This thesis deals with the subject of keeping and using animals in primary schools. The theoretical part of this thesis reviews various scientific studies into the impact of animals on pupils during education and the possible benefits of animal breeding in schools. Furthermore, the conditions for safe breeding and the most frequently kept animals in schools are discussed as well as the risks and difficulties that their breeding and daily maintenance brings. Moreover, it discusses the need to evaluate the welfare of school animals and legislative precautions on the subject in the Czech Republic. The practical part of this thesis details investigations into the number of Prague primary schools where animals were kept in the school year 2017/2018. Through interviewing a representative sample of schools, it was found that 37 % of Prague's primary schools kept an animal. Furthermore, the different species of animals kept in the schools, their location within the schools, the person bearing responsibility for the animals and the usage and the frequency of it within the curriculum were studied. It was found that 52 % of teachers do not use the school animal more often than once a month. Another subject of the research was to find out the reasons for the absence of animals in schools; 92 % of respondents...

Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) and equine-assisted therapy/learning (EAT/L) are innovative techniques in counselling, psychotherapy, mental health, coaching, and other personal growth interventions. Although this field has experienced tremendous growth in the United States, very little is known about its Canadian equivalent. The purpose of this study was therefore to examine the current state of AAT and EAT/L in Canada, by conducting a national, bilingual (English and French) survey of helping professionals who involve animals in their practices. A total of 131 questionnaires were retained for analysis. The results of this study suggest that the field is very diverse, with a multitude of confusing terms and expressions, varying levels of education and training, and disagreement on how different practices are defined, resulting in a fragmented, confusing and inconsistent appearance. Recommendations for the evolution of the field and suggestions for future research are provided.

The aim with this research is to present children with autism an alternative method through animal assisted therapy to communicate and socialize. Since children with autism cannot be guided to mastery of full maturity by means of the ordinary education system, separate provision of highly specialized fomative and formal education is essential. Autism prevents a child from reaching out to the world and other people. Autism implies a lack of communication with others and entails a disturbed dialogue with the world. This is revealed by the strange and odd behaviour of the child with autism. The aim of this research is to use animal assited therapy to bridge the gap between numerous problems experienced by the child with autism ascribed to his inadequate affective life, inablitity to form relationships with others, his language, speech and communication problems and poor sensory integration. / Social Work / M. Diac (Play Therapy)

This dissertation employs a case study research design and reviews literature from the field of animal assisted therapy (AAT) with an emphasis on equine facilitated psychotherapy (EFP), as a possible therapeutic alternative for treating inappropriate aggressive behaviour in a young boy. The research suggests that Horse Whispering can indeed be regarded as a viable therapeutic technique when intent on breaking the aggressive behaviour cycle. / Educational Studies / M.Ed.

