THE EFFECT OF GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SYSTEMS (GIS) SUPPORTED GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION ON DISASTER RISK AWARENESS

Abstract

In this study, the effect of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) supported geography education on disaster risk reduction (DRR) was investigated. Disaster risk maps of Fethiye district of Muğla province were generated in ArcGIS 10.8 program and used as educational material in Geography course. It was aimed for the students to recognize the disasters that pose a risk in their environment and to gain awareness against the risks that may arise in a possible disaster by associating why these disasters pose a risk with geographical factors. In order to realize this aim, training was carried out for five weeks with 193 students studying in Fethiye district in the 2023-2024 academic year. The research was carried out in the pretest-posttest control group model. Disaster Risk Awareness Scale developed by the researcher was used to collect the data. The data were analyzed with t-test in SPSS 21 program. The results of the analysis showed that there was a statistically significant increase in the awareness of individuals who received GIS-supported geography education about disaster risks. This study reveals the effectiveness of GIS-based geography education materials in reducing disaster risks. It is recommended that DRR education should be crucially integrated into the secondary curricula.