📄 Abstract
This phenomenological research aimed to explore the lived experiences of school heads in handling accidental injuries in schools, their coping strategies, and the insights they gained from these experiences. The participants of the study, who were selected purposively, are the ten school heads in the Pantukan district division of Davao de Oro. An in-depth interview is the method of data gathering, and the data are analyzed through thematic analysis. The findings of the study reveal that the experiences of the participants can be described in terms of the challenges they encountered in managing accidental injuries, often dealing with time constraints, limited resources, unpreparedness, financial responsibility, and parental reactions. These challenges are further influenced by proximate causes, including environmental risks and student behavior during school activities, prompting school heads to enforce daily preventive student discipline. Moreover, school heads also emphasized emotional experiences during injury management, such as feelings of nervousness. In addition, school heads cope with the challenges of handling accidental injuries through professional development driven by lessons learned from experience and engagement in formal injury management trainings. They also highlight the implementation of structured protocols for injury management and immediate medical response to ensure organized, timely responses. School heads also employ proactive safety measures and disaster preparedness strategies, engage in effective communication with parents and stakeholders, and maintain emotional composure to lead calmly and make sound judgments. Moreover, the findings of the study highlighted critical insights from school heads' lived experiences in handling accidental injuries, emphasizing the collaborative efforts of teachers, students, parents, and stakeholders as an important factor in effectively managing school emergencies. School heads also emphasize the need to promote a safe and secure school environment by focusing on maintaining the physical environment and promoting emotional and psychological safety. Additionally, strengthening leadership through reflective decision-making, adopting data- and experience-based school safety policies, and promoting school preparedness and responsibility enable them to learn from past incidents and enhance school leadership practices.
🏷️ Keywords
📚 How to Cite:
Doreen Kay E. Adolfo, LPT, Mervin G. Salmon, Ph.D , LIVED EXPERIENCES OF SCHOOL HEADS IN HANDLING ACCIDENTAL INJURIES , Volume 12 , Issue 7, July 2026, EPRA International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (IJMR) , Pages: 546 - 551 ,