Inclusive disaster risk reduction education. Evaluating sign supported books for Indonesian kindergartens

There is a need for inclusive disaster risk reduction education for Indonesian children. This research explores the use of sign supported big books (SSBB) in kindergartens as an original and engaging way to contribute to this area. Two evaluation methods were used: a questionnaire collecting data about the practices and perceptions of 119 teachers, who were using SSBBs, from across Indonesia and a counterbalanced experiment run across 12 classes. The questionnaire responses suggested that the SSBBs had a positive impact on classroom practice, supporting all children’s learning, including making the topic more accessible for children with special educational needs. Analysis of the data also revealed important associations between teachers’ beliefs about their own agency in responding to disasters and their use of the SSSBs. The experimental comparison found that the use of sign support significantly improved children’s understanding of the books, which complemented teachers’ perceptions of the SSBB approach’s effectiveness. Issues for future development of the approach raised by the research are discussed.