Previous research has addressed animal-assisted activities (AAA) delivered in special education settings as well as the impact of visiting canines on student social cohesion and aggression in educative settings. However, little research has focused on the effects of small animals residing in the classrooms of general education settings on the social functioning and academic competence of students. The purpose of this study was to investigate the hypothesis that student participation in an AAA program with classroom guinea pigs would improve the social functioning and academic competence of participating students. The purpose was not to study the specific species of guinea pigs, but rather the overall AAA program's impact on participants.
The authors conducted an eight-week, controlled, experimental study of 128 typically developing children between 4.8 to 12.7 years old, who attended kindergarten through seventh grade. Within each of 41 classrooms across 15 general education schools in Brisbane, Australia, two of the typically developing participants were paired with a classmate with autism (outcomes for students with autism are reported in a different article). Each classroom involved in the experimental group of 64 students was provided two guinea pigs, whereas the waitlist control group of 64 students were not provided with classroom guinea pigs. The triads of two typically-developing and one autistic student participated in two, 20-minute AAA sessions per week over the eight-week program, conducted by an AAA program facilitator. Though all students in the experimental classrooms had access to the guinea pigs, only the participating students received AAA sessions with the program facilitator, which included activities such as holding, playing, grooming, feeding, health monitoring, cage cleaning, construction of shelters and toys for the guinea pigs, and making art related to guinea pigs. The Social Skills Rating System (SSRS) standardized assessment measurement was completed by parents and teachers to quantify social functioning and problem behaviors before and after the eight-week program. Teachers also rated academic competence on the SSRS before and after completion of the program.
Results of this study indicate that, compared to the control group, typically-developing experimental group participants involved in the AAA program showed significant gains in social skills as reported by teachers and reductions in problem behaviors as reported by both teachers and parents. However, no significant changes in academic competence were reported by teachers. The observed outcomes were not dependent on the presence of pets in the home. Overall, impacts of the program were perceived as more significant by teachers than by parents.
The authors highlight that the inclusion of animals in primary classroom settings may facilitate improvements in social functioning in typically developing children and be an ideal way to facilitate interactions with nature within educative settings that are becoming increasingly technology-driven.
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