Syftet med pilotstudien var att undersöka hur klienter som deltog i hästunderstödd behandling (n = 13) till följd av psykisk ohälsa såg på relationen till hästen och dess anknytningsfrämjande och alliansskapande egenskaper, samt i vilken utsträckning respondenterna hade ett auktoritärt förhållningssätt gentemot hästen. För jämförelse användes en grupp fritidsryttare (n = 23). Klientgruppen rekryterades genom intresseföreningen Organisationen för Hästunderstödda Insatser (OHI) och fritidsryttargruppen från två ridskolor. Deltagarna fick genomföra en enkät med frågor avseende anknytningsfrämjande kvaliteter i relationen till hästen, samt vilka relationsskapande egenskaper de ansåg hästen besitta. Resultatet indikerade att båda grupperna i hög utsträckning såg positiva egenskaper i hästen och såg relationen till hästen som positiv. Resultaten indikerade att klientgruppen i högre utsträckning såg egenskaper och relationella kvaliteter i hästen som kan ses som anknytningsfrämjande och alliansskapande. Fritidsryttargruppen uppgav i högre utsträckning ett auktoritärt förhållningssätt gentemot hästen. Trots det begränsade urvalet och att resultatet inte genomgående var entydigt, tolkas resultaten som att det finns belägg för vidare utforskning av ämnet och undersökning av frågeställningen för ett större urval med en reviderad kvantitativ enkät då pilotstudien fann signifikanta skillnader mellan grupperna. / The purpose of this pilot study was to explore clients undertaking equine assisted treatment for mental illness (n = 13) view of the horses attachment and working alliance facilitating abilities. Further, the study aimed to explore to which extent the respondents viewed themselves as being authoritative in relation to the horse. For comparison a group of recreational equestrians (n = 23) were used. The respondents in the client group were recruited from the association Organisationen för Hästunderstödda Insatser (OHI) and the recreational equestrians were recruited from two riding schools. The participants undertook a survey with questions regarding attachment facilitating qualities in their relationship with the horse, and which relationship facilitating characteristics they experienced in the horse. The results indicated that the respondents in both groups over all viewed the horses’ characteristics and their relationship with the horse as positive. The results indicated that the client group to a higher extent regarded the horse as having characteristics and relational qualities that could be viewed as alliance and attachment facilitating. The recreational equestrians reported an authoritative approach toward the horse to a larger degree than the client group. Although there were limitations regarding the size of the sample, and coherence in the results, the results indicated that there are grounds for future research of the subject and research question at hand, with the use of a larger population and a revised survey, as the pilot study did find significant differences between the groups.

