Effects of Animal-Assisted Therapy on Behavior and Reading in the Classroom

Research has shown that the presence of a therapy dog in the classroom should elicit a calming effect, reduce stress, and promote positive interactions among peers and adults. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect a therapy dog has on behavior and reading in the classroom. Specifically, the study will be comparing behavior gradesand reading scores for two groups of students: one that received Animal Assisted Therapy and one that did not receive Animal Assisted Therapy. Data were collected from two fifth-grade classrooms. There were 17 fifth-grade students in the experimental groupand 15 in the control group. Results showed that there was no significant difference in pre- and post-test behavior for the experimental and control group. Also, there was no significant difference in reading for the experimental and control groups