Investigation of secondary school students' disaster awareness levels: The case of Sakarya province

This study aims to assess the disaster awareness levels of secondary school students and the related factors. Students' disaster awareness levels were analyzed based on various factors, including age, gender, grade level, parental education level, primary place of residence, overall academic performance, prior disaster experience, knowledge of appropriate actions during a disaster, participation in school disaster drills, and exposure to disaster-related information from family members. This study was conducted using a descriptive research design within quantitative methods. The population comprised secondary school students in the Kaynarca district of Sakarya province during the 2024–2025 academic year. The sample included 608 secondary school students selected through the convenience sampling method. A demographic form and the Disaster Awareness Scale were used as data collection instruments. The obtained data were analyzed using the SPSS 26 software package. The disaster awareness perception levels of secondary school students, which involve two unrelated groups, were analyzed using an independent samples t-test to assess differences in the mean disaster awareness scale scores based on gender, place where the majority of their life was spent, prior disaster experience, knowledge of appropriate actions during a disaster, participation in school disaster drills, and exposure to disaster-related information from family members. The differences in disaster awareness scale scores based on variables such as age, grade level, parental education level, and academic performance, which involve more than two unrelated groups, were analyzed using One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The results revealed that secondary school students' disaster awareness levels did not significantly differ based on age, grade level, prior disaster experience, or participation in school disaster drills. It was found that students' disaster awareness levels differed significantly based on gender, parental education level, place where the majority of their life was spent, overall academic performance, knowledge of appropriate actions during a disaster, and exposure to disaster-related information from family members. Overall, the majority of secondary school students demonstrated a high level of disaster awareness. It is recommended that students be encouraged to choose the disaster awareness course, which has been introduced as an elective course in secondary schools, and that seminars, awareness projects, and training sessions be organized to further enhance disaster awareness among secondary school students. Keywords: disaster, disaster awareness, natural disaster, middle-school students