The Impact of Service-Learning on Improving Students’ Teacher Training: Testing the Efficiency of a Tutoring Program in Increasing Future Teachers’ Civic Attitudes, Skills and Self-Efficacy

AbstractService-Learning is becoming a powerful educational tool that helps students emerge from the theoretical world to the world of practice by linking community-service with academic content through learning objectives. This paper investigates the impact Service-Learning on improving students’ teacher training by testing the efficiency of an online tutoring Service-Learning program (i.e. E-S-L) and the functionality of the educational platform hosting the program, entitled PedTut. The present paper also serves as a contribution to the discussion of integrating educational platforms in the service process by limiting time and space boundaries and making it accessible for students to put their knowledge into practice for the benefit of the community

Geographically Apart, Attitudinally Very Close: A Comparison of Attitudes toward Animals between Romania and Mexico City

Among other regions, Romania and Mexico (particularly Mexico City) are often cited as problematic areas in surveys and reports on the growing population of stray animals in urban areas. The aim of our study was to adapt for Romanian and Spanish languages usage of an instrument that includes significant psychological and social dimensions of the attitudes toward animals (i.e., Attitudes toward Animals questionnaire [ATA]; Fehlbaum, Waiblinger, & Turner, 2010; Turner, 2010) and compare these attitudes between two countries that are confronted with similar situations regarding stray animals (dogs and cats). ATA consists of 27 statements on nature conservation, wild animals, farm animals, companion animals, meat eating, and animal feelings and cognition. The original version of ATA was translated into Romanian and Spanish. Data were collected from 295 Romanian respondents (2013–2014) and 302 respondents from Mexico City (2011–2012). Significant differences in the amplitude of the level of agreement or disagreement (not in the direction of the answers) were found between samples in 20 of the 27 items of the questionnaire, most of them regarding the utility and benefits of pet keeping and the attribution of thoughts and emotions to animals (i.e., Romanians had more favorable attitudes than Mexicans). Both samples expressed similar high levels of likeability toward dogs and cats and agreement about humane strategies of pet management, such as painless euthanasia. Stray dogs and cats are perceived as a public problem by both Romanian and Mexican participants, with the specification that cats are significantly seen as more problematic in Mexico City than in Romania

Interpersonal and Pet Attachment, Empathy toward Animals, and Anthropomorphism: An Investigation of Pet Owners in Romania

The current study investigates the associations between interpersonal and pet attachment (anxiety and avoidance dimensions), empathy toward animals, and anthropomorphism in the Romanian cultural context, where problems regarding the effectiveness of pet management programs are still being reported. A sample of 244 adult respondents, with a mean age of 32.9 years, mostly females (89.8%) and pet owners, completed standard instruments of interpersonal and pet attachment, empathy toward animals and anthropomorphism. In agreement with other studies in the field of human-animal interactions, our data indicate that female pet owners scored higher than male owners in empathy toward animals and the level of anthropomorphism. Dog owners scored higher in empathy toward animals and anthropomorphism, and lower in pet attachment avoidance compared to owners of other types of pets (cats, reptiles, birds, etc.). Our data indicate significant correlations between anxiety and avoidance dimensions of pet and interpersonal attachment. The level of anthropomorphism was positively associated with pet attachment anxiety and empathy toward animals, and negatively associated with pet attachment avoidance. A partial mediation of the relationship between pet attachment avoidance and anthropomorphism by empathy toward animals was found. Results are discussed from the perspective of considering empathy toward animals as an important variable to be addressed in humane education programs and in attachment-based counseling of current and future pet owners

The Impact of Environmental Educational Programs in Promoting Insects Conservation Awareness: A Scoping Review

The decline of biodiversity and natural habitats, and the lack of progress in society's behaviour towards conservation, has prompted research into effective educational programs. Studies have shown that positive emotions towards nature, particularly in relation to the innate human predisposition towards the natural environment, can encourage environmentally friendly actions. As people's attitudes towards species are linked to familiarity and experiences, insects, and other invertebrates, despite their vital role in ecosystems, are often underappreciated and face inequalities in research and conservation. Negative attitudes towards insects are shaped by cultural and educational factors. Hence, education, particularly environmental education, can play a significant role in changing preconceptions and attitudes towards insects and fostering positive behaviour towards biodiversity conservation. This study presents a scoping review of environmental education programs focused on enhancing students' awareness of insects and their significance in the ecosystem (from 2000 to 2022). The aim was to analyse the effects of intervention programs and key characteristics that contributed to their efficiency. The review highlights the importance of program duration, outdoor experiences, and the use of inquiry-based and experiential learning methods in promoting positive attitudes and knowledge about insects. The findings have implications for the design and implementation of effective environmental education programs targeting insect awareness

