Information of Formal Education Students of Civil Defense and Firefighting Program about Lightning, Lightning Strike and Stroke of Lightning

Abstract

This research was carried out to determine the knowledge of the students studying in the civil defense and firefighting program in a vocational school of a university about lightning, lightning strikes, and the misconceptions about lightning strikes. The data of the study were collected through a questionnaire consisting of 46 questions created by the researchers. The questionnaire form was distributed by a lecturer at Amasya University Suluova Vocational School during classes on 15.05.2018-22.05.2018 and was collected again after being applied under observation. The data were evaluated in the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 25.0 package program, descriptive statistics were given as numbers and percentages, and the Chi-square test was used to evaluate the difference between the groups. Type 1 error value α<0.05 was accepted as significant in statistical analysis. A total of 146 students participated in the research. The majority of the students (94.5%) have not received training on lightning before. In some propositions about lightning, it was determined that most students' knowledge about lightning was wrong. When the students are compared according to their age groups, there is a significant difference between the groups (p=0.004). A significant difference was found between those aged 18-20 and those aged ≥24 years. The students' knowledge about lightning, lightning strikes, and strikes is insufficient. The lightning curriculum should be added to the Civil Defense and Firefighting programs.