Working With Dogs, Working With Ourselves: Humane Education and Student Development

• In Event: 32.082 - Roundtable Session 11
  In Roundtable Session: 32.082-7 - Reconnection: Finding the Whole Student in Modern American Education

Abstract

This qualitative pilot study at a cooperative living facility for young men in the juvenile justice system examined participants' social development following a humane education program. After a course that taught the care, handling, and training of foster dogs, five participants shared their reflections, offering their insights into the ways in which the program fostered academic growth as well as social and interpersonal development. These interviews, coupled with a complete observation of the program, demonstrated that the youth learned far more than the curricular content. Following the program, students reported more humane behavior, greater emotional wellbeing, and increased communication skills with their peers, staff, and other adults in their lives.

Author

• Robert Marx, Vanderbilt Peabody College