Effectiveness of teaching earthquake safety skills via direct instruction to individuals with mental disability

Knowledge and implementation of correct behavioral strategies during sudden natural disasters such as earthquakes are critical for survival. In this context, equipping individuals with fundamental safety skills-such as creating a life triangle and moving to an emergency assembly area-is a vital necessity. For individuals with intellectual disabilities, the acquisition of these skills becomes even more critical due to cognitive limitations. The direct instruction method, which provides clear and structured guidance, supports the teaching process by breaking down complex behaviors into manageable steps, while allowing for repetition, reinforcement, and explicit modeling. This study examined the effectiveness of teaching earthquake safety skills to students with intellectual disabilities using the direct instruction method. The research employed a multiple probe design across participants, a single-subject experimental research method. The study was conducted with three participants (one female, two males) aged 12–14 years with mild intellectual disabilities, enrolled in special education classrooms at a public middle school in Düzce province. Participants were selected based on teacher/parent observations and a prerequisite skills assessment form developed by the researcher. Data were collected using researcher-developed data recording and social validity forms, then analyzed via graphical and descriptive analysis methods. Findings were compared with relevant literature. Additionally, Tau-U effect size analysis was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the instruction more robustly. The analysis yielded a Tau-U value of 1.00 for all participants, demonstrating a statistically significant and highly robust intervention effect. Results indicate that the direct instruction method was effective in teaching earthquake safety skills. Participants maintained these skills at an average rate of 93.64% at Weeks 1, 3, and 4, and generalized them across different settings with an average rate of 92.86%. Future research should compare the efficacy of alternative teaching methods, extend studies to other disability groups, expand the scope of target skills, and conduct comparative studies with typically developing individuals.