Effectiveness of Basic Safety Training among Flight Attendant students in

WCC Aeronautical & Technological Colleges

Chapter I

THE PROBLEM

Background of the Study

Safety is the primary concern of the aviation industry. However, the authors also

complained that “the safety role of cabin crew receives no attention in the literature”,

although passenger and cabin crew safety depends on the behavior and actions taken

by crew members in case of an emergency (Rhoden et al., 2008).

The goal of cabin safety is to increase the survival rate by minimizing hazards in

the cabin and its environment to reduce the effects of an accident (Transport Canada,

2005).

The Cabin Safety Standards Division at Transport Canada uses the following

working definition to best describe cabin safety (Transport Canada, 2005):

Cabin Safety is a field that reduces fatalities and injuries resulting from an accident

and provides for a safe environment for passengers and crew members in and around

the aircraft, prior to and during boarding and deplaning phases, while the aircraft is on

the airport apron with people on board, and during the operation of the aircraft. It

includes the aircraft cabin, its exits, its configuration, its furnishings, its equipment and

its people.
 IATA (2005) Cabin Operations Safety Programme pointed out that a cabin crew’s

duty is not limited to in-flight service and post-accident evacuation. The aim of Cabin

Safety is to reduce the number of incidents, accidents and significant costs to airlines in

injuries and material damage.

According to Livingston during normal duties, cabin crewmembers are exposed to

numerous situations where injuries can occur.

Cabin-related hazards can be categorized as turbulence, decompression, fire,

medical emergencies, inappropriate cabin or galley layout, short haul flight time stress,

long working hours, jet lag, and standing for long periods. (Livingston ‘Cabin Crew Safety’,

1992).

Numerous studies have been performed to define and assess safety culture in a

wide variety of safety-critical industries such as the nuclear, oil, gas, chemical, offshore,

construction, etc., yet little research has been conducted to investigate the relationship

between safety culture and safety performance (von Thaden, Wiegmann, Mitchell,

Sharma, and Zhang, 2003).

Training activity is both focused upon, and evaluated against, the job that an

individual currently holds (Learner, 1986). Training is a planned process to modify

attitudes, knowledge, skill or behaviour through learning experience to achieve effective

performance in an activity or range of activities. Its purpose in the work situation is to

develop the abilities of the individual and to satisfy the current and future manpower

needs of the organization. Training is critical to the performance of employees at all levels
of an organization. It is a motivator and is essential to acquiring and maintaining skills

necessary for optimal job performance. (Noe, 2001)

According to Handy training and development ensures that randomness is reduced

and learning or behavioral change takes place in a structured format.

As outlined in the beginning, little emphasis is put on crew safety in the literature

although it plays a crucial role in the aviation industry. John Bent and Kwok Chan (2010)

assessed that proper training measures can serve as means for preventing accidents. The

authors indicated that crew training and safety must be connected interactively, resulting

in enhanced quality of training and hence increased safety in daily operations.

The aviation industry experienced one of the biggest upturns in its history since

the mid 1990s. Globalization led to an increase in travel demand and resulted in annual

industry growth of four to six percent (Cento, 2009).

7.2 billion passengers are forecasted by IATA to travel in 2035, which represents

almost a doubling of the 3.8 billion people traveling in 2016 (“IATA forecasts”, 2016).

The IATA 20 year passenger forecast is based on the identification of main drivers of air

travel demand and the detection of significant traffic trends. Various factors have been

taken into account such as (“20 year passenger forecast”, n.d.):

 divergent demographic outlooks

 emergence of the middle class in developing countries

 climate changes

 further liberalization of the aviation market

“Training is not an expense, but instead is an investment in the human capital of

employees.” (Baron & Kreps, 1999, p. 390).

Angelo DeNisi and Ricky Griffin (2008) describe training and development as “very

basic type of performance enhancement intervention” (p. 451). This statement is

advanced by several authors, for example Herman Aguinis and Kurt Kraiger (2009), who

define training as “systematic approach to affecting individuals´ knowledge, skills, and

attitudes in order to improve individual, team, and organizational effectiveness” (p. 452).

