Brelsford Victoria L, Meints Kerstin, Gee Nancy R, Pfeffer Karen
School of Psychology, University of Lincoln, Brayford Pool, Lincoln, Lincolnshire LN6 7TS, UK.
Department of Psychology, State University of New York, Fredonia, NY 14063, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2017 Jun 22;14(7):669. doi: 10.3390/ijerph14070669.
The inclusion of animals in educational practice is becoming increasingly popular, but it is unclear how solid the evidence for this type of intervention is. The aim of this systematic review is to scrutinise the empirical research literature relating to animal-assisted interventions conducted in educational settings. The review included 25 papers; 21 from peer-reviewed journals and 4 obtained using grey literature databases. Most studies reported significant benefits of animal-assisted interventions in the school setting. Despite this, studies vary greatly in methods and design, in intervention types, measures, and sample sizes, and in the length of time exposed to an animal. Furthermore, a worrying lack of reference to risk assessment and animal welfare must be highlighted. Taken together, the results of this review show promising findings and emerging evidence suggestive of potential benefits related to animals in school settings. The review also indicates the need for a larger and more robust evidence base driven by thorough and strict protocols. The review further emphasises the need for safeguarding for all involved-welfare and safety are paramount.
在教育实践中引入动物正变得越来越普遍，但这种干预类型的证据有多可靠尚不清楚。本系统综述的目的是仔细审查与在教育环境中进行的动物辅助干预相关的实证研究文献。该综述纳入了25篇论文；21篇来自同行评审期刊，4篇通过灰色文献数据库获得。大多数研究报告了动物辅助干预在学校环境中的显著益处。尽管如此，研究在方法和设计、干预类型、测量方法和样本量以及接触动物的时间长度方面差异很大。此外，必须强调令人担忧的是缺乏对风险评估和动物福利的提及。综上所述，本综述的结果显示了有前景的发现和新出现的证据，表明在学校环境中与动物相关的潜在益处。该综述还表明需要由全面严格的方案推动建立更大、更有力的证据基础。该综述进一步强调了保障所有相关方的必要性——福利和安全至关重要。
