Abstract:

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in violent incidents in Norwegian schools. At the same time, many threats of school shootings and bombings have been posted in the digital domain, targeting various schools in Norway. Studies indicate that good emergency preparedness in schools can positively influence the school environment. Norwegian schools are required by law to facilitate a safe and good school environment. The purpose of this article is to gain insight into the school staff's knowledge of the school's preparedness work and how confident they are in handling unforeseen incidents, with a particular focus on incidents involving ongoing life-threatening violence (Norwegian abbreviation PLIVO). The article also discusses what implications the school staff involvement in preparedness work has on the school climate, learning environment and their ability to perform as professionals in times of different threats towards safety, even in schools.

The study aims to investigate:
(1) the school staff's knowledge of the contingency plans and work,
(2) how likely they think various unforeseen incidents are to occur,
(3) the extent to which they participate in preparedness work, and
(4) how confident they are, both in carrying out what is stated in the contingency plans, and in their sense of safety at the workplace.

The study has a quantitative approach, using an electronic questionnaire. The data was collected from a convenience sample of 81 respondents at four different schools in Norway, two secondary schools, and two high schools.

The main findings of the study show that most staff members are familiar with the preparedness work at the school. However, it reveals greater uncertainty regarding preparedness for PLIVO incidents compared to other unforeseen incidents. This is seen both in the uncertainty surrounding the preparedness plans and in how confident they are in carrying out the plans if a PLIVO incident were to occur. Furthermore, the study shows that administrative staff members are more involved in preparedness work than teachers, which gives them a higher sense of security.

Keywords:

Education, preparedness, life mastery, school environment, safety.