Another definition is given by Michael Armstrong (2006) who describes training as “the

use of systematic and planned instruction activities to promote learning” (p. 575).

Chang and Yeh (2004) indicate that the commercial airline industry can only be

successful if safety is a crucial element of the business. Liou et al. (2008) further argue

that the enhancement of air safety is of importance for the industry and its success. The

authors argue that proper training can prevent accidents in the aviation industry.

The authors Qing Cui and Ye Li (2015) explain that safety in the airline industry

depends on various input sources to daily operations. Those inputs include labor, funds

and technology. The amount of staff working on a safe flight during the flight, but also

in the pre- and post-flight phase forms the labor input. Fund input is determined by the

amount of money spent on safety software, technology and staff training. Investments

in safety technology as well as research and development are termed technology inputs.

Prew (1997, cited in Rhoden et al., 2008) criticizes that training of cabin crew is

often neglected in favor of flight crew training. However, Rhoden et al. (2008) stress the
importance of cabin crew training as their own safety and the safety of passengers

depends on skills and knowledge learned. Others further argue that “airline security

focuses on protecting the aircraft, its passengers, and crew” (Price & Forrest, 2016, p.

289)

Training is seen as means to prevent accidents and although the amount of

accidents in the aviation industry is comparably low, airlines have to continually strive for

the highest safety standards to decrease the rate (Bent & Chan, 2010). Mary Edwards

(1990) points out that the way crew members react in an emergency situation is critical

for its denouement. Cabin crew training is important as competence in skills and

knowledge, as well as stress resistance might be life-saving. Inappropriate training may

lead to panic or freezing, endangering crew and passengers. The author argues that with

adequate training, skills develop over time and tasks become routine.

Problems regarding training include “no agreed international standards for cabin

crew training and there is wide variation in its duration and content” (Mahoney et al.,

2008, p. 414), which leads to the fact that many airlines only meet the minimum

requirements set by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) (Learmount, 2011). Bent and

Chan (2010) further argue that some airlines save on investments in training as benefits

are difficult to measure.

 Conceptual Framework

 Effectiveness of Perception of Flight

Basic Safety Attendant students of
Training WCC

Paradigm of the Study

INPUT OUTPUT
1. Effectiveness of PROCESS
Basic Safety  Survey
Training among  Evaluation of Flight (Questionnaire)
F.A students in Attendant Students  Analysis
terms of:  Presentation of
a. Basic Life Support Data
training  Conclusion
b. Life Support of Recommendation
CPR
c. Survival Training
Statement of the Problem

This study aims to assess the Basic Safety Training among Flight Attendant

students in WCC Aeronautical and Technological College specifically, it sought to answer

the following questions:

1. What is the effectiveness of Basic Safety Training among F.A students training

in terms of:

a. Basic Life Support Training

b. Life Support of CPR

c. Survival Training

2. What are the problems usually encountered by passengers in the plane?

3. Is there any significant relationship in terms of the Basic Safety Training and

problems encountered by the passengers?

Assumptions of the Study

The research study is anchored on assumption that the respondents are honest

and objective in expressing their perceptions on the effectiveness of the Basic Safety

training among the flight attendant students in WCC.

Significance of the Study

This study is beneficial to the following:

Flight Attendant Students. This study would help them to know the effectiveness of

the Basic Safety Training among Flight Attendant students at WCC Aeronautical and

Technological College.

Teachers. This study would assess the effectivity of their teaching and improve them

among the Flight Attendant students.

School Administration. This study would allow school administrators to have better

understanding based on information about the effectiveness of the Basic Safety Training

among Flight Attendant students. Such information would help them to make action that

will best increase the effectivity of the training of the students.

Future researchers. The findings of this study would prove other researchers insight

that would serve as a guide in their own research work.

Scope and Delimitations

This study focused on the effectiveness of the Basic Safety Training among Flight

Attendant students at WCC Aeronautical and Technological College.

Definition of Terms

Passenger. In relation to an aircraft, means any person carried by the aircraft, other

than a crew member.

