Effects of Education Concerning Radiation and Nuclear Safety and Regulation on Elementary School Students

This study is aimed at inculcating proper value judgments to elementary school students by providing these students, which the ripple effect of communication and education would be the highest among the general public, with information on safety management regarding nuclear power generation and radiation, as well as governmental safety regulations. In the face of the nuclear communication problem, the type and method of conveying the message is the most basic consideration for effective and efficient communication policies. Nevertheless, it is no exaggeration to say that communications have failed in South Korea because to date, unilateral education has been provided on nuclear power communication targeting the general public. Because various factors such as emotion, experience, socio-cultural environment, and general values play a more important role in human judgment [8], it is necessary to help people make rational decisions by providing varied forms of information. Basically, the general public's attitude change on nuclear power could vary within each country [9], and public attitudes on science vary according to the level of knowledge involved. It is well known that more consideration and concentration on learners leads to efficient education. Thus, the question of safety attitude, which is a view on safety issues, is emphasized as an important indicator of safety culture. The instituted procedures incorporate safety regulations and procedures as the central conceptual elements of the safety atmosphere, and such instituted procedures should be considered as an organizational variable that has a decisive influence on the outcome of individual safety behavior. Dealing with regulations on safety and safety management based on emotions will produce educational effects which facilitate judicious decisions regarding nuclear power generation and radiation safety from elementary school students.