Spanish-speaking communities are rarely involved or represented in earthquake preparedness resources and few materials are tested for their effectiveness at promoting preparedness. To address this gap, researchers worked to develop earthquake education workshops that are accessible to Spanish-speaking audiences and are facilitated by Spanish-speaking community members. They employed a pre- and post-workshop survey to assess participant learning and engagement. They used education best practices and active learning techniques to develop a general flow for the interactive 90-minute workshop and then updated the content based on feedback from community members and partners to ensure it was culturally relevant. The team used a “train the trainer” approach to teach local partners how to deliver the workshops in Spanish. The workshop audience were Spanish speakers living in the Portland, Oregon region who will be impacted by a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake.
More than 50 participants attended five workshops held in the summer of 2022. Two workshops were online and three were in-person at local meeting areas (e.g., libraries, church).
Results
Results from the pre- and post-workshop questionnaires show that:
- The active learning model was effective for engaging participants.
- Participants better understood hazards associated with earthquakes such as liquefaction (a phenomena that causes water saturated land to turn loose cohesion and stability) and earthquake shaking and personalized their risks.
- The workshop did not change people’s perceptions of protective actions, such as making a family kit, strapping heavy objects down, and having two-weeks of supplies.
- The percent of participants who said they would Drop, Cover, and Hold On–the recommended action during an earthquake–did not improve.
- The workshop increased participants’ self-efficacy, their belief they can take steps to protect themselves and their family from an earthquake.
Workshop Materials
- Workshop Slides (Spanish) – Slides used by the workshop facilitators in Spanish
- Workshop Slides (English) – Slides used by the workshop facilitators in English
- Train the Trainer Guidebook – Materials provided to the facilitators to provide background on the workshop materials
Investigators
- Carson MacPherson-Krutsky, PhD, Research Scholar, Department of Geosciences
- Brittany Brand, Associate Professor, Department of Geosciences
- Michael K. Lindell, PhD, Affiliate Professor, Department of Geosciences