Reading with Maggie: The effect of the presence/absence of a classroom pet dog in a reading intervention package
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine if the presence/absence of a classroom pet dog impacted reading skills in four 5th grade middle school students with emotional/ behavioral disabilities. An alternating treatment design was used to assess the fluency and comprehension measures in students during reading a reading intervention package implemented in a dog present condition (dog and researcher) and a dog absent condition (researcher only). The reading intervention consisted of repeated readings, error correction, and performance feedback during which students read readability level matched passages. All participants improved reading performance during intervention conditions compared to baseline. Similarities in reading measures were observed across participants in both treatment conditions. During social validity interviews, three students indicated they preferred the dog present condition and the fourth student indicated he equally enjoyed both conditions. The results of this study demonstrate that a reading intervention that incorporates a classroom pet dog may potentially impact student motivation in reading activities.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Taber-Doughty, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Animal sciences|Special education|Literacy|Reading instruction
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