INVESTIGATING AWARENESS OF STUDENTS IN SARPOL-E ZAHAB AND MALARD ABOUT EARTHQUAKE AND SAFETY

Iran is located in one of the seismic regions of the world and the occurrence of major earthquakes such as Bam earthquake in Kerman province, Ezgeleh earthquake in Kermanshah province and Malard earthquake in Karaj indicates the importance of paying attention to education and increasing community preparedness for earthquake especially among students. The experience of past earthquakes shows that this issue should be addressed more by educational planners. The aim of current study is to investigate the awareness and reaction of students who experienced earthquakes in Kermanshah and Malard and to use the findings of this study to provide educational solutions and expand earthquake and safety curriculum. The research method was survey and the data were collected by interview and questionnaire including four open-ended questions. The statistical population includes the students of all three educational levels (elementary and high school 1 and 2) who experienced the earthquake in Ezgeleh-Sarpol-e Zahab in Kermanshah and Malard in Karaj. The sample size included 156 students (67 girls and 89 boys). Sampling method was simple random sampling and the data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS 11 software.