4:00 PM - 4:30 PM
[O09-05] Scientific Accompanying Support in Kurikoma Geopartk Learning Program
★Invited Papers
Keywords:scale development, disaster education, living with Disaster Risk, scientific approach
Kurikoma Geopark conducts learning activities for elementary, junior high, and high school students from within and outside the city during comprehensive study time and disaster reduction studies. In 2013, when the activities started, 30 students participated in the geopark learning activities, and in 2014, 695 students participated. Since then, about 1,000 to 3,000 students have participated every year. Despite the active learning activities, it has not been clear how much of the two aspects of nature that Kurikoma Geopark promotes, "the story of coexistence with natural disasters and the fertile land," and the knowledge and understanding of the 2008 Iwate-Miyagi inland earthquake, have been conveyed to the students. Therefore, the author, participating in the geopark activities as an advisor to the disaster reduction and education division of the Geopark Promotion Council, conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of the geopark learning activities together with the council.
Prior to verifying the effects of geopark learning, a scale was designed and developed to measure the effect. To design the scale, the Kurikoma Geopark Promotion Council and the author held a workshop to generate ideas. Based on this, the ideas were structured (organized), scaled (created questions), and consensus was reached among the workshop participants. A questionnaire survey was conducted on elementary school students participating in the Kurikoma Geopark learning program as the experimental group, and on students participating in disaster reduction learning at A Junior High School as the control group. Analysis of the responses revealed that 1) it was quantitatively confirmed that learning at Kurikoma Geopark was able to adequately teach the themes of the geopark, "Coexistence with Natural Disasters" and "The Story of the Fertile Land." At the same time, it was revealed that the learning did not have a strong impact on the love for the region, the connection to life and culture, or the improvement of learning attitudes. Based on the above comparative analysis and the evaluation surveys that were continuously conducted afterwards, a new learning program was organized in collaboration with specialists from the Kurikoma Geopark Promotion Council.
Prior to verifying the effects of geopark learning, a scale was designed and developed to measure the effect. To design the scale, the Kurikoma Geopark Promotion Council and the author held a workshop to generate ideas. Based on this, the ideas were structured (organized), scaled (created questions), and consensus was reached among the workshop participants. A questionnaire survey was conducted on elementary school students participating in the Kurikoma Geopark learning program as the experimental group, and on students participating in disaster reduction learning at A Junior High School as the control group. Analysis of the responses revealed that 1) it was quantitatively confirmed that learning at Kurikoma Geopark was able to adequately teach the themes of the geopark, "Coexistence with Natural Disasters" and "The Story of the Fertile Land." At the same time, it was revealed that the learning did not have a strong impact on the love for the region, the connection to life and culture, or the improvement of learning attitudes. Based on the above comparative analysis and the evaluation surveys that were continuously conducted afterwards, a new learning program was organized in collaboration with specialists from the Kurikoma Geopark Promotion Council.