Trust, belongingness, and teacher’s self-efficacy: A quantitative investigation of an online intervention program for school teachers

Literature indicates that teachers and students who experience trust and belongingness in their school communities have higher levels of indicators of positive quality of life, such as performance, innovation, and creativity. Also, they are open to creating more authentic relationships and fostering an environment based on psychological safety with implications on their well-being, quality of life, self-efficacy, and their general mental health. This quantitative study aims to investigate the impact of an online training program called “Development of trust and belongingness in interpersonal relationships of school teachers” on several psychological variables related to the individual wellbeing. A number of 475 school teachers participated in the study, from several schools located in different regions of Romania. Data were collected pre- and post-intervention with an online form composed of three different questionnaires addressing the following variables: belongingness, connectedness and teacher’s self-efficacy. The findings indicate significant effects of the online intervention program on all the target variables

Voices of NGOs Supporting the First Master’s Degree Program in Ethology and Human-Animal Interactions in Romania: An Exploratory Qualitative Analysis

This study aims to explore through a qualitative thematic analysis the reflections of six animal protection and wildlife conservation NGOs in Romania regarding the development of the first specialized master’s degree program in ethology and human-animal interaction (EHAI), in relation to the identified needs based on their experience in the field, as well as their expectations in terms of collaboration with the graduates of such a program in addressing the common problems in the areas of animal welfare and human-animal interactions (HAIs). The qualitative content analysis of the written reflections allowed the identification of two themes, which provided valuable insights regarding the curriculum offerings and the pedagogical strategies that could respond to the expressed needs and expectations. The first theme included seven categories of concerns expressed by the NGOs over the animal welfare and HAIs in Romania, i.e., concerns over stray animals, lack of education of general population on HAI and animal welfare, maltreatment of animals, human-animal conflicts, lack of professional specializations in HAI, concerns over common global issues, and concerns over national nature conservation. The second theme refers to the expectations regarding the roles of the graduates of the EHAI master’s program, and it includes four categories of codes: agents for change towards a responsible community, problem solvers, public policy-makers, and providers of competence-based expertise. The inclusion of Service-Learning as signature pedagogy in the EHAI program, in connection with the One Welfare approach, is discussed in relation to the needs expressed by the representatives of the NGOs

Couple Relationship and Parent-Child Relationship Quality: Factors Relevant to Parent-Child Communication on Sexuality in Romania

This study of parents in Romania explores how perceptions of their couple relationship quality and of factors associated with it (such as sexual communication anxiety and sexual perfectionism) were related to their perception of aspects describing parenting dimensions relevant to the sexual education and sexual health of their children. The hypotheses tested in this study were supported by the data collected from 106 participants (aged 25 to 51 years), parents of 1 to 3 children: (1) sexual communication anxiety with one’s partner (but not sexual perfectionism) is a significant predictor for parents’ self-efficacy, outcome expectancy and communication and parenting behavior related to sexuality education; (2) parents’ self-efficacy and outcome expectancy about parent-child communication on sexual topics (including involvement in risky sexual behaviors) predict the level of parenting behavior in this respect; (3) parents’ sexual communication anxiety (but not their sexual perfectionism) together with their self-efficacy and outcome expectancy regarding parent-child communication about sexuality predict the level of parental sexuality-communication-and-education behavior

The Development of a Canine Para-Agility Program: Positive Affects in Children with Autism and in Therapy Dogs

Previous research has demonstrated that both children and dogs might benefir from Animal-Assisted Activities (AAA), with some factors mediating/ moderating the results. The present study took these factors into consideration, by creating an AAA program consisting of two types of human-animal interactions (structured and unstructured activities), with an accent being put on the encouragement of positive behaviors. Differences in the frequency of behavioral indicators of positive affects were compared between sessions, in both species (humans and dogs). The preliminary analysis of the results indicated no significant differences between the structured and unstructured sessions in regards of the behavioral indicators of positive affects in humans and dogs, concluding that children and dogs enjoyed the activities in both types of sessions. A more in depth statistical analysis is currently being performed