The effect of animation-assisted earthquake education given to primary school students on their attitudes towards earthquakes

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of animation-supported earthquake education on the attitudes of 4th-grade primary school students towards earthquakes. The research, which was planned as a quasi-experimental study with a repeated measures design, was conducted during the fall semester of the 2022-2023 academic year at Nasreddin Hoca Primary School, under the Directorate of National Education of Ankara Province. A total of 100 4th-grade students, who received permission from their parents, participated in the study. Data were collected using a "Knowledge Form" and the "Earthquake Attitude Scale," developed by the researcher. The data obtained from the study were analyzed using the SPSS for Windows 25.0 program. Of the students, 54% were female, 71% had received earthquake education, 59% had experienced an earthquake, and 90% had seen people or places affected by an earthquake in visual media such as television or newspapers. Furthermore, 87% of the students reported that they had been informed about earthquakes by their families, 49% stated that they had an earthquake plan in their family, and 94% had participated in an earthquake drill. The total scores on the Earthquake Attitude Scale before the animation-supported education, 15 days after the education, and one month after the education were 145±16.6, 148±15.3, and 151±12.6, respectively. There was a significant difference between the scores before the education, 15 days after the education, and one month after the education. The scores one month after the education were found to be statistically significantly higher than both the pre-education scores and the scores 15 days after the education (p<0.05). The findings of the research indicate that the animation-supported earthquake education significantly improved the attitudes of 4th-grade primary school students towards earthquakes.