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"THE IMPORTANCE OF HUMANE
EDUCATION''
To The Animal Welfare and
Education Community
By, Dr. Jeanette Shutay Ph.d.
I am currently an
Assistant Professor at National-Louis
University in the College of Education. I
teach research methodology and statistics
courses and am writing this at the request
of Mr. Randy N. Warner of 21st Century
Animal Resource and Education Services. My
future research interests include designing
and implementing Humane Education programs
into the Chicago Public Schools. I feel that
Humane Education programs are pertinent to
the moral development of children.
Furthermore, I believe that children who are
offered a science curriculum that emphasizes
animal ecology and behavior will find the
scientific experience more interesting and
more rewarding. The hypothesized result is
that not only will the children develop a
more sophisticated and solid moral
structure, but they will come to enjoy
education more, resulting in higher
attendance, more participation in the field
of science, lower drop-out rates, etc.
The effects of Humane Education
programs have not been well documented in
the published literature. However, many
teachers that I have spoken to about humane
education and bringing animals into the
classroom have said that they felt it had
been a great experience for the children.
Not one teacher that I have spoken to said
that they thought that it was not a good
idea.
Although I have not found any published
research yet that specifically discusses the
effects of humane education, I have found
some unpublished master theses and
dissertations which focus on exactly that.
Theses and dissertations tend to be
subjected to the highest forms of criticism
and evidence some of the best research
rigor. Therefore, although these studies are
not published, I am fairly certain that the
research is sound and the findings are
credible. These studies provide empirical
support for the implementation of Humane
Education programs.
For example, one study conducted by
Justine Tweyman-Erez (1998) examined the
effects of a Humane Education curriculum on
the attitudes of fourth grade students.
Statistical analyses confirmed that the
Humane Education curriculum changed the
attitudes of the fourth grade students in
the study. Furthermore, this change in
attitude was found to be stable over time.
Another study conducted by Wendy
Shoemake Neyer (1998) examined the impact of
humane education on adolescent attitudes and
knowledge towards animals and others. Her
results indicated that those students who
received the intervention (i.e., Humane
Education program) had significantly higher
knowledge scores related to humane treatment
of animals as well as humans. Open-ended
comments by the experimental group
participants (i.e., those who received the
intervention) suggested awareness, empathy,
and adoption of non-violent conflict
resolution techniques.
A third study conducted by Thomas Acton
Fitzgerald Jr. (1980) evaluated the
effectiveness of humane education.
Specifically, do Humane Society Education
programs result in improved attitudes toward
animal life? Thomas analyzed the impact of
three different humane education treatments
which were examples of the traditional
programs taught by local humane societies to
fifth and sixth grade students. The three
treatments varied in terms of reading
material with no instruction, reading
material with instruction, and reading
material with instruction repeated over
time. The results indicated that there were
significant differences between the groups
as a function of the treatment. Those who
received reading material with instruction
evidenced more humane attitudes than those
without instruction and those without any
training at all.
These studies are just a select few
that I have chosen to briefly discuss for
the sake of keeping this letter short and to
the point. However, in addition to these
studies I would like to point out another
reason for implementing Humane Education
programs. This second point relates to the
correlation between animal cruelty and other
behavioral/personality disorders. Research
has indicated that those who are physically
abusive to animals tend to be more violent
than average, in general (e.g., in all
domains of life). Let me give you some
specific examples that support this
supposition.
The Child Abuse Potential Inventory
(CAP) is an instrument which is designed to
measure one's potential for abusing children
(Milner, 1986). This instrument has been
referenced as a research tool in the abuse
literature. One of the statements on this
questionnaire is "I enjoy having pets" in
which the person is to state whether he or
she agrees or disagrees with the statement.
This particular item is on the questionnaire
because it has clinical significance. In
other words, there is a relationship between
one enjoying or liking pets and one's
likelihood to be a child abuser.
Another instrument, which is intended
to detect child behavioral problems,
references animals. The Child Behavior
Checklist for Ages 2-3 (CBCL) developed by
Achenbach (1988) specifically asks if the
person's child is "cruel to animals" in
which the person is requested to indicate
how true the statement is for his or her
child (0 = not true; 1 = somewhat or
sometimes true; and 2 = very true or often
true). In this case the child's behavior
towards animals is considered to be a valid
indicator of behavioral problems which later
tend to turn into conduct disorder in the
teen years and antisocial disorder in the
adult years.
Both of these instruments have been
found to uphold high standards of
reliability and validity. These instruments
have been used many times as a research tool
for empirical studies as well as for
detecting and or predicting child behavioral
problems (CBCL). It is not a coincidence
that both of these instruments reference
either one's view or treatment towards
animals. Although these two particular
questions do not in and of themselves define
an adult as an abuser or a child as one that
possesses behavioral disorders, they have
been found to be highly related to the
dependent variable (e.g., abuse or
behavioral problems).
In sum, based on the unpublished research
and the relationship between animal cruelty
and other forms of potentially criminal
behavior, I believe that agressive and
detailed Humane Education programs are not
only a good idea, but they are critical!
There are several societal problems that I
believe can be at least partially remedied
by the implementation of Humane Education
programs. Some of these societal problems
include, but are not limited to the
following: criminal behavior towards animals
and humans; weakened moral development; poor
academic achievement; and disinterest in
academics, particularly in the field of
science.
If you would like additional
information on any of the studies or
instruments in which I speak of in this
letter, please feel free to contact me at
jeanetteshutay@msn.com.
Sincerely,
Dr. Jeanette Shutay
*As of March 2007 Warner and 21st Century
CARES has launched a 5 yr research study
project on the efficacies and methodology of
humane education in our nation's schools and
is currently seeking someone with their Ph.d.
and has affiliation with a major university
to take over the project so as to secure
funding for salaries of the researchers.
For more info:
http://21stcenturycares.org/research.htm
If you or someone you know
has interest, please contact
21stcares@citlink.net |
