Effect of Earthquake Literacy Education on Earthquake Literacy and Fear Among Adolescents

November 9, 2026 updated by: Ebru Sönmez Sari, Bayburt University

The Effect of Earthquake Literacy Education on Earthquake Literacy Levels and Fear of Earthquakes Among Adolescents

This study aims to evaluate the effects of an earthquake literacy education program on earthquake literacy and earthquake-related fear among middle school students in grades 5-8 in Akpınar district, Kırşehir, Türkiye.

Earthquakes are an important public health concern, and providing children with age-appropriate information may help them understand earthquake risks, develop appropriate preparedness behaviors, and manage earthquake-related fear.

In this study, students will be assigned to either an intervention group or a control group at the class level, with randomization stratified by grade. Students in the intervention group will participate in a three-week earthquake literacy education program. Students in the control group will not receive this education program during the study period.

Earthquake literacy and earthquake-related fear will be assessed using standardized measurement instruments before the intervention (Week 1) and immediately after the intervention (Week 5). Changes in the scores between these two assessments will be compared between the intervention and control groups.

The findings are expected to provide information about the effectiveness of earthquake literacy education in improving students' earthquake literacy and addressing earthquake-related fear.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This study is a randomized controlled educational intervention study designed to evaluate the effects of an earthquake literacy education program on earthquake literacy and earthquake-related fear among middle school students.

The study will be conducted among students in grades 5-8 attending middle schools in Akpınar district, Kırşehir, Türkiye. Classes will be randomly assigned to the intervention or control group, with randomization stratified by grade level.

Students assigned to the intervention group will participate in a three-week earthquake literacy education program. The program aims to improve students' knowledge and understanding of earthquakes, earthquake preparedness, and appropriate responses to earthquake-related risks. Students in the control group will continue their usual educational activities and will not receive the study intervention during the study period.

Data will be collected at two time points. Baseline assessments will be conducted in Week 1, before the intervention. Follow-up assessments will be conducted in Week 5, immediately after the intervention period.

The primary outcome measures are changes in earthquake literacy scale scores and earthquake fear scale scores from baseline to immediately post-intervention. The outcomes will be compared between the intervention and control groups to evaluate the effects of the educational program.

The study will contribute to the evidence on school-based earthquake education and its potential role in supporting children's earthquake preparedness and addressing earthquake-related fear.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

149

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

10 years to 14 years (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Being enrolled in grades 5-8 at a middle school in Akpınar district, Kırşehir, Türkiye.
  • Currently attending school.
  • Having sufficient cognitive ability to understand and complete the data collection instruments.
  • Providing voluntary assent to participate in the study.
  • Having written informed consent from a parent or legal guardian.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Not meeting the inclusion criteria.
  • Declining to participate in the study.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Experimental Group - Earthquake Literacy Education

Participants in this group will receive a three-week earthquake literacy education program consisting of four modules addressing the cognitive, behavioral, and affective dimensions of earthquake literacy. The modules cover understanding earthquakes, preparedness before an earthquake, appropriate responses during and after an earthquake, and managing emotions. Participants will complete pretest assessments at baseline and posttest assessments at the end of the study.
Behavioral: Earthquake Literacy Education Program

A three-week educational intervention delivered by the researcher, consisting of one session per week and covering the cognitive, behavioral, and affective dimensions of earthquake literacy. The program comprises four modules: (1) Understanding Earthquakes (cognitive dimension); (2) Being Prepared (behavioral dimension - before an earthquake); (3) Appropriate Response (behavioral dimension - during and after an earthquake); and (4) Managing Emotions (affective dimension). The intervention aims to improve adolescents' earthquake literacy and reduce their fear of earthquakes.
No Intervention: Control Group - No Intervention

Participants in this group will not receive any intervention during the study period. They will complete the same pretest and posttest assessments as the experimental group using the same data collection instruments.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Earthquake Literacy Scale Score
Time Frame: From baseline (Week 1) to immediately post-intervention (Week 5).

Earthquake literacy will be assessed using the Earthquake Literacy Scale. The primary outcome will be the change in the total scale score from baseline to post-intervention assessment.
From baseline (Week 1) to immediately post-intervention (Week 5).
Change in Earthquake Fear Scale Score
Time Frame: From baseline (Week 1) to immediately post-intervention (Week 5).

Earthquake fear will be assessed using the Earthquake Fear Scale. The primary outcome will be the change in the total scale score from baseline to post-intervention assessment.
From baseline (Week 1) to immediately post-intervention (Week 5).

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Bayburt University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

November 23, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 25, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 9, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 9, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

November 13, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

November 13, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 9, 2026

Last Verified

November 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • BAYÜ-2026-001

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data will not be shared with other researchers. This decision is based on the need to protect the privacy, confidentiality, and personal information of the participating students, who are minors. The data collected during the study will be used solely for the purposes specified in the research protocol. Only aggregated findings may be reported in scientific publications and presentations. Individual-level data will be securely stored and accessible only to authorized members of the research team in accordance with ethical principles and applicable data protection regulations.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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