Long-Term Evaluation of Disaster Education: From a Survey Across Age Groups

Abstract

In Japan, large-scale disasters have accelerated discussions about disaster education, which occupies a very important position as a disaster prevention measure. Disaster education programs have been implemented with the keyword “zest for life”; however, the lifelong implications of these programs on children have not been fully discussed. Assessment of the long-term evaluation is an important issue in considering and promoting disaster education. In this study, the authors conducted a survey of the students and parents of Nakajima Elementary School and Ise Miyagawa Junior High School in Ise City, which are engaged in continuous disaster education. The survey was analyzed through comparisons between various grades and between students and parents to determine the impacts of disaster education at school and its effectiveness as part of long-term evaluation. The survey results indicated that while the short-term impacts were significant, as students grew older, they became more aware of the importance of disaster prevention education in real-world scenarios. Hence, the influence of disaster education in schools weakens in the long-term. In the future, a long-term perspective on disaster education as lifelong education is considered necessary.