Evaluating The Turkish Textbooks In Terms Of Sufficiency Of Disaster Education

Abstract

This study evaluated the appropriateness of disaster-themed texts and activities in Turkish textbooks for disaster education competence. The evaluation was based on the criteria established by the United Nations International Strategy for Risk Reduction (UNISDR) for the education curricula of developing countries. The method used for the study was document analysis, with content analysis used to analyze the data. The sample of the study consists of Turkish textbooks. Expert opinion was sought for validity, while inter-rater agreement was determined for reliability (Reliability = 90%). The study revealed that the texts and activities in Turkish secondary school textbooks are inadequate in reflecting regional and local hazards, vulnerabilities, and the possible effects of disasters in terms of disaster education competence. Particularly, texts at the 6th-grade level are unsatisfactory in creating the desired behavior due to the type of text used. Furthermore, disaster risk reduction is not discussed in most of the texts, highlighting the insufficiency of Turkish textbooks. Even though disaster-themed texts are included in Turkish textbooks, they fail to create a holistic consciousness for disaster education that covers the before, during, and after aspects of disasters. As a result, it can be concluded that Turkish textbooks are inadequate in terms of disaster risk reduction and disaster education in general