachers and administrators in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 8(2), 684-688.
Bakke, H. K., Bakke, H. K., & Schwebs, R. (2017). First-aid training in school: Amount, content and hindrances. Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica, 61(10), 1361-1370.
Ganfure, G., Ameya, G., Tamirat, A., Lencha, B., & Bikila, D. (2018). First aid knowledge, attitude, practice, and associated factors among kindergarten teachers of Lideta sub-city Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Plos One, 13(3), 1-15.
Hardin-Fanning, F., & Ricks, J. M. (2017). Attitudes, social norms and perceived behavioral control factors influencing participation in a cooking skills program in rural Central Appalachia. Global Health Promotion, 24(4), 43-52.
Kraus, L. (2016). Developing a model for change management. Web.
Luoma, J. J. M. (2015). Understanding change management through the psychological ownership framework. Web.
Marques, M. D., Lopes-Júnior, L. C., Bomfim, E. D., Gomes, C. P., & Pavelqueires, S. (2014). The teaching of first aid from the perspective of a problem-oriented curriculum. Revista De Pesquisa: Cuidado é Fundamental Online, 6(4), 1485-1495.
Masunda, T. (2015). An evaluation of resistance to organisational change and its effects on employee productivity: The case of Telecom Namibia. Web.
Mwangala, K. P. (2014). Practice of change management for the improvement of complementary basic education: The case of Malawi.
Qureshi, F. M., Khalid, N., Nigah-E-Mumtaz, S., Assad, T., & Noreen, K. (2018). First aid facilities in the school settings: Are schools able to manage adequately? Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, 34(2), 272-276.
Santhikrishna, C., & Rekha, P. (2018). First aid education for safety of students. IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 23(7), 26-29.
Turner, K. M. (2017). Impact of change management on employee behavior in a university administrative office. Web.

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The First Aid Education in Schools

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