From Participation to Action: How Disaster Education Shapes Students’ Academic Pathways

Abstract Book of the 10th World Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities

Year: 2026

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From Participation to Action: How Disaster Education Shapes Students’ Academic Pathways

Chia Hsin Lee, Lee Fang-Chun

ABSTRACT:

This study examines how disaster education is linked to students’ academic pathways, with particular attention to the role of action engagement in youth participation. Focusing on Taiwan’s Ministry of Education Youth Disaster Ambassador Program, the study highlights an action-oriented approach that encourages students to actively engage in disaster-related initiatives beyond classroom learning.
The study investigates former participants who have progressed to higher education. Quantitative analyses, including descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and logistic regression, were conducted to examine the relationships among participation level, action engagement, and enrollment in disaster-related academic fields. The results indicate that over 50% of participants chose disaster-related disciplines. Higher levels of participation were associated with an increased likelihood of selecting these fields (odds ratio = 1.57), while gender differences were not statistically significant.
Furthermore, participants’ involvement in student-led disaster actions, such as school outreach and community engagement, suggests that action engagement may serve as a key mechanism linking disaster education to academic pathways by strengthening students’ sense of agency and shaping their academic and career considerations. This study provides empirical evidence on the role of action engagement in youth-centered disaster education

Keywords: Disaster Education; Youth Empowerment; Academic Pathways; Career Development; Action Engagement.