Investigation of Secondary School Students' Mental Structures Regarding the Concept of Natural Disaster through Drawings

Abstract

This study aims to reveal secondary school students' perceptions of natural disasters through drawing. The study was conducted in the second semester of the 2022-2023 academic year. A total of 100 students, 50 fifth and 50 eighth-grade students, participated in the study. The data of the study, carried out using the phenomenology design from the qualitative research approach, were collected through the "Natural Disaster Drawing Form". During the study, the students participating in the study were asked to draw a picture of natural disasters and then answer two open-ended questions in the last part of the form. When the data obtained from the study were analyzed, it was seen that the students included natural disasters such as earthquakes, wildfires, floods, landslides, tsunamis, and erosions in their drawings. In addition, it was determined that students in both grade levels made drawings mostly about earthquakes, and the natural disaster they found most important was earthquakes. It was understood that the current natural disasters experienced in Türkiye were very effective in shaping the mental structures of the students. In addition, it was determined that there was no difference in students' drawings according to gender.