Safety. The state in which the possibility of harm to persons or of property damage is

reduced and maintained at or below an acceptable level. This is achieved through a

continuous process of hazard identification and safety risk management.

Crew member. “Either a flight crew member or cabin crew member; when used in

the plural (i.e., crew members) refers to flight and cabin crew collectively.”

Flight Attendant students. Refers to the respondents of the study.

 CHAPTER II

RESARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

This chapter represents the methodology of research used in the study. It also

presents the specific design, universe, respondents, research instruments and the

statistical tools used for the analysis.

Research Design

This study used descriptive survey method with the questionnaire as the main tool

in gathering data for the study. Desk reviews of relevant literature and studies

supplemented the data that were gathered.

The number of respondents was decided upon by the researchers and purposive

sampling was employed in the selection of the respondents.

Population and Locale of the Study

Population and Locale of the study included the 50 correspondents from Flight

Attendant students of WCC Aeronautical & Technological College.

Data Gathering Tools

The study made use of questionnaire which determined the reasons or perceptions

on the effectiveness of Basic Safety Training among the Flight Attendant students.

Interviews with the DJs or talent together with the Station Manager of the FM Radio

Stations were conducted personally. There were reflections made, and the study kept the
Data Gathering Procedures

In gathering data, quotations representing discovered constructs or concepts were

placed together to form narratives.

Treatment of Data/Statistical Tools

The profile of the respondents was described by their gender and nature of school.

The perception on the level of engagement in terms of Basic Life Support, Survival

Training and CPR was described by computing for simple mean or General Weighted

Average (GWA).

Below is the Likert scale used in interpreting the mean rating of the respondents in

terms of their answers regarding their perceptions on the effectiveness of Basic Safety

Training.

Rating Range Descriptive Rating

5 4.21-5.00 Strongly agree

4 3.41-4.20 Agree

3 2.61-3.40 Neutral

2 1.81-2.60 Disagree

1 1.00-1.80 Strongly Disagree

To test the hypothesis, z-test was employed in determining whether the null

or alternative hypothesis will be accepted. Microsoft Excel was used to determine the z-

value in accepting or rejecting the null hypothesis.

 CHAPTER III

PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS, AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

This chapter presents the analyses of data and interpretation of findings vital in

accomplishing the study. Data are well presented in tables and interpreted.

PROFILE OF THE STUDENTS - RESPONDENTS

This section provides the data that answer the first problem on the profile of the

respondents.

The first table labeled Table 1 shows the profile of the respondents along their

frequency and percentage. There is a total of 85 respondents or N=85, 43 or 51 % is

female, and 42 or 49 % is male.

The distribution indicates that the number of female respondents is quite greater

than the number of male respondents. According to a data from the United Nations

Educational, Scientific, and Culture Organization (UNESCO), the Philippines is doing well

in terms of gender equality in education. Enrollment in primary schools are primarily equal

for boys and girls however, the Philippines is colored blue in the maps for enrollment in

secondary education, meaning boys are at a disadvantage. Boys in the Philippines will

not spend as many years in secondary school as girls. The maps are made from the latest

available data from the UNESCO Institute of Statistics and go back to 1970.

(Orante,2016).
 Table 1

Profile of the Respondents (N=85)

Profile Frequency Percentage (%)

Gender

Male 42 51

Female 43 49

This portion of the chapter presents Table 2 that provides the answer for the level

of perception among Basic Life Support of the respondents.

TABLE 2

EFFECTIVENESS OF BASIC LIFE SUPPORT TRAINING

Average
Weighted
Statements Descriptive Rating
Mean
(AWM)
a. I should know the proper procedure of 5 SA
BLS. In case, we need to help other
people.
b. I see that we need to be aware to study 4.93 SA
BLS to more knowledgeable about that.
In case, we encounter emergency.
c. I think BLS training should be mandatory 4.67 SA
in the curriculum.
d. I should be performed alone in BLS with 4.63 SA
a confident to enhance my learning when
somebody’s need a help.
e. I should make sure that I follow the 4.91 SA
procedure in BLS when someone’s
needed a CPR.
Overall 4.83 SA
 Table 2 reveals that respondents strongly agreed to all of the statements in Basic

Life Support.

