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Goats in Schools: Parental Attitudes and Perceived Benefits
Anthrozoös ( IF 1.6 ) Pub Date : 2021-02-08
Destiny D. Loyd, Elizabeth G. King, Jennifer J. Thompson

ABSTRACT

Animal interactions can provide numerous benefits for child development and education. In the United States, goats are increasingly used in urban farm to school (FTS) programs to enhance children's learning and outdoor experiences. This study examined parents’ attitudes toward the presence of goats in a middle school FTS program and in their residential community, and the perceived effects of goat experiences for their children. Parents’ observations and reflections afford insights into the beneficial impacts that animals have on children and may also serve as a means to gauge parents’ willingness to support animal care and thus enhance the sustainability of FTS programming. Using a retrospective pretest design, we surveyed 112 parents and guardians of students at an urban middle school in the Southeast USA, posing questions about their evolving attitudes toward goats and other animals at the school, their children's experiences with goats and other FTS program elements, and their views regarding the presence, benefits, and drawbacks of goats in the community more broadly. We found that parents generally had very positive attitudes toward goats (and other FTS elements) prior to their students’ attendance, and that these became more positive with time. Over 90% of respondents believed goats positively influenced their children’s interest or enthusiasm for school. Parents also reported broad acceptance of the presence of goats throughout their community. We conclude that goats can be valuable assets in FTS programs, and use insights afforded by parents’ perceptions to draw recommendations for building collaborative support to provide more opportunities for child–goat engagement at schools and in urban communities.



中文翻译:

学校中的山羊:父母的态度和感知的好处

摘要

动物的互动可以为儿童的发展和教育提供许多好处。在美国,山羊正越来越多地用于城市农场到学校(FTS)计划中,以增强儿童的学习和户外体验。这项研究调查了父母对中学FTS计划和其居住社区中山羊的存在的态度,以及山羊体验对孩子的感知影响。父母的观察和思考可以洞察动物对儿童的有益影响,也可以作为衡量父母支持动物照料的意愿的手段,从而增强FTS编程的可持续性。通过回顾性的前测设计,我们对美国东南部某城市中学的112名学生的家长和监护人进行了调查,提出有关他们在学校中对山羊和其他动物的态度演变,孩子对山羊和其他FTS计划元素的经历的问题,以及他们对山羊在社区中的存在,有利和不利的看法。我们发现,在学生出勤之前,父母通常对山羊(和其他FTS要素)持非常积极的态度,并且随着时间的推移,这种态度变得更加积极。超过90%的受访者认为山羊对孩子的学习兴趣或积极性产生了积极影响。父母们还报告说,整个社区都普遍接受山羊的存在。我们得出结论,山羊可以成为FTS计划中的宝贵资产,

更新日期:2021-02-08
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