Date
7-15-2024
Department
School of Behavioral Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)
Chair
Bridgette Hester
Keywords
Read to Dogs (RTD), therapy dog, self-esteem, prosocial behaviors, classroom climate, anxiety, depression, internalizing behaviors, externalizing behaviors
Disciplines
Counseling
Recommended Citation
Brush, Kimberley Anna, "Differences in Students' Self-Esteem, Prosocial Behaviors, Classroom Climate, and Participation in Read to Dogs Programs: A Quantitative Comparative Study" (2024). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 5784.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/5784
Abstract
This anonymous quantitative quasi-experimental pre-post-test study was designed to determine differences in students' self-esteem, the performance of prosocial behaviors, and teachers' perceptions of the overall classroom climate after participating in Read to Dogs (RTD) programs in elementary and middle schools in East Central, New Jersey. Students with reading difficulties have higher incidences of low self-esteem and self-concept, depression, and anxiety that result in internalizing and externalizing behaviors that impact the classroom climate for all students socially and academically. Student participants completed the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and teacher participants completed the grade-appropriate version of the Elementary Classroom Climate Assessment Instrument-General (CCAI-E-G) or the Classroom Climate Quality Analytic Assessment Instrument (CCAI-S-G) prior to and at the completion of the study period. The results support that participation in RTD programs leads to increases in self-esteem, the performance of prosocial behaviors, and teachers' perceptions of the overall classroom climate. An inverse relationship was discovered: as students' self-esteem increased, they reported performing more social behaviors while experiencing less stress and difficulty getting along with other students. Each student's self-esteem and behaviors impact the overall classroom climate, which impacts all students as well as achievement. Recognizing the connections between self-esteem, the performance of more prosocial behaviors, less stress, the improved classroom climate, and achievement leads to better outcomes for all students. Areas of future research include larger sample sizes, a control group, and possibly expanding the research to include math or public speaking anxieties.
