In recent years, Animal Science demographics have been shifting from many students having an abundance of animal experience towards a majority of students having little to no prior animal experience. It's important to note this demographic shift and to consider how this shift could be impacting student mental health. Throughout a semester long…

We present an alternative to the traditional classroom lecture on the topics of metabolic scaling, allometric relationships between metabolic rate (MR) and body size, and reasons for rejecting Rubner's surface "law," concepts that students have described as challenging, counterintuitive, and/or mathematical. In groups, students work with…

In response to growing concern about the increased disconnect between youth and their outdoor environment, this study examines how nature-based citizen science experiences with a local animal (American eels) influence urban adolescents' (high-school students) sense of place in a US city. The juvenile American eel is a unique animal due to its…

This dissertation examined how recent graduates from an animal science program described the role of experiential learning on their educational success in eastern Tennessee. The goal of this qualitative descriptive study was to understand how recent graduates describe the role of experiential learning on their educational success by answering the…

Invasive alien species (IAS) are one of the main drivers of global biodiversity loss. The present study aims at performing a diagnostic analysis of the perceptions of Primary and Secondary school students about causes, consequences and solutions of the presence of IAS in the environment. The influence of educational level, knowledge of the meaning…

Animal fears are common, emerging in early childhood and often continuing into adulthood. This study explores the outcomes of positive and negative storybooks about animals on children's attitudes and behaviors. Ninety-six children (ages 4-8 years) were exposed to either negative or positive information about two animals (snakes and frogs) via…

Background: Animal-assisted Education (AAE), including Reading to Dogs (RTD), is an area of growing interest internationally across all phases of education, and increasingly considered an innovative approach to improving pupil outcomes. As creating RTD interventions necessitates a combination of expertise from the fields of education and…

Although zoos have an increasingly important role to play in educating the public about conservation and inspiring pro-conservation behaviour, they are not firmly established as leaders of conservation education. A multitude of logistical challenges and methodological limitations in zoological education research are contributory factors to this.…

Non-profit organizations and community programs work with at-risk youth to teach social-emotional skills like empathy, self-confidence, and self-efficacy. This research aimed to examine best practices for community programs that use human-animal interaction as an intervention for at-risk youth. Specifically, the phenomenological study aimed to…

Teachers may be hesitant to implement STEM-based agriculture programs due to their perceived low self-efficacy in the subject area. More deliberate professional development resources for educators can be refined by understanding how their beliefs impact students' learning and interest. The objective of this study was to determine how teachers'…

The current quantitative, quasi-experimental study examined the efficacy of Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) in the treatment of anxiety among university students. Specifically, the study sought to determine if any differences in outcomes existed between those students who participated in AAT as compared to those who participated in traditional talk…

Emotional support animals are increasingly common in residence halls. This study examines the benefits and challenges of having an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) while living in campus housing, from the perspective of the animals' owners and their roommates. Using a mixed methods case study approach, we collected qualitative and quantitative data…

Almost 10% of American youth are diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). While not a learning disability, this diagnosis results in youth being labeled academically "at-risk." While equine assisted services (EAS) promote an emotionally safe learning environment for at-risk youth, program availability is limited.…

Minority characteristic generic statements such as "ducks lay eggs" are judged to be generally true of the class, despite being true of a minority of cases, such as healthy female ducks of egg-laying age. Five studies explored the factors responsible for the acceptance of minority generic statements about biological kinds. Studies 1 and…

The lack of real-life experiences, such as handling livestock at a production facility (e.g., ranch), exists for a variety of reasons such as availability, liability, time, and cost, amongst others. As more students enter undergraduate animal science programs without prior exposure to animal handling, the necessity for more hands-on, real-life…