Tornado safety education in public schools

Date
2015
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University of Delaware
Abstract
On May 20, 2013, an EF5 tornado swept through Moore, Oklahoma. Before the severe weather reached the Greater Moore Regional Area, a tornado warning was issued. In particular, this thesis investigated: how a school district in Oklahoma responded to the tornado warning; the current tornado safety education curriculum in the school district; and the information kindergarten students knew about tornadoes or tornado safety prior to matriculating into the school system. In order to collect data, two surveys were created. There was a survey created for principals and a survey created for kindergarten teachers. In addition, several informal interviews were conducted with weather personnel in the Oklahoma area to help bolster survey data. The principals' surveys comprised of a mixture of open-ended and closed-ended questions. The teachers' survey were strictly open-ended questions. For all of the closed-ended questions, responses were reported in aggregate form. In reference to the open-ended questions, thematic coding was utilized. Responses from the principals' surveys revealed that schools in the district did have a systematic response plan in place to respond to tornadoes. However, principals mainly discussed tornado drills as the primary source of tornado safety education present in the schools. Although several principals did note that their science curriculum discussed tornadoes or tornado safety education. Plus, educating the wider community (parents and community members) about tornado safety education was nonexistent. Kindergarten teachers indicated that kindergarten students knew that tornadoes were dangerous weather events and that they need to take tornado protection action when a warning is issued before they started formal schooling (kindergarten). Lastly, recommendations to help make schools safer in future tornado events were provided.
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