Abstract

Purpose: This study was conducted to determine the levels of self-efficacy regarding radiation protection among vocational school students and to examine the effect of a structured educational intervention on these levels.
Materials and Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted using a one-group pretest-posttest design. A total of 34 students enrolled in a vocational school of health services participated in the study. Data were collected using an introductory information form prepared by the researchers and the Radiation Protection Self-Efficacy Scale. Construct validity of the scale was evaluated by exploratory factor analysis, and reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. Dependent samples t-test, independent samples t-test, and one-way analysis of variance were used for statistical analysis.
Results: Exploratory factor analysis demonstrated that the scale had a one-dimensional structure consisting of 12 items. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin coefficient was 0.777, the total explained variance was 74.273%, and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.934. The mean radiation protection self-efficacy score increased from 4.51±2.01 before the training to 8.35±1.48 after the training. The difference between pretest and posttest scores was statistically significant (p<0.001). Although a significant difference was found according to gender before the training, this difference disappeared after the training. No significant difference was found according to the academic program attended or the unit in which the students worked during clinical practice.
Conclusion: It was determined that structured training on radiation protection significantly improved the self-efficacy levels of vocational school students. These findings indicate that radiation safety education should be provided early, systematically, and in a practice-oriented manner within health education curricula.

Keywords:Radiation protection; Radiation safety; Self-efficacy; Vocational school students; Health education