Vključevanje terapevtskega psa v pedagoško prakso vrtca : diplomska naloga

Zelko, Karin (author), Kos, Marjanca (mentor)

Za oblikovanje pozitivnega odnosa do živega je pomembno, da otroci živa bitja doživljajo z neposredno izkušnjo in spoznavajo njihove življenjske pogoje. Pomembno je, da ima otrok rad živali, jih neguje, se veseli srečanja z njimi in je do njih obziren. Pri tem pa moramo poudariti, da je pogoj, da se tovrstni odnos razvije, neposredna izkušnja. Otrok si naj ustvari realne predstave o živih bitjih ter si oblikuje ustrezen odnos do njih in narave. Raziskovala sem znanje otrok o biologiji psa, njihov odnos do psa in poznavanje primernega vedenja v stiku z njim. Zasnovala in izvedla sem dejavnosti, pri katerih so otroci z neposredno izkušnjo spoznavali biologijo psa, njegove življenjske potrebe in razvijali pozitiven odnos do živali. Poleg tega sem raziskovala tudi mnenje vzgojiteljice in vodnice o vključevanju psa v dejavnosti vrtca. Raziskavo sem začela z individualnimi intervjuji osmih otrok. V intervjuju sem zastavila vprašanja, ki so se nanašala na otrokovo prepoznavanje biologije psa in njegove telesne govorice, na otrokovo vedenje ob stiku z njim in na njegove življenjske potrebe. Sledile so dejavnosti, v katerih so otroci te vsebine spoznavali s čim več neposredne izkušnje. Po opravljenih dejavnostih sem intervjuje izvedla ponovno in primerjala pridobljeno znanje, ter spremembe v odnosu otrok do psa. Ob vseh izvedenih dejavnostih sem otroke tudi opazovala. Spremljala sem motivacijo otrok, čustvo, ki ga otrok izraža ob stiku s psom, reakcijo otroka ob prvem stiku s psom in kakšen je vzpostavljen kontakt med njim in otrokom. Iz teh opažanj sem pridobila podatke o otrokovem odnosu do psa. Predhodno znanje otrok o biologiji psa, njegovih življenjskih potrebah, in primernem vedenju ob stiku z njim je bilo zadovoljivo. Vsi otroci so izjavili, da imajo pozitiven odnos do psa. Manj uspešni so bili pri prepoznavanju pravilne reakcije pri srečanju z nevarnim psom. Ob opazovanju otrok med dejavnostmi sem zasledila, da so se otroci v družbi psa sprostili, nekateri tudi umirili. Veselje ob pričakovani dejavnosti je bilo začutiti pri vseh otrocih. Opazila sem tudi, da so bili otroci zelo motivirani za dejavnosti. Strahu ali nelagodja pred stikom s psom nisem opazila pri nobenem otroku. Po opravljenih dejavnostih je bilo znanje o biologiji psa, prepoznavanje nevarnega psa ter poznavanje primerne reakcije ob srečanju mnogo boljše kot na začetku. Vzgojiteljica in voditeljica psa sta imeli glede prisotnosti psa v vrtcu zelo pozitivno mnenje. Živali varujejo ljudi pred stresom, lahko izboljšajo socializacijo in predstavljajo socialno podporo. V tem sobivanju ima žival izredni pomen, katerega se premalo zavedamo. Zato bo naše življenje bolj zdravo in kvalitetno, če bodo odnosi z živalmi dopolnilo medčloveškim odnosom.

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: pes, odnos do živali, terapija s psi
• Work type: Bachelor thesis/paper
• Typology: 2.11 - Undergraduate Thesis
• Organization: PEF - Faculty of Education
• Publisher: [K. Zelko]
• Year: 2015
• Number of pages: 53 str.
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-69291
• UDC: 373.2.016:636.7.045(043.2)
• COBISS.SI-ID: 10411337
• Publication date in RUL: 10.07.2015

Secondary language

• Language: English
• Title: Integration of a therapeutic dog into preschool pedagogical practice

Abstract

Children require direct experience with animals in order to develop a positive attitude towards them. That is how a child can shape a realistic picture of the living world and develop a positive perspective towards it. It is important for children to be considerate of and look forward to spending time with animals, as well as to learn how to nurture them. I studied how much children know about the biology of dogs, what their attitude towards dogs is, and if they know how to approach them. I designed activities to help children learn more about it, which included direct experience with dogs. I also investigated the opinion of the kindergarten teacher on using dogs in kindergarten activities. The first step of the research consisted of an interview of eight children, who were asked about the biology of dogs, their needs, body language, and the appropriate way to approach them. The interviews were followed by activities focusing on direct contact with a dog. The children were interviewed again afterwards and the changes in their knowledge of dogs and their handling were substantial. The children were observed throughout all the steps, including their emotional response and the contrast between the initial and final interactions with the dog. The knowledge shown by children during the first interview was satisfactory. All children reported a positive attitude towards dogs, although they were less capable of recognizing dangerous dogs and approaching them properly. During the experience-oriented activities, the children calmed down and became more relaxed. The children were highly motivated and felt happy when anticipating the activities. Fear and discomfort were not noted at all. The results of the second interview have shown that the kids were able to deepen their knowledge on the biology of dogs, identify dangerous dogs and learn how to approach them more properly. The kindergarten teachers also gave positive feedback on the idea of including dogs in kindergarten activities. Animals can help people reduce stress, improve socialization, and give social support. Though often undervalued, they can improve the quality of life of people and complement interpersonal relationships.