1
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
How Animals in Schools Can Support
Learning
Andrea M. Beetz
PD Dipl.-Psych., Dr. phil., Dr. phil. habil.
Dept. Special Education
Dept. Behavioural Biology
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Overview
Dogs in School – What does this look like?
Positive Effects of Dogs on Learning and Possible Mechanisms
Oxytocin
Attachment and Caregiving
Biophilia-Effect
Reading with Dogs
2
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Schooldogs
Current Practice and Effects
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Dogs in Schools in D A Ch
• Exponential increase of number of schooldogs in D, A, Ch
• Estimate: about 500-600
• Also more school-visiting dogs (e.g. The Blue Dog Project)
• www.schulhundweb.de
• www.schulhund.at
• www.schulhunde-schweiz.ch
3
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Dogs in Kindergarten in D A Ch
• Survey of Kindergartens with „schooldogs“ and „visiting-dogs“
(Messerli Institute, Vienna, Vetmed)
• Increasing number of kindergarten teachers take dogs to work
• Often without any education, assessment, training!!!
• Bite incidences occurred, luckily no
big press
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Definition - Schooldog (Austrian Ministry of Education BMUKK 2013, Beetz 2012)
• Schooldog spends class-time in (one) classroom on a regular
basis.
• The schooldog is handled by a teacher with an additional education
in dog-assisted education.
• The dog is assessed for his suitability, health and behavior, is
trained and socialized for the clients/students he will meet and is
assessed in the class / school on a regular basis.
• The main goals are: enhancing social interactions in the classroom,
student-teacher relationship, class climate and individual social
competences of the students.
4
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Definition – School-visiting dog
• School-visiting dogs visit classes (one at a time) once or a few
times for 1-3 hours.
• The school-visiting dog is handled by a person with an education in
dog-assisted education and is usually not a teacher at this school.
• The dog is assessed for his suitabiltity, health and behavior, is
trained and socialized for the clients/students he will meet and is
assessed in school on a regular basis.
• The main goals are: teaching knowledge about dogs (dog-keeping,
approaching, care, training, communication) appropriate for this age
group and or humane education / animal protection (e.g. animal
abuse, breed specific diseases)
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Type of Schools
Survey of 77 teachers with 84 schooldogs by Marhofer 2011:
• > 40% in schools for special education
• >30% in regular elementary schools (grade 1-4/6)
• 65% in classes 1-4 (age 6-10)
• 75% one dog is working only in one class
• BUT 25% work in several classes (this means more than 50 children
per week)
Recommendation BMUKK: Schooldog in only one class
5
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Duration of Dog-Presence
• 1 day per week: 33%
• 2-3 days per week: 50%
• 5 days per week: 10% (tendency for less over the years)
• Presence usually only in the morning (8am-1pm), rarely full day
(until 4 pm)
Recommendation BMUKK: max 2-3 days per week in the morning
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Type of Activity
Beetz, 2012
• Presence – dog is free to move around classroom
• Active Involvement in regular school-tasks : 80% of dogs,
special times (5 -10 minutes; e.g. handing out papers, throwing dice
for math tasks) or also special training programs in small groups
(reading; socio-emotional competence)
• Working with dog as actual activity: as a treat to students (e.g.
hiding a toy which the dog then seeks) or doing a parcour with the
dog (planning, concentration)
6
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Type of Activity
• Children are responsible for „dog-care“ (water, bed, walking), every
week 2 different children
• Dog-Rules: always need to be observed
• Tasks around the dog /without the dog:
building a dog-house, dog toys in crafts or as a project,
preparing dog buiscits in cooking class
exercises to teach children how the dog might feel:
e.g. one child plays the role of the dog, 10 children want to pet
and surround him
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Prevention of Stress in Schooldogs
• Selection of suitable dog (breed/mix, size, age, health, character)
• Socialisation with children, adults and other dogs, getting used to
setting (school, kindergarten)
• Restricting kind of activity and time of presence for each individual
• Dog-Rules in the classroom
• Some balancing/de-stressing activity in free-time, breed-specific
work
• good relationship to owner/teacher
• Regular checks/assessments by vet and dog-behavior specialist
and/or video-based supervision
7
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Dog Assisted Ecuation can enhance cognitive and socio-
emotional learning
• Studies on effects of schooldogs
• Mechanisms
Dogs in Schools
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Effects of Schooldogs
Hergovich et al. 2002, Kotrschal & Ortbauer 2003:
1. grade elementary school in Vienna
3 months, daily one of three dogs present
>90% immigration background
Results: when dog was present:
More attention towards teacher
Less aggression
More social interaction
Children liked school more, missed less days
Extreme behavior was reduced (shy, acting out)
Very individual relationship to dog
8
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Effects of Schooldogs
Beetz (2012):
3. grade elementary school
1 day per week dog presence, one school-year,
Control-class without dog-presence
Results: in dog class (in contrast to control)
More enjoyment of learning
More positive attitude towards school and learning
Reduction of inadequate strategies of emotion-
regulation
Better class-climate
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Stress and fear in humans negatively affects
Executive Funcions
concentration
working memory
ability to motivate oneself
impulse control
logical thinking
self reflection
EF are the basis for successful learning, socially, emotionally,
cognitively
Mechanisms behind effects of schooldogs
9
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Problem with training programs (e.g. for reading, math, social
competence):
when humans are asked to do something they are not good at, they
feel stressed and afraid (fear of failure and negative reactions of
others, shame) and are usually not in a good mood
Learning requires:
- absence of stress and fear – a good level of activation
- a good relationship to the teacher/therapist
- a positive mood and attitude
Mechanisms behind effects of schooldogs
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Effects of HAI and AAI
Review (up to 2012):
Beetz, A., Uvnäs-Moberg, K., Julius, H. & Kotrschal, K. (2012). Psychosocial
and psychophysiological effects of human-animal interactions: The possible
role of oxytocin. Frontiers in Psychology / Psychology for Clinical Settings, doi:
10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00234
Julius, H. Beetz, A., Kotrschal, K. Turner, D. & Uvnäs-Moberg, K. (2013).
