Abstract
The present study examined, in the context of fear-appeal research, effects of disaster education for elementary school children on their affect and cognition, as well as on the children’s guardians’ disaster preparedness actions. Fifth and sixth graders (N=135) completed questionnaires just prior to disaster education, just after disaster education, and 3 months afterwards. At all administrations of the questionnaires, items dealt with fear of earthquakes, perceived susceptibility to threats, perceived severity of threats, and perceived response efficacy. In addition, just after the disaster education, questions were asked about perceived self-efficacy toward their guardians and the students’ intention to talk about the content of the disaster education with their guardians. In the 3-month follow-up, questions were added about actual transmission of the content of the disaster education and their guardians’ actual disaster preparedness actions. The results showed that just after the disaster education, the children’s affect and cognition were heightened, but at the 3-month follow-up, their affect and cognition were found to have returned to the pre-training level. Furthermore, heightened fear and perceived self-efficacy heightened the children’s intention to talk with their guardians, heightened intentions facilitated actual transmission, and facilitated transmission promoted the guardians’ actual disaster preparedness actions.