That indicates that all respondents agreed that Basic Life Support Training among

flight attendants in WCC, is effective.

According to Rhoden et. al, safety is the primary concern of the aviation

industry. However, the authors also complained that “the safety role of cabin crew

receives no attention in the literature”, although passenger and cabin crew safety

depends on the behavior and actions taken by crew members in case of an emergency.

The importance of cabin crew training as their own safety and the safety of

passengers depends on skills and knowledge learned. Others further argue that “airline

security focuses on protecting the aircraft, its passengers, and crew” (Price & Forrest,

2016, p. 289)
 TABLE 3

EFFECTIVENESS OF SURVIVAL TRAINING

Average
Weighted
Statements Descriptive Rating
Mean
(AWM)
a. I should prepare for the survival training 4.56 SA
within 24 hours to stay in the forest to
survive.
b. I should bring those things that I need 4.93 SA
to Survival training just like clothes,
toothbrush, water, flashlights etc.
c. I can volunteer myself to cook for our 4.16 A
meals within 24 hours and find some
bamboo to put rice to cook and find
some rock to put the fish on the top to
be fry.
d. I can make sure that our team have a 4.84 SA
teamwork, unity, presence of mind and
listen to each other side for opinion as
member. To make our task to be
successful and we will give our best to
win.
e. I should know on how to survive in the 4.77 SA
nearest forest. In case, we get plane
crash or during emergency landing.
Overall 4.65 SA

Table 3, showed that statements a, b, d, and e with 4.56, 4.93, 4.84, and 4.77 AWM

were strongly agreed by the respondents. Meanwhile, statement c gained agree reaction

from the respondents with 4.16 AWM.

According to Handy training and development ensures that randomness is reduced

and learning or behavioral change takes place in a structured format.

As outlined in the beginning, little emphasis is put on crew safety in the literature
 although it plays a crucial role in the aviation industry. John Bent and Kwok Chan

(2010) assessed that proper training measures can serve as means for preventing

accidents. The authors indicated that crew training and safety must be connected

interactively, resulting in enhanced quality of training and hence increased safety in daily

operations.

Angelo DeNisi and Ricky Griffin (2008) describe training and development as “very

basic type of performance enhancement intervention” (p. 451). This statement is advanced

by several authors, for example Herman Aguinis and Kurt Kraiger (2009), who define

training as “systematic approach to affecting individuals´ knowledge, skills, and attitudes

in order to improve individual, team, and organizational effectiveness” (p. 452).

 Table 4

EFFECTIVENESS OF LIFE SUPPORT OF CPR TRAINING

Average
Weighted Descriptive
Statements
Mean Rating
(AWM)
a. I can volunteer myself on how to do a CPR 4.60 SA
as I know on how to CPR when someone’s
drowning in a beach/swimming pool.
b. I should know the proper procedure of CPR 4.74 SA
his/her survive depends on me.
c. I can experience on how to CPR by the guide 4.56 SA
of my Instructor and after that I’ll do it by
myself in mannequin.
d. I exert more effort to know why CPR is very 4.77 SA
important to us.
e. I do my best to survive the person who 4.79 SA
suffering in drowning or heart attack.
Overall 4.69 SA

Table 4 shows that all of the statements gained strongly agree reaction from the

respondents. Indicating that CPR training is effective among the flight attendant students.

According to Noe, training is a planned process to modify attitudes, knowledge,

skill or behaviour through learning experience to achieve effective performance in an

activity or range of activities. Its purpose in the work situation is to develop the abilities

of the individual and to satisfy the current and future manpower needs of the

organization. Training is critical to the performance of employees at all levels of an

organization. It is a motivator and is essential to acquiring and maintaining skills

necessary for optimal job performance.

