An Empirical Study on Pupils' Knowledge on Active Volcanoes and Protective Measures in Ecuador

Abstract

This paper discusses the results of an extensive empirical study on students' knowledge on volcanoes and volcanism in Ecuador, a country characterized by the highest density of high-risk volcanoes worldwide. The first part of the study deals with students' knowledge on active volcanoes and protective measures against disasters. The study emerged from a research cooperation of the Geography Department of the Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany, and Departamento Ciencias de la Terra y Construcción of Universidad de Las Fuerzas Armadas (Sangolquí, Ecuador). The sample included two groups of participants: 1) fifth-graders and sixth-graders from the German schools in Quito and Guayaquil with no formal instruction on volcanoes and volcanism, 2) twelfth-graders attending the same schools.