An Investigation Into the Role of School Dogs in Primary Schools

Pongo Goes to School: An Investigation into the Role of School Dogs in Primary Schools By Alison Broad A thesis submitted to The University of Birmingham In part fulfilment for the degree of EdD Learning and Learning Contexts School of Education The University of Birmingham October 2018 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. Abstract Dogs have been used in therapeutic contexts since the 1960s, following Levinson’s pioneering success incorporating his dog ‘Jangles’ into psychotherapy sessions with children (Levinson, 1969). Dogs can be found in increasingly diverse social contexts, including prisons, hospitals, courtrooms, universities and also schools and there are bold claims that they serve to support humans through various processes of animal assisted therapy (AAT) and animal assisted learning (AAL). This study seeks to discover the role of school dogs and particularly in therapy and learning. The study is underpinned by literature and theoretical frameworks relating to AAT and AAL and to philosophical considerations of the human-animal divide and the human- animal bond. The interpretivist study follows a case study approach, with data generated from observations, interviews and scrutiny of associated documentary evidence. Data is presented using seven key themes. Six relate to AAT and are based upon the nurture model of Lucas, Insley and Buckland (2006) and the seventh theme relates to AAL. Findings point overwhelmingly towards AAT and to the facilitative role that school dogs play in nurture (Bowlby, 1956), with an indirect impact upon academic learning. New learning from this study indicates the positive impact of school dogs upon transition and school attendance, disclosure and safeguarding, communication, staff wellbeing and managing difficult parents. Dedication I dedicate this thesis to my family: To my husband Tim who nagged me to complete this thesis before I retired, To my wonderful children Tom, Jake and Joe, as well as Josh, Lucy and Georgia, To my Dad, a constant source of encouragement and support, To my Mum, who would have been very proud of this achievement, And to my many dogs, past and present. Acknowledgements I should like to thank my supervisors Dr Nick Peim, Dr Tonie Stolberg and Dr Adam Cooke for their constructive support and encouragement. Table of Contents CHAPTER 1: LOCATING THE STUDY ............................................................................................... 1 1.1 Statement of the Genesis of the Research .................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Key Terminology .................................................................................................................................................. 3 1.2.1: Animal Assisted Activity (AAA) .............................................................................................. 4 1.2.2: Therapy ................................................................................................................................. 4 1.2.3: Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) ............................................................................................. 4 1.2.4: Learning................................................................................................................................. 4 1.2.5: Animal Assisted Learning (AAL) ............................................................................................ 5 1.3 Aims of the Research .......................................................................................................................................... 5 1.4 Contexts: Worlds within Worlds .................................................................................................................... 6 1.5 The Reflexive Dimension of Research ......................................................................................................... 8 1.6 Location of ‘Self’ in the Research ................................................................................................................... 9 1.7 Signposting the Thesis .................................................................................................................................... 12 CHAPTER 2: THE HUMAN-ANIMAL DIVIDE: THE HUMAN ANIMAL-BOND ...................................... 14 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................ 14 2.1 What it is to be Animal: What it is to be Human ................................................................................... 16 2.2 The Animal-Human Bond: The Dog-Human Bond .............................................................................. 25 2.3 Anthropomorphising the Animal ................................................................................................................ 28 CHAPTER 3: ANIMAL ASSISTED THERAPY (AAT): ANIMAL ASSISTED LEARNING (AAL) .................... 31 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................ 31 3.1 Pets and Dogs in Schools: Links to the Feasibility Study .................................................................. 31 3.2 The Therapeutic Context ................................................................................................................................ 33 3.3 The History of Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) ................................................................................... 34 3.4 The Therapeutic Curriculum ........................................................................................................................ 39 3.5 Nurture Education and the Nurture Group ............................................................................................ 44 3.6 Nurture and Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) ....................................................................................... 47 3.6.1 Children must be Understood Developmentally ................................................................. 49 3.6.2 Language and Communication ............................................................................................ 52 3.6.3. Safe Environment ................................................................................................................ 53 3.6.4 All Behaviour is Communication .......................................................................................... 53 3.6.5 Wellbeing ............................................................................................................................. 56 3.6.6 Transition ............................................................................................................................. 58 3.7 The Criticisms of Therapeutic Education ................................................................................................ 58 3.8 The Learning Context and Animal Assisted Learning (AAL) ........................................................... 64 3.9 Literature Review Concluding Remarks .................................................................................................. 65 CHAPTER 4: RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY ................................................................. 69 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................ 69 4.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................... 69 4.2 Ethical Considerations .................................................................................................................................... 70 4.3 Trustworthiness ................................................................................................................................................ 76 4.4 Access ..................................................................................................................................................................... 78 4.5 The Feasibility Study........................................................................................................................................ 79 4.6 Role of the Researcher .................................................................................................................................... 81 4.7 Epistemological Perspectives ....................................................................................................................... 82 4.8 Methodology ........................................................................................................................................................ 85 4.9 Case Study ...........................................................................................................................................................

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