South African adolescents are more likely to participate in high-risk behaviours, because they are exposed to high-risk environments that have a negative impact on them. The choices that adolescents make during this explorative life stage will influence and determine certain outcomes of their adult lives. Therefore, it is crucial to improve adolescents’ psychological well-being, as they are the future generation adults. Adolescents with behaviour problems form a unique population who do not respond effectively to traditional therapy, and researchers are continuously searching for more effective ways to reach this population. Equine-assisted therapy (EAT) is an intervention that has been proven to be effective with this population and to provide better outcomes than traditional psychotherapy. Although the value and positive effects of EAT has been proven, there is a gap in the literature concerning research on this topic, especially with regard to research conducted by means of quantitative methods. The overarching goal of this study was to evaluate and refine an EAT programme aimed at improving the psychological well-being of boys in a school of industry. This goal was attained by utilising a quantitative, experimental research design. The Solomon four-group design was applied, because it effectively controls pre-test sensitisation and provides the best control against threats to internal validity. The sample was selected from a school of industry near Bloemfontein, which provides residence to a group of adolescent boys who display behaviour problems. The 40 boys (N = 40) included in the sample were divided into two experimental groups of 10 boys each and two control groups of 10 boys each. During the course of the study, one of the boys withdrew and the sample was reduced to 39 boys. The programme was administered to the boys in the experimental groups. Before the programme commenced, one of the experimental groups and one of the control groups completed the pre-test. The psychometric instruments used were a biographical questionnaire, the Satisfaction with Life Scale and the Coping Orientations to the Problems Experienced Questionnaire. The boys then completed the EAT programme which consisted of eight sessions, each with its own outcomes and designed to improve subjective well-being and coping. After completion of the programme, all four groups completed the post-test consisting of the same psychometric instruments as the pre-test. The results showed that the programme significantly improved the boys’ subjective well-being. The boys’ problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping and dysfunctional coping were also increased significantly. These improvements can be attributed directly to the programme, because pre-test sensitisation was controlled. The study found that the EAT programme had a significant positive effect on the boys’ subjective well-being and coping. The conclusion can be drawn that the programme significantly improved the boys’ psychological well-being. The programme was evaluated and refined, and recommendations were made for its future use. / PhD (Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T18:12:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 camila.pdf: 1754083 bytes, checksum: 276e801339ef844d3eac988084310098 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-02-12 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / INTRODUCTION: By sharing our routines with animals, they became part of our culture when start to occupy different roles, besides the company. Currently, due to the benefits not restricted to common sense, but also listed from scientific research, they are in clinics, hospitals, schools and many others institutions. These studies gave itself two ways to call procedures involving animals with the purpose of taking care of human health: animal-assisted activities (AAA) and animal-assisted therapy (AAT) (DELTA SOCIETY, 2006) OBJECTIVE:Investigating the possible effects of the interaction speech therapyst-patient-dog in the operation of patients language with disturbances of language. The event set in the possibility of the device animal, in speech therapy setting, enhance the therapeutic process. METHOD: Clinical-quality research, developed in study of clinical cases mode. The ethical standards for research with humans and animals were obey.Casuistry: Three subjects, from sample unintentional: Jonas, 12; 0 years, male, with difficulties in writing / reading language; Lucas, 8; 0 years, male with school´s complaints related to difficulties in the written / reading language, summed the dismotivation for learning; Pedro, 4; 0 years, male with phonological changes that lead to segments of unintelligible speech, as well as complaints related to aggressive behavior. The animal participant was a dog without defined race (SDR), seven years old, female, selected in accordance with the criteria proposed by Aiello (DOTTI, 2005). Procedure: The clinical material was recorded in writing regularly and the sessions were recorded on digital camera bimonthly. The interpretation of the data came from theoretical benchmarks of anthropology, speech therapy, psychoanalysis and AAT. RESULTS: The AAT favored the interaction between therapist / patient, intensified the activity dialogical (LaFRANCE et al, 2007) the motivation to write and to read, the reduction of the problems manifest in writing (replacements / omissions grafemics, junction / separation misuse of words); besides mobilize the affectivity of the patients.CONCLUSION: The introduction of AAT as a therapeutic device shown to be effective in clinical cases studied. It is suggested therefore that the Speech Therapy participate more actively in this field of study, since the results corroborate the findings of research that suggests the effectiveness of AAT in various therapeutic environments / INTRODUÇÃO: Ao compartilhar nossas rotinas com os animais, estes passaram a fazer parte de nossa cultura ao ocupar diferentes papéis, para além da companhia. Atualmente, devido aos benefícios não restritos ao senso comum, mas também elencados a partir de pesquisas científicas, eles habitam consultórios, hospitais, escolas e instituições diversa. Desses estudos originaram-se duas formas de denominar procedimentos que envolvem animais com o objetivo de cuidar da saúde humana: atividade assistida por animais (AAA) e terapia assistida por animais (TAA) (DELTA SOCIETY, 2006). OBJETIVO: Investigar os possíveis efeitos da interação fonoaudiólogo-paciente-cão no funcionamento da linguagem de pacientes com distúrbios de linguagem. A hipótese configurou-se na possibilidade do dispositivo animal, no setting fonoaudiológico, potencializar o processo terapêutico. MÉTODO: Pesquisa de natureza clínico-qualitativa, desenvolvida na modalidade estudo de casos clínicos. As normas éticas para pesquisa com seres humanos e animais foram obedecidas. Casuística: três sujeitos, a partir de amostra não intencional: Jonas, 12;0 anos, sexo masculino, com dificuldades na linguagem escrita/leitura. Lucas, 8;0 anos, sexo masculino com queixas escolares relacionadas a dificuldades na linguagem escrita/leitura, somadas a desmotivação para aprendizagem. Pedro, 4;0 anos, sexo masculino com alterações fonológicas que levam a segmentos ininteligíveis de fala, além de queixas relacionadas ao comportamento agressivo, O animal participante foi um cão sem raça definida (SDR), sete anos, fêmea, selecionado de acordo com os critérios propostos por Aiello (DOTTI, 2005). Procedimento: O material clínico foi registrado por escrito regularmente e as sessões foram gravadas em câmera digital bimestralmente. A interpretação dos dados ocorreu a partir de referenciais teóricos da antropologia, fonoaudiologia, psicanálise e TAA. RESULTADOS: A TAA favoreceu a interação terapeuta/paciente, intensificou a atividade dialógica (LaFRANCE et al, 2007) a motivação para escrever e ler, a diminuição dos problemas manifestos na escrita (substituições/omissões grafêmicas, junção/separação indevida de palavras); além de mobilizar a afetividade dos pacientes. CONCLUSÃO: A introdução da TAA como dispositivo terapêutico mostrou-se eficaz nos casos clínicos estudados. Sugere-se, portanto, que a Fonoaudiologia participe mais ativamente desse campo de estudos, já que os resultados obtidos corroboram os achados de pesquisas que apontam a eficácia da TAA em ambientes terapêuticos diversos

