5:15 PM - 7:15 PM
[O04-P04] Can you survive natural disasters by educational activities or geography education in upper secondary school?
★Invited Papers
Keywords:natural disasters, disaster prevention, geography, school education
In recent years, natural disasters have become more severe and more frequent, making disaster response an urgent issue. In Japan, where natural disasters occur frequently, interest in disaster prevention and mitigation is growing. As a result, there is an increasing expectation to enhance disaster prevention education in schools. Since 2018, disaster prevention has been included as a topic in geography within the upper secondary school Curriculum Guidelines. Therefore, it is imperative to evaluate their educational contents.
This study examines students’ awareness of their ability to protect themselves during disasters through geography and school education. A questionnaire survey was conducted among first-year students at an upper secondary school of presenter's workplace.
Regarding geography education, the majority of students were undecided. In terms of general school education, many students responded that they “can save lives” or “can't say either way.”
Most students believe that enhancing practical and hands-on activities is crucial for disaster preparedness. The most common reason given by those who felt that school education, including geography, did not adequately protect lives or were uncertain about its effectiveness was the unpredictability of natural disasters.
This study was conducted exclusively with students from the presenter's classes and therefore cannot be considered generalizable. Additionally, the results are based solely on the students’ subjective opinions. A key challenge for the future is to assess whether school education can truly equip students to protect themselves during natural disasters.
This study examines students’ awareness of their ability to protect themselves during disasters through geography and school education. A questionnaire survey was conducted among first-year students at an upper secondary school of presenter's workplace.
Regarding geography education, the majority of students were undecided. In terms of general school education, many students responded that they “can save lives” or “can't say either way.”
Most students believe that enhancing practical and hands-on activities is crucial for disaster preparedness. The most common reason given by those who felt that school education, including geography, did not adequately protect lives or were uncertain about its effectiveness was the unpredictability of natural disasters.
This study was conducted exclusively with students from the presenter's classes and therefore cannot be considered generalizable. Additionally, the results are based solely on the students’ subjective opinions. A key challenge for the future is to assess whether school education can truly equip students to protect themselves during natural disasters.