Loading...
University
Shawnee State University
Major
AYA English Language Arts
Presentation Types
Event
Keywords:
Education, Dogs, Emotions, Schools
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to determine if having dogs in the classroom provides benefits to students’ emotional wellbeing. Many people report that animals help calm them down after a stressful day, so this study was devised as a way to determine if dogs can help alleviate the stressors that are often associated with school. During student teaching, I noticed positive changes in students’ behaviors on the days in which my service dog, Macy, was present. Both qualitative and quantitative data was collected from a class of seventh graders, who were asked to fill out daily surveys that recorded their emotions and any additional comments. Responses were averaged and compared in two categories: days with Macy present, and days without her. My goal as an educator is to provide a safe and welcoming classroom, and aside from answering the research question, this information will help me create that environment.
Human Subjects
yes
IRB Approval
no
Faculty Mentor Name
Dr. John Roush
Faculty Mentor Title
Professor
Faculty Mentor Academic Department
School of Education
Recommended Citation
Cunningham, Sarah, "Pawsitive Learning Environments: Can Dogs Impact Student’s Mood?" (2023). Celebration of Scholarship. 2.
https://digitalcommons.shawnee.edu/cos/2023/Day5/2
Pawsitive Learning Environments: Can Dogs Impact Student’s Mood?
The purpose of this study is to determine if having dogs in the classroom provides benefits to students’ emotional wellbeing. Many people report that animals help calm them down after a stressful day, so this study was devised as a way to determine if dogs can help alleviate the stressors that are often associated with school. During student teaching, I noticed positive changes in students’ behaviors on the days in which my service dog, Macy, was present. Both qualitative and quantitative data was collected from a class of seventh graders, who were asked to fill out daily surveys that recorded their emotions and any additional comments. Responses were averaged and compared in two categories: days with Macy present, and days without her. My goal as an educator is to provide a safe and welcoming classroom, and aside from answering the research question, this information will help me create that environment.