South African adolescents are more likely to participate in high-risk behaviours, because they are exposed to high-risk environments that have a negative impact on them. The choices that adolescents make during this explorative life stage will influence and determine certain outcomes of their adult lives. Therefore, it is crucial to improve adolescents’ psychological well-being, as they are the future generation adults. Adolescents with behaviour problems form a unique population who do not respond effectively to traditional therapy, and researchers are continuously searching for more effective ways to reach this population. Equine-assisted therapy (EAT) is an intervention that has been proven to be effective with this population and to provide better outcomes than traditional psychotherapy. Although the value and positive effects of EAT has been proven, there is a gap in the literature concerning research on this topic, especially with regard to research conducted by means of quantitative methods. The overarching goal of this study was to evaluate and refine an EAT programme aimed at improving the psychological well-being of boys in a school of industry. This goal was attained by utilising a quantitative, experimental research design. The Solomon four-group design was applied, because it effectively controls pre-test sensitisation and provides the best control against threats to internal validity. The sample was selected from a school of industry near Bloemfontein, which provides residence to a group of adolescent boys who display behaviour problems. The 40 boys (N = 40) included in the sample were divided into two experimental groups of 10 boys each and two control groups of 10 boys each. During the course of the study, one of the boys withdrew and the sample was reduced to 39 boys. The programme was administered to the boys in the experimental groups. Before the programme commenced, one of the experimental groups and one of the control groups completed the pre-test. The psychometric instruments used were a biographical questionnaire, the Satisfaction with Life Scale and the Coping Orientations to the Problems Experienced Questionnaire. The boys then completed the EAT programme which consisted of eight sessions, each with its own outcomes and designed to improve subjective well-being and coping. After completion of the programme, all four groups completed the post-test consisting of the same psychometric instruments as the pre-test. The results showed that the programme significantly improved the boys’ subjective well-being. The boys’ problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping and dysfunctional coping were also increased significantly. These improvements can be attributed directly to the programme, because pre-test sensitisation was controlled. The study found that the EAT programme had a significant positive effect on the boys’ subjective well-being and coping. The conclusion can be drawn that the programme significantly improved the boys’ psychological well-being. The programme was evaluated and refined, and recommendations were made for its future use. / PhD (Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The aim with this research is to present children with autism an alternative method through animal assisted therapy to communicate and socialize. Since children with autism cannot be guided to mastery of full maturity by means of the ordinary education system, separate provision of highly specialized fomative and formal education is essential. Autism prevents a child from reaching out to the world and other people. Autism implies a lack of communication with others and entails a disturbed dialogue with the world. This is revealed by the strange and odd behaviour of the child with autism. The aim of this research is to use animal assited therapy to bridge the gap between numerous problems experienced by the child with autism ascribed to his inadequate affective life, inablitity to form relationships with others, his language, speech and communication problems and poor sensory integration. / Social Work / M. Diac (Play Therapy)

This dissertation employs a case study research design and reviews literature from the field of animal assisted therapy (AAT) with an emphasis on equine facilitated psychotherapy (EFP), as a possible therapeutic alternative for treating inappropriate aggressive behaviour in a young boy. The research suggests that Horse Whispering can indeed be regarded as a viable therapeutic technique when intent on breaking the aggressive behaviour cycle. / Educational Studies / M.Ed.