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A Veterinary Science Initiative University of South Carolina Scholar Commons Theses and Dissertations 1-1-2013 A Veterinary Science Initiative: An Analysis of Impact and Future Directions for Humane Education and Collaborative Partnerships Brittany Watson Tisa University of South Carolina Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd Part of the Educational Administration and Supervision Commons Recommended Citation Tisa, B. W.(2013). A Veterinary Science Initiative: An Analysis of Impact and Future Directions for Humane Education and Collaborative Partnerships. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/2381 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you by Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A Veterinary Science Initiative: An Analysis of Impact and Future Directions for Humane Education and Collaborative Partnerships by Brittany Watson Tisa Bachelor of Science Duquesne University, 2006 Masters of Science Duquesne University, 2006 Veterinary Medical Doctorate University of Pennsylvania, 2010 Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Administration College of Education University of South Carolina 2013 Accepted by: Zach Kelehear, Major Professor Rhonda Jeffries, Committee Member Lynn Harrill, Committee Member Emily Weiss, Committee Member Lacy Ford, Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies i © Copyright by Brittany Watson Tisa, 2013 All Rights Reserved. ii Acknowledgements I would like to offer my gracious thanks to all the family, friends, and professional relationships that have made my dissertation journey possible. Each member of my committee contributed a distinct perspective that colored my research and made VSI a more comprehensive and insightful project. Special thanks to Dr. Zach Kelehear who accompanied me on this atypical journey from the beginning. A shared love of art, Latin, and animals brought together two strange birds (pun intended). I strive to be the type of professor that he is in my own professional life. I am deeply grateful for the funding from the American Honda Foundation and Yaschik Foundation. Thank you to everyone at CAS who put up with all my projects and brash opinions, which I am not sure I can blame entirely on the dissertation. I will always remember the amazing people I have met and the support and enthusiasm you have given me. De, Danielle, and Mara without your brilliant insights and efforts VSI could never have existed- I am eternally in your debt. Finally, thank you to my family and friends who had to put up with me through yet another doctorate. They have been editors, distractors, and stabilizers in this odyssey. My parents and sister are models to me and I lean on their unwavering support in whatever I do professionally or personally. I am so lucky to have a family that is so strong and supportive as a pillar in my life. I love you all! iii Abstract Humane education research is limited in its scope and structure and this has led to its inability to find a place in standard curriculum. As resources become scarcer for school districts and shelters, proving efficacy of programs is essential for successful partnerships and program achievements. VSI: Veterinary Science Initiative is a program developed by the education team at the Charleston Animal Society as a model for cooperative education between shelters, veterinarians, and other private organizations to collaborate with local school districts, while also conducting research about how this curriculum benefits student knowledge, organizational awareness, and community engagement. The focus of this research is in two primary areas: to examine the efficacy of the program through changes in knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and evaluation of student products, surveys and observations, and to look the impact of the program as a model from a collaborative leadership perspective. Insights from this analysis can shape science education, humane education, and collaborative educational initiatives. The multimodal research approach adopted in this dissertation includes: comparing pre and posttest participant and control groups, evaluating rubric-based student products, tracking behavioral changes between control and participant groups, and collecting student and teacher surveys. iv Using these assessments, the VSI program produced significant changes in the participants’ behavior, attitudes, and knowledge. This dissertation recommends that humane education shifts focus to a more behavior-driven model that can appeal to animal shelters, schools, and their students. Implications for best practices in curricular development and instruction are reinforced by the impact of individual teachers on the classroom and power of interdisciplinary authentic lesson plans that provide accessibility to a diverse student population. Larger sample size would allow for a more accurate and complex model of impact from the program based on multiple covariates such as pet ownership, ethnicity, and school. In the future, more elaborate analysis of factors impacting humane education, science attitudes, and long-term student behaviors would be beneficial. v Table of Contents Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................... iii Abstract ............................................................................................................................. iv List of Figures ..................................................................................................................... ix Chapter 1: Introduction ..................................................................................................... 1 Background and Purpose .................................................................................... 1 Diverse Benefits of VSI Program ......................................................................... 5 Summary ........................................................................................................... 17 Chapter 2: Review of Literature ....................................................................................... 22 Animals, Society, and Humane Education ........................................................ 22 Partnerships and Collaboration: New and Old Idea for Humane Education ... 45 Need in the Education Community ................................................................... 50 Shelter Logistics ................................................................................................ 57 Summary ........................................................................................................... 60 Chapter 3: Methodology ................................................................................................. 62 Program Design ................................................................................................ 62 Evaluation Focus and challenges ...................................................................... 73 Evaluation organization .................................................................................... 76 Selection of Subjects ......................................................................................... 89 vi Data Exclusions ................................................................................................. 90 Chapter 4: Results ............................................................................................................ 93 Demographic Data on Groups Analyzed ........................................................... 93 Change in Knowledge ..................................................................................... 103 Change in Attitudes ........................................................................................ 111 Change in Behavior ......................................................................................... 133 Creation of Student Products ......................................................................... 140 Views of VSI .................................................................................................... 144 Chapter 5: Conclusions and Recommendations ............................................................ 179 Individual Results Discussion .......................................................................... 179 Overall Discussion and Conclusions: ............................................................... 204 Works Cited .................................................................................................................... 216 Appendix A: Overall Summary of VSI Lessons .............................................................. 238 Appendix B: Summary of VSI Lesson Evaluation Tools ................................................... 239 Appendix C: Summary of Hypotheses ............................................................................ 240 Appendix D: Overview of Data, Statistical Evaluation, and Assessment ....................... 241 Appendix E: Significant Results Summary ...................................................................... 241 Appendix F: Pre and Posttest Document ....................................................................... 246 Appendix G: VSI Lesson Rubrics ...................................................................................... 256 vii
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