Measuring awareness of tectonic earthquakes among secondary school students: Gaziantep/Şahinbey example

Turkey being in a major earthquake zone has necessitated many studies in this area. The fact that the North Anatolian Fault Zone, the East Anatolian Fault Zone and the West Anatolian Graben System have been causing devastating earthquakes for centuries is proof of this. Earthquakes are the most common natural disasters and cause significant loss of life and property. Natural disasters cause physical, environmental, psychological and economic losses and affect societies by stopping normal life. The earthquakes that last occurred in our country on February 6, 2023 were effective in Kahramanmaraş, Hatay, Malatya and Adıyaman provinces as well as Gaziantep. The fact that these earthquakes caused serious loss of life and property has made scientific research even more important. A high level of social awareness is of critical importance in combating disasters. It is very important to reveal the earthquake awareness of especially high school age youth, and it will also reveal the awareness of society in a way. In this context, the Şahinbey district of Gaziantep province, which was selected as the research area and was significantly affected by the earthquakes of February 6, 2023, is a rapidly developing district that carries the traces of history to the present day. In addition, this district, which makes a significant contribution to the country's economy, is gaining more and more importance with its cultural heritage. However, in the recent earthquakes, it was observed that the awareness level of high school students living in the Şahinbey district of Gaziantep was low. This thesis aims to measure the awareness level of high school students regarding basic concepts regarding earthquakes and actions to be taken before, during and after earthquakes and to present suggestions. Propositions prepared for earthquake awareness were applied to 375 11th grade students in 6 different high school types using a face-to-face survey method. They were analyzed in SPSS (Statistical Package Program for Social Sciences). The obtained data are shown with frequency tables, percentage analyses and cross tables. Pearson Chi-Square relationship test was applied between the propositions and school types to check whether there was a significant difference at the 95% confidence level. In this context, it was observed that the level of earthquake perception and awareness was higher in Science High School, Social Sciences High School, Private School types; it was at a medium level in Anatolian Imam Hatip High School and Anatolian High Schools, and lower in Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School type. Keywords: Natural Disasters, Earthquake, Secondary Education, Earthquake Awareness, Gaziantep