Too little, Too late: Addressing the Roles of A School Safety Programme in Earthquake Preparedness of Elementary Students in Turkey

Abstract

ABSTRACT Earthquake preparedness is a critical part of developing a sustainable community concerning reducing vulnerability to earthquakes. This study focuses on reducing children’s vulnerability, particularly through a school safety program, to increase their physical and emotional preparedness for children against earthquakes. A comparative case study is designed to explore the roles of the integration of non-formal and informal learning into formal education in raising school children’s earthquake preparedness. The participants include six teachers with different subject areas and 251 elementary students at a public elementary school, and 95 students at a different public school located in an earthquake-prone city in Turkey. Data are collected through student questionnaires, interviews, classroom observations, and documents to achieve triangulation and trustworthiness. While the qualitative data are analysed through inductive content analysis, descriptive and interpretative analysis are utilized for the quantitative data. The results reveal that a school safety program with a supplementary role to the formal education raises awareness among students about factual knowledge for earthquake preparedness, vital safety actions, and major household preparedness and mitigation measures. This finding has important implications for developing the chances of galvanizing protective behaviours of children and their families.