The meausurement of geographic thinking skills about earthquake in secondary school geography lesson

As Turkey is a country tending to have earthquaks, growing up people conscious about earthquakes is a duty of citizenship. Economic loss of earthquaks causes future generations? descending opportunities decrease more and more.The education given in schools must answer the needs of the public. Individuals, who solve the problems of public and have thinking capacity, should be grown up.This study is a descriptive screening model which is made to show the level of geographical thinking skills about earthquake of the local high school students.The centre of the study is the local high school students in Adana, Seyhan. A survey is made among 248 students from randomly closen five schools in this centre. An interview was made with some of these students who were applied the survey. In resolving the data the analysis is made by using percentage, freqvency.In resolving problems of the research two İndependent-Samples T-Test and One Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were made in order to determine if there are important differences between sexes and fields, geographic thinking skill levels about earthquakes. Later the quantitative data of the survey was written in findings and comments section by being supported with the qualitative data.At the end of the survey it is found out that the skills of students of asking geographic questions about earthquake is ?sometimes? It?s determined that according to survey results the mostly used skill is the skill of asking geographic questions. According to survey results it is found out that the students couldn?t gain the skills of gathering knowledge about earthquake ?never? at all .It is found out that the students couldn?t gain ? never? the skills of sorting out the knowledge about earthquake, the analyzing skills of the knowledge about earthquake ? never? at all. It is also found at that the skills of answering the geographic questions doesn?t exist ? never?It is found out that as a matter of earthquake there are significant differences between geographical thinking level skills related to the sexes and fields of students in school.Key words: Earthquake, Skills, Geographical Skills