Do Children Benefit from Animals in the Classroom?
The beneficial effects of an 8-week class program involving a guinea pig.
By Zazie Todd, PhD
By Zazie Todd, PhD
Many school classrooms have an animal, whether it’s a fish,
rabbit or guinea pig. A new study in Australia by Marguerite O’Haire
(University of Queensland) et al investigates whether an eight-week program
involving a guinea pig in class leads to improved social skills and a reduction
in problem behaviours.
Schools that wanted to take part in the project were
divided into two groups, one that received the program and one that was wait-listed.
This meant the two groups could be compared. The children were aged between 4
and 12 years old. Teachers and parents completed questionnaires about children
at the start and end of the program.
The authors acknowledge the possibility that the animal itself was not the cause of children’s improved scores. In fact there are several differences between the two groups of children. It could be that the small-group activities with an adult were responsible, and/or that spending time with a peer with Autism Spectrum Disorder was beneficial for their social skills.
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| Photo: waldru / Shutterstock |
Eighty-two guinea pigs took part in the study. Guinea pigs
were chosen because they are friendly, easy to look after, and would likely be
happy in the school environment. Each classroom received two guinea pigs,
because they are social creatures and need the company of a conspecific.
The researchers chose classrooms that included children with
Autism Spectrum Disorder. In the Animal Activity schools, children were put
into a group of three – two typically-developing children and one with Autism
Spectrum Disorder – and given responsibility for looking after the guinea pig
for eight weeks.
The program facilitator taught the whole class about guinea
pig care, and then visited the school twice a week to spend twenty minutes with
each trio of children. Activities included preparing food, cleaning the cage, weighing
and brushing the guinea pig, and providing enrichment by building mazes and
making toys. They also read fiction and nonfiction about guinea pigs and drew
pictures or took photographs of them. At weekends, a child took the guinea pig
home to care for it with their family.
The results showed that at the end of the program teachers rated
children in the Animal Activity group as having better social skills and fewer
problem behaviours than those in the wait-listed group. Parents rated them as
having better social skills. The researchers say, “These findings suggest that
an Animal Assisted Activities program in the primary [elementary] school
classroom may be a feasible way to improve teacher perceptions of social
functioning, compared with current classroom practices.”
The authors acknowledge the possibility that the animal itself was not the cause of children’s improved scores. In fact there are several differences between the two groups of children. It could be that the small-group activities with an adult were responsible, and/or that spending time with a peer with Autism Spectrum Disorder was beneficial for their social skills.
Of course, the raters knew whether or not children had taken
part in the guinea pig activity, but there was no difference in ratings between
the classes where the teacher decided to keep the guinea pig compared to when
they did not. Future studies could use an independent assessor who was blind to
the experimental condition.
In a separate paper, the scientists report the effects for
children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. These children also improved in social
skills and social approach, and showed less social withdrawal, if they were in
the Animal Activity group compared to the wait-listed group. In addition, parents
said their children were more interested in attending school if they were in
the Animal Activity program. This is an important finding because children with
ASD can find the classroom a difficult and isolating place.
The activities the children engaged in with the guinea pig sound
like a lot of fun. Although they were not directly asked for their opinion, it
seems likely that the children enjoyed the program very much. Although further
research is needed, these studies suggest that animal activities in the
classroom may be beneficial for typically-developing children as well as those
with special needs.
At the end of the program, the guinea pigs were all adopted,
either by the family of one of the children who had taken part, or by the
teacher who wanted to keep the animal in the classroom.
Do you like the idea of animals in the school classroom?
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References
People mistakenly think anxious dogs are relaxed around baby
Do children help care for the family pet?
What do young children learn from pets?
References
O'Haire, M. E., McKenzie, S. J.,
McCune, S., & Slaughter, V. (2013). Effects of animal-assisted
activities with guinea pigs in the primary school classroom. Anthrozoös, 26(3), 445-458.
O'Haire, M. E., McKenzie, S. J.,
McCune, S., & Slaughter, V. (2014). Effects of classroom
animal-assisted activities on social functioning in children with autism
spectrum disorder. The journal of alternative and complementary medicine, 20(3), 162-168.
