Improvement in children's humaneness toward nonhuman animals through a project of educational anthrozoology

The aim of the current research was to assess the effects of a project of educational anthrozoology on primary-school children. The study focused on 201 school children, aged 9-11 years, who had no impairment. The project consisted of four 40-minute meetings conducted by the authors in the classroom. Lessons discussed dogs, cats, and rabbits; the teaching modules focused on behavior, communication, and ethological needs of these species. Data were collected using 2 questionnaires, one preceding and the other following the project, formed by 31 items (20 identical and 11 different). Questionnaires were divided into areas comprising personal details of the children, their knowledge on animals, their perception of nonhuman animals, their responsibility toward pet species, their actual relationship with nonhuman animals. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon test (P , 0.05) and a 2-factor, repeated-measurement of analysis of variance (P , 0.05). Comparisons before and after the lessons included the whole questionnaire and the identical questions, only. Analyses showed that attending the lessons led to the following positive results: a reduction of children’s fear of pets, an increase in knowledge and education of the animal world, an improvement of the children’s perception of animals, a possible improvement of the relationship with pets, a higher sense of responsibility toward animals, especially owned ones. Children who did not have a pet showed a proportionally higher improvement. Therefore, the prospect of integrating such teaching in to school syllabi is desirable.