Journal of Natural Disaster Science

SOFTWARE FOR EARTHQUAKE EDUCATION OF SCHOOL TEACHERS DEVELOPED WITH A PERSONAL COMPUTER

Kouichi TAKIMOTO
Graduate student, Department of Computer Science and Systems Engineering Faculty of Engineering, Yamaguchi University
Fusanori MIURA
Professor, Department of Computer Science and Systems Engineering Faculty of Engineering, Yamaguchi University
and
Kazuo SAKAO
Senior engineer, Department of Civil Engineering Faculty of Engineering, Yamaguchi university

(Received 1 October 1992 and revised 28 October 1993)

Abstract

In 1987 and 1990, we distributed about 1800 questionnaires to schools in seven prefectures in Japan in order to examine the state of knowledge about earthquake preparedness in those schools. The surveys showed that many teachers understood the necessity of earthquake preparedness education, but felt that the available passive audio visual materials were unsatisfactory. In response, we developed interactive personal computer software to be used for earthquake preparedness education. This software is designed for the use of teachers in elementary and junior high schools. To maintain user interest, animation, sound effects and narration were used wherever possible. The software is divided into three parts: "Understanding earthquakes", "Past earthquake disasters and survival", and "Preparation for earthquake hazards". We distributed this software to a total of 10 elementary and junior high schools and evaluated its effectiveness by testing teacher understanding before and after its introduction. The greatest improvement in understanding was in "Preparation for earthquake hazards". We here describe the initial surveys, outline the software and discuss its evaluation.

Key words

earthquale education, personal computer, questionnaire, disaster prevention