Three Things to Know
Animal-Assisted Education (AAE) presents a promising intervention for students experiencing difficulties within the traditional education system. Researchers investigated the effects of AAE on Dutch students aged 8-13.
Students with specific social-emotional support needs who received AAE demonstrated significant improvements in self-reported self-confidence, work attitude, teacher relationships, and peer interactions compared to their non-AAE counterparts. These findings were corroborated by teacher observations.
Video analysis revealed that AAE participants exhibited enhanced confidence-related behaviors, such as posture and interaction with the dog and toy. Consequently, researchers concluded that the AAE program positively influenced short-term social-emotional development and social behavior.
For Dog Welfare Practitioners
Research from Hong Kong and China has demonstrated the efficacy of humane education, particularly with canine interaction, in fostering empathy development among young children. This study further underscores the benefits of integrating dogs into programs designed for students with special social-emotional needs, presenting a significant opportunity for dog welfare organizations to deepen their community engagement.
Historically, liability and relinquishment concerns have led humane societies and dog rescues to adopt conservative rehoming policies for families with children. This approach may have inadvertently driven families towards commercial breeders, as evidenced by the surge in dog sales during the pandemic.
Given the substantial benefits of canine presence for children, dog welfare organizations should reassess rehoming policies that exclude families with young children. To mitigate potential risks of bites and relinquishment, prioritizing robust educational initiatives is essential. Promoting the advantages of canine companionship and fostering safe interactions, such as with trained shelter dogs in school, underscores the organization’s value to the entire community, extending beyond canine welfare.
Furthermore, by developing educational programs that incorporate responsible dog ownership, organizations can safeguard animal welfare while cultivating young, informed dog advocates.
The Full Picture
School dropout remains a global issue, with 258 million children out of school, according to UNESCO. Integrating students with special needs into mainstream classrooms is one proposed solution. However, its implementation is challenging, particularly due to teachers’ limited ability to manage students with complex emotional, cognitive, and behavioral needs.
In this context, Animal-Assisted Education (AAE) — trained professionals use dogs to support children’s academic, emotional, and social development — have emerged as a promising approach. Research indicates that AAE can increase motivation, reduce stress, improve reading achievement, enhance empathy, and foster better student–teacher relationships. But since studies vary widely in design and outcomes, making it difficult to draw strong conclusions.
The study, titled “Animal-Assisted Education: Exploratory Research on the Positive Impact of Dogs on Behavioral and Emotional Outcomes of Elementary School Students“, aimed to evaluate whether AAE improves social and emotional outcomes.
Study Methods
The AAE intervention (the DOG Project) ran for ten weekly sessions, facilitated by a trained handler and three certified therapy dogs. Each session included both individual and paired peer participation, with the dog involved for 15–20 minutes. Sessions focused on improving students’ social-emotional development, such as self-confidence and communication.
The experimental group, students aged 8–13 who had specific social-emotional support needs, participated in AAE. Their classmates who had similar needs but did not receive any special programs formed the control group.
Self-Reported Questionnaires
All students and teachers completed the Dutch Instrument for Social-Emotional Development (VISEON) before- and after-AAE:
- Students reported their self-confidence, relationships with teachers, and peer relationships.
- Teachers reported their students’ work attitude, behavior, emotional stability, and social interactions.
Researcher Observations
Researchers were also interested in whether AAE will enhance students’ verbal and non-verbal communication energy and intensity during the intervention. As such, during the fifth session of the AAE, video recordings were made of students focusing on a “play” task, comprising of a free situation with the dog, a first task with the dog, and a second task with the dog.
Three trained observers rated 229 video clips using an observation checklist measuring communication behaviors (e.g., facial expressions, eye contact, posture, voice volume, and physical contact with the dog). These behaviours were rated using the scale 1-5, indicating the degree to which a student demonstrated a particular behavior. Each student contributed 4 minutes of footage across the three conditions.
Study Results
Self-Reported Scores
Results from the VISEON showed that after AAE, the experimental group (22 students) demonstrated significant improvements were observed in self-confidence, peer relationships, and perceived support from teachers (self-reports). Teachers also reported significant improvements in the students’ four behavioral dimensions.
| Average Score | Experimental Group | Control Group | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline | After Ten Weeks (with AAE) | Baseline | After Ten Weeks (without AAE) | |
| Student self-assessment | ||||
| Self-confidence | 2.57 | 2.76 | 2.89 | 2.87 |
| Relationships with other students | 3.02 | 3.20 | 3.41 | 3.35 |
| Relationship with the teacher | 3.53 | 3.55 | 3.56 | 3.57 |
| Teacher assessment | ||||
| Attitude to work | 2.81 | 3.07 | 3.60 | 3.43 |
| Pleasant behavior | 3.23 | 3.46 | 3.62 | 3.43 |
| Emotional stability | 2.31 | 2.83 | 3.24 | 3.05 |
| Social behavior | 2.25 | 2.74 | 3.12 | 3.00 |
On the other hand, for the Control group (23 students), no significant changes were observed between pre- and post-test results.
Observational Study
In the observational study, communication scores generally improved across tasks throughout the session. Voice volume and articulation became clearer and more understandable. Participants displayed increased intensity and interest in the assigned tasks, with some even exhibiting hyperactivity. Furthermore, conscious physical contact and interaction with the dog significantly increased. Consequently, AAE demonstrably enhanced the intensity and energy reflected in students’ verbal and non-verbal communication during the intervention.
The researchers highlighted that the study could not confirm a causal relationship, as results may have been influenced by the Hawthorne effect, where behavior changes due to increased attention rather than the intervention itself. In addition, positive effects might be short-term, and long-term outcomes remain unknown. Nevertheless, the improvements observed suggested that AAE may foster autonomy, communication, and self-confidence in students who need support in social-emotional development.
Conclusion
This exploratory study assessed the impact of Animal-Assisted Education (AAE) with dogs—specifically the DOG Project—on elementary school students’ social and emotional development. The results suggest that AAE with dogs can contribute positively to children’s social-emotional development, supported by both subjective (self-report, teacher ratings) and objective (behavioral observation) data. AAE is a promising, growing field; this study supports its potential and highlights the need for further research to deepen theoretical understanding and measure its mechanisms more robustly.
Miscellaneous
Data From Study:
–
Year of Publication:
2023
External Link:
Verhoeven R, Butter R, Martens R, Enders-Slegers M-J. Animal-Assisted Education: Exploratory Research on the Positive Impact of Dogs on Behavioral and Emotional Outcomes of Elementary School Students. Children. 2023; 10(8):1316. https://doi.org/10.3390/children10081316