Effectiveness of Comics as a Medium for Disaster Preparedness for Earthquakes and Landslides

Abstract

This study examined the effectiveness of using comics as an educational medium for enhancing disaster preparedness among residents in a landslide-prone barangay in the Mati City, Davao Oriental, Philippines. Employing a pretest-posttest design without a control group, the study involved 195 randomly selected respondents who read a Cebuano-language comic about landslide and earthquake preparedness. Using a modified survey questionnaire, the study assessed the effectiveness of comics across five dimensions—attractiveness, comprehensibility, acceptability, self-involvement, and persuasion. Results showed significant increases in respondents' knowledge after exposure to the comics, with particularly high scores in persuasion (m = 4.43) and comprehensibility (m = 4.03). The comics proved to be visually appealing, culturally significant, and successful in raising awareness and promoting preparedness behavior. The findings highlight the potential of comics as an accessible, relatable, and impactful tool in disaster risk communication, particularly for communities with limited literacy and formal education. The study recommends the inclusion of pretesting in government information materials and further exploration of the emotional and behavioral effects of comic-based interventions.