Attachment to Pets – An integrative view of human-animal relationships with
implications for therapeutic practice. New York: Hogrefe.
Data show the potential for the following positive effects –
in reality it often depends on many factors
10
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Effects of HAI and AAI
Better general and cardiovascular health
Increase in social interaction, attention, trust and
communication
Improvement of mood, decrease of depression
Decrease of aggression
Decrease of fear and anxiety
Decrease of stress-related parameters:
blood pressure, heart rate, cortisol
Reduction of pain
Increase of concentration and motivation
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Effects of HAI – How and Why?
Why does HAI have stronger effects than human-
human interaction?
What can an animal do which a human cannot do?
What are the mechanisms behind these effects?
Under what circumstances?
11
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Activation of the Oxytocin System
Via:
• Touch, massage, skin- to-skin contact
• Warmth
• Contractions / Labor / Breastfeeding
• Physical closeness
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Activation of the Oxytocin System
Effects of oxytocin (for an overview see Beetz et al. 2012)
Better wellbeing / health
Increase in social interaction and trust
Improvement of mood, decrease in depression
Decrease of aggression
Decrease of fear and anxiety
Decrease of stress-related parameters:
blood pressure, heart rate, cortisol
Reduction of pain
Increase of concentration and motivation
12
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
HAI and Oxytocin
Increase of oxytocin levels in humans via physical contact with
dogs,
in particular own/familiar dog
• Odendaal (2000)
• Odendaal & Meintjes (2003)
• Handlin, Hydbring-Sandberg, Nilsson, Ejdebäck, Jansson & Uvnäs-
Moberg (2011)
• Nagasawa, Kikusui, Onaka & Ohta (2009)
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Attachment Theory
John Bowlby: Attachment Theory (1960)
Julius, Beetz, Kotrschal, Turner, Uvnäs-Moberg (2013). Attachment to Pets.
Hogrefe.
Function:
• protection of offspring
• stress regulation
• emotion regulation
attachment system in the child
caregiving system in the parent
goal: establishing closeness
13
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Behavioral systems are goal-corrected
develop during ontogenesis, are flexible and adapt to
environmental conditions
primary strategy: secure attachment
secondary strategies: insecure attachment
breakdown of strategies due to unresolved attachment trauma
(attachment disorganization)
Attachment Theory
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Emotional and behavioral disorders
secure avoidant ambivalent disorganized
3% 17% 3% 77%
General population
secure avoidant ambivalent disorganized
60% 20% 8% 12%
Trend towards less security in Western Societies
Increase of mentals disorders (anxiety, depression)
Distribution of Attachment
14
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
The Benefit of HAI
Insecurely or disorganized attached children re-establish their
insecure attachment patterns in new relationships
e.g. Achatz 2007, Suess, 1987, Sroufe & Fleeson, 1988; Howes & Hamilton,
1992; Dozier et al., 2001, Sroufe et al., 2005
Less transmission of insecure/disorganized attachment to pets
Kurdek 2008, 2009 a/b,
Julius, H., Beetz, A., & Niebergall, K. 2010
Animals can provide social support also for
persons with insecure attachment
can buffer stress reactions
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Caregiving in HAI
• Providing care probably associated with positive physiological
reactions (oxytocin release)
• Often easier for children with insecure attachment and mostly
involves body contact
• Only possible (socially acceptable) towards animals
(and in Greencare)
15
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Biophilia
Human affinity to nature and animals (Wilson 1984, Kellert 1997)
Shared evolutionary history of humans and non-human animals:
• Humans needed to pay attention to animals
• A natural interest in animals/nature developed
Animals can be a source of danger or a warning signal
Calm animals signal a safe surrounding and a chance for relaxation
biophilia-effect (Julius et al. 2013)
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
HAI and Learning
HAI supports preconditions for optimal learning
Reduction of stress and fear reduction in challenging
situations (education, therapy)
better EF (impulse control, reflective functioning, memory)
Easier establishment of a good relationship between client and
therapist / teacher and student (via OT?)
