Journal of the Society of Disaster Information ISSN:1976-2208(Print) 2671-5287(Online) 한국재난정보학회논문집

Purpose: This study explores the process by which everyday environmental issues come to be recognized as disaster risks and lead to the development of practice-centered thinking through the experiences of university freshmen participating in a living lab project on climate crisis response. Method: A living lab project was conducted with five freshmen from College A, a vocational college located in Gyeonggi Province, and the research data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Result: First, participants underwent a cognitive shift, reframing everyday environmental issues as structural risks linked to the climate crisis. Second, they expanded their practice-centered thinking by reframing the climate crisis as a challenge they could address in their daily lives. Third, they experienced the complexity of disaster response by recognizing the gap between planning and implementation during the project process. Fourth, by linking the climate crisis to personal moral responsibility, they developed a sense of accountability and a commitment to sustained action. Conclusion: This study suggests that the living lab model serves as an educational platform that reinterprets the climate crisis from a disaster perspective and strengthens practice-centered response competencies. It holds educational significance in that it presents a practical model for community-based disaster response education that combines practice and reflection.