ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION DURING THE EARTHQUAKE PROCESS: A FIELD RESEARCH IN ADANA WITHIN THE SCOPE OF 6 FEBRUARY EARTHQUAKE

Abstract

The destructive impact of earthquakes on societies is a well-known fact. Especially in countries located in earthquake-prone regions like Turkey, earthquakes can even be perceived as a part of daily life. In this sense, the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş on February 6th have brought forth Turkey's painful memories and traumas once again. The earthquake, which affected 11 provinces, has been observed to impact various sectors. Just like in other provinces, Adana has been significantly affected by the earthquake process, being one of the relevant provinces. In Adana, as in other places, education is one of the sectors most affected by the earthquake process. Similar situations seen in government institutions have also been experienced in private schools, where teaching staff and students continue their education remotely, facing certain challenges during this period. Accordingly, it is believed that communication practices among organizational members are influenced by these processes. Within the scope of the research, the organizational communication practices experienced by teachers in private schools in Adana during earthquakes and the aftermath have been examined through the "Organizational Communication Scale" to reveal their levels of organizational communication. The results of the research indicate that a significant majority of teachers working in private schools have a moderate level of organizational communication, and the number of teachers with a high level of organizational communication is lower than those with a low level. Additionally, it has been found that teachers' levels of organizational communication do not differ based on gender or the education level categories of the schools they work in (preschool, primary school, middle school, high school), and there is a positive and significant relationship between communication levels and years of work in their current workplaces.