Improved mood, positive atmosphere
16
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Motivation
Wohlfarth, R. Mutschler, B., Beetz, A., Kreuser, F. & Korsten-Reck, U. (2013). Dogs motivate
obese children for physical activity: Key elements of a motivational theory of animal-assisted
interventions. Frontiers in Psychology, 4 (796), doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00796.
Intrinsic Motivation Extrinsic Motivation
Natural incentives Learned incentives
Hot mode of pursuit Cold mode of goal-pursuit
Animals seem to be „hot stimuli“ and motivate intrinsically – they are
interesting, people want contact (biophilia-based?)
Advantage of AAI: to motivate clients who are tired of interventions,
feel hopelessness or fear of failure (e.g. reading)
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Application in AAI
Indications for AAI
Insecure attachment, missing trust (e.g. PTSD)
Low skills which need to be trained (associated with fear and
stress, social evaluation threat)
frequent in populations with special needs
17
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Popular Animal Assisted Intervention (AAI) in the USA
and Europe
e.g. R.E.A.D. (Intermountain Therapy Animals)
in libraries, schools
2 very different settings possible:
individual students small groups
with an AAI-dog handler with a pedagogue/teacher
with without instruction
Reading with Dogs - Programs
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
… (should) depend on the actual reading skills
1. Mere dog-team presence (no instruction by pedagogue/teacher)
or reading with schooldog alone in a corner of the classroom
Reading with Dogs (1)
Exercise for disfluent readers
Goal: to improve reading fluency
Based on relaxation, motivation and positive attitude
Not suitable for students lacking basic reading skills
Forms of Reading with Dogs
18
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
2. Dog presence and involvment in small group setting
(ca. 4 students) with instruction by teacher / pedagogue
Dog-Assisted Reading Training (2, Germany, Austria)
Promotion of reading techniques, word recognition,
grammar
Talking about content and reading strategies
Very structured approach – comparable to usual reading
programs in regular school time without dogs
Dog effect based on relaxation, motivation
Forms of Reading with Dogs
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Wohlfarth, Mutschler, Beetz & Schleider (2013)
12 children, 2nd grade, age 6-7 (average reading skills)
assigned to 2 groups, cross-over design
reading in presence or absence of dog (friendly female student)
During dog presence significant improvement in
Word recognition
Correct punctuation recognition
Number of correct line breaks
Studies on Effects of Reading with Dogs
19
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Smith (2010)
Control group design
N=26, 3rd grade
6 weeks, 1x 30 minutes per week,
Reading with dog vs. Reading at home
Both groups improved in reading
Dog-group improved more in reading skills
Studies on Effects of Reading with Dogs
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Emmert & Gonzales (2012)
Reading with dogs during afternoon time at school
64 students with low reading skills (intervention group)
65 students as control group
10 weeks, 1x week 15 minutes
more improvement in reading fluency in
dog group
also more reading motivation
Studies on Effects of Reading with Dogs
20
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Heyer & Beetz, 2013
N = 16 (8 female, 8 male) with low reading skills
3rd grade, 2 different schools (M= 9.2 years old)
Intervention/Dog-Group (8) vs. Control-Group with dog-hand puppet
(8)
Randomized and then matched for:
age
sex
intelligence scores
reading scores
Studies on Dog-Assisted Reading Training
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Training in groups of 4 children
14 weeks of reading training (1x per week, 60 min.)
Group with real dogs (2 different ones) – control group with dog-
puppets
Same exercises (reading aloud, repeated reading, strategies,
communication)
2 different teachers (each one intervention group and one control)
Studies on Dog-Assisted Reading Training
21
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
t1= before first session
t2= after session 7
t3 = after the end of the intervention
t4= 6 weeks after end (summer holidays)
ELFE: reading skills (understanding of words, sentence, text)
t1, t2, t3, t4
FEESS: socio-emotional experiences in school
(social integration, self concept, class climate, attitude towards school,
motivation, acceptance)
t1, t3
Studies on Dog-Assisted Reading Training
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Studies on Dog-Assisted Reading Training
22
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
t1:
IG has significantly less positive socioemotional school experiences:
- social integration (Mann-Whitney U –Test: p=.021)
- positive self-concept as good student (p=.050)
t3:
No significant differences between groups
Significant improvement of dog-group in:
- social integration F=5.573 p=.033
- class climate F=.6.580 p=.022
- student self concept F=9.447 p=.008
- enjoyment of learning F=7.441 p=.016
- feeling of being accepted F=4.994 p=.042
Studies on Dog-Assisted Reading Training
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Studies on Dog-Assisted Reading Training
23
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Conclusions from Heyer & Beetz 2013)
Dog assisted reading improves reading skills more than a
comparable intervention without a live dog
Students were much more willing to participate on a regular
basis in the dog-group
Also improvement of socio-emotional
school experiences
Obvious motivation to read also during
holidays – self concept as reader
improved
Studies on Dog-Assisted Reading Training
Andrea M. Beetz – 2015
Contact:
Thank you for your attention!