THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ DISASTER VOLUNTEER EFFORTS AND SENSE OF SELF-EFFICACY

Abstract

 Since the Great Hanshin earthquake, disaster volunteers have received increasing attention. Specifically, importance is placed on disaster volunteer efforts by university students. Thus, in this study we aimed to understand the actual situation in terms of disaster volunteer actions among Ehime University students during the floods of July 2018, and to clarify the relationship between university students’ disaster volunteer efforts and sense of self-efficacy. Survey results revealed that activities in daily university life have an effect on the basic skills of working adults, and are also linked to changes in disaster volunteer mobilization through a sense of self-efficacy and awareness of one’s importance. This suggests that creating and supporting an environment in which students can devote themselves to extracurricular activities such as clubs, along with regular university activities, are linked to university students’ increased participation in disaster volunteer actions when future disasters occur.