 Mahony, Griffiths, Larsen, and Powell (2008) pointed out that airlines were not

adequately training flight attendants to handle emergencies such as evacuation and CPR

and recommended more intensive and frequent training and refresher courses using

educational technologies and multimedia. From the previously mentioned study we

conclude the context of flight attendants is in urgent need of attention and research

because of lack of studies. The remarks by Rhoden, Raltson, and Ineson (2007, p. 538)

support this contention. They claim that:

“Ironically, the safety role of cabin crew (Flight attendants) receives no attention

in the academic literature. Given that cabin crew takes responsibility for millions of

passengers annually, it is argued that the quality of the training delivered to enable them

to undertake their safety role effectively is an important consideration for all air transport

passengers and airline personnel.”

All airlines must include flight attendants in CRM training (RJ flight attendant in-

flight safety manual, 2014). The current practice in all major airlines dictates that flight

attendants must attend initial training to start their flight duties onboard and at the end

of the year they should pass a recurrent training to be certified again to uphold their

safety duties for the upcoming year. Flight attendant training includes safety training,

security training and crew resource management (CRM) training both in basic training

and the refresher training. CRM is defined as “The use and co-ordination of all the skills

and resources, available to the crew, to achieve the established goals of a safe, efficient

and comfortable flight.”

 Table 5

z-Test: z-Test: Significant Relationship in terms of the Basic Safety

Training and problems encounter by the passengers of Two Sample Means

z-Test: Two Sample for Means

Basic Safety Problems

Z computed Z Critical
Training Encountered
Mean 4.72333 47.62 -4.77746 1.95996
Variance 0.00893 806.186

Table 5 shows the Significant Relationship in terms of the Basic Safety Training

and problems encounter by the passengers of Two Sample Means. Since the Z computed

is less than the Z critical, the data was able to accept the null hypothesis at 0.05 level of

significance. This means that there is a no significant relationship in terms of the Basic

Safety Training and problems encounter by the passengers.

 Chapter IV

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This final chapter presents the summary of findings, the conclusion drawn, and

the recommendations.

Re-statement of the Problem

This research was conducted to understand the effectiveness of Basic Safety

training among Flight Attendant students in WCC Aeronautical School & Technological

College.

Problem 1 focused on the effectiveness of Basic Safety training among Flight

Attendant students training in terms of: Basic Life Support, Life Support of CPR, and

Survival training.

Problem 2 looked at the problems usually encountered by passengers in the plane.

Problem 3 undermined if there is a significant relationship in terms of the Basic

Safety Training and problems encountered by the passengers.

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

The essential findings of the study are hereby presented:

1. On the effectiveness of Basic Safety Training among Flight Attendant

students training in terms of:

a. Basic Life Support - respondents strongly agreed to all of the statements

in Basic Life Support. That indicates that all respondents agreed that Basic

Life Support Training among flight attendants in WCC, is effective.

 b. Life Support of CPR – Results indicated that CPR training is effective

among the flight attendant students.

c. Survival Training – respondents showed that Survival Training among

Flight Attendant students is effective as the statements were strongly

agreed by the respondents.

2. On the problems usually encountered by passengers in the plane.

- Respondents answered their ten most encountered problems in the plane;

 Delayed flights
 Uncomfortable seat
 Hidden charges
 Customer service
 Countless baggage
issues
 90% of toilets are
incredibly small
 Baggage theft
 The constant
turbulence
 The ear popping
dilemma
 Disability accessibility

3. On the significant relationship in terms of the Basic Safety Training and

problems encountered by the passengers.

-there is a no significant relationship in terms of the Basic Safety Training

and problems encounter by the passengers.

 CONCLUSIONS

The following conclusions were drawn based on the findings of the study:

1. Respondents believes that the Basic Safety Training among Flight Attendant

students in WCC is effective in terms of;

a. Basic Life Support

b. Life Support of CPR

c. Survival Training

2. Study also shows that there is a no significant relationship in terms of the Basic

Safety Training and problems encounter by the passengers.

Recommendation

As a result of the conclusions drawn, the recommendations made are the

following:

1. The researchers recommend further studies for the future researchers

to know the extent of Basic Life Support, Life Support of CPR, and

Survival Training among Pilot students of WCC Aeronautical &

Technological Colleges.