一堂「以同理心對待動物」課程之成效與國小教師的動物同理心及對人道教育在校施行之態度

Abstract

幾年來的教學經驗讓作者體會到教育的重要以及教師對學生的影響力，尤其是年幼的學生。動物在兒童的成長過程中扮演重要的角色。近年來動物保護意識提高，人民逐漸體認到動物為生命個體，非只是商品或物品。新時代興起的跨領域學門，致力於研究動物及人類之間的各種關係。提倡動物福利及權利必須從人民的同理心開始教育起，人們若能夠設身處地替動物著想，就能夠體會尊重他們的生命。法律或規範能夠消極地防範動物虐待，但唯有教育能夠從根本出發，啟發人們用「心」關懷生命。 本研究分為兩大主題:第一個主題在探討一堂長度為一小時的人道教育的實施情形及成效。本堂課的主題為「用同理心對待動物」，對象為107位來自台北市公私立小學的六年級學生。學生於課前及課後作答的問卷結果在本研究中探討並分析。第二個主題的對象為97位台北市某私立國小老師，旨在調查現任小學教師的動物同理心程度，並且藉由問卷調查，了解老師們對人道教育的態度及看法，從現行小學教育中，人道教育的實施現況、可預見的阻礙及困難，去探討今後及未來的發展方向。

From the five years of teaching experience, the author was impressed with students’ abilities to learn and how much influence a teacher can have on the students, particularly the young ones. As previous studies show, animals play a vital role in children’s cognitive and emotional development. With the rising of animal welfare concepts, people have started to recognize animals as “living beings” but not “objects” or “merchandise”. The growth of this field has prompted studies in various disciplines, from veterinary science to social science such as law, philosophy, and education. People’s concerns for animals root in “empathy” and “respect for all life”, and such attitudes should be established in early stages of one’s life and be encouraged throughout. Education is the only way to lead and guide people towards desired behaviors from within (voluntarily), while the laws and regulations are made to be enforced and obeyed (passively). Only when animal welfare becomes an awareness and attitude for the general public will we be powerful enough to overturn the present situations and make big chances. In this study, two major components are presented. In the first part, we look into the design and implementation of a one-hour humane education class for 107 grade six students. The results of the Before-Class Survey and After-Class Survey are examined and discussed. In the second part, 97 elementary school teachers from a private school in Taipei were asked to do the Animal Empathy Scale, developed by Elizabeth Paul, as well as a survey on teachers’ views and attitudes about humane education at school. The results showed the teachers’ attitudes toward animals, their willingness and interest in carrying out humane education at school, and the difficulties and challenges they might encounter. Elementary school teachers are “seed planters”, who have the potential to influence our next generation. This study allowed us to have a glimpse of their opinions and views about humane education. From the first part of the study, we see great effectiveness of a single one-hour humane education class. Findings also pointed out a correlation between pet ownership and students’ attitudes towards animals. Pet experience helped the students to be more knowledgeable about animals, more responsible and thoughtful, more empathic towards animals, and more interested and motivated in learning more about animals. From the second part of the study, we see a strong positive correlation between pet ownership and empathy towards animals from the teacher participants. Pet ownership in childhood in particular affected one’s empathic attitudes towards animals, while the “quality” of pet experience played a decisive role. Lastly, possible solutions and methods in implementing humane education at school were discussed.