Ed.D., Antioch University, 2024, Education

Farmed animal sanctuaries provide lifelong care to formerly farmed animals. Many strive to educate their community about farmed animals and promote more compassionate lifestyles, such as veganism. Important to this is cultivating empathy and concern for the well-being of individual farmed animals. Essential to well-being is agency, which is the capacity of a living being to engage with their environments and to make choices for themselves. Farmed animals outside of sanctuaries have had their agency systematically suppressed and denied. Sanctuary educators can bring awareness to this and inspire alternative, agency-centered relationships with not only farmed animals but all living beings. To aid in this endeavor, this practice-based dissertation included the development of a resource guide for sanctuary staff and volunteers about recognizing, supporting, and teaching about the agency of farmed animals in sanctuary education. Following Stephen Brookfield's (2021) Materials Development Dissertation outline, this paper describes the inspirations for creating these materials and the development process in detail. This process included inviting scholars and practitioners to review the materials and offer feedback, which is shared in this paper. This paper also reports on how the materials will be disseminated to have the most impact on the field. There is also discussion on the broader implications of this work in countering oppression and facilitating more equitable and compassionate ways of coexisting with all beings. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

Committee: Stephen Brookfield Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Dana McPhall J.D. (Committee Member); Sarah Bexell Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Adult Education; Animal Sciences; Animals; Communication; Education; Environmental Education

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2014, Leadership and Change

This descriptive and comparative study examined the current landscape of humane education program evaluation and data analysis through a survey of humane educators across the country. Results of the humane education survey show that data collection and evaluation are occurring in humane education programs but these efforts do not capture and measure empathy, the primary goal of most humane education programs. Humane educators reported they felt the profession is progressive and relevant to a broad host of purposes, from building positive relationships with animals to playing a role in the larger social justice scheme. They also suggested that the field is in need of leadership and clearer direction and that they want more rigorous humane education evaluation practices. This study also examined the potential effects of humane education violence prevention and intervention programs on youth from at-risk environments. Students who participated in the violence prevention and intervention programs, TLCTM or jTLCTM, between 2001 and 2014 at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Los Angeles (spcaLA) took pre and post surveys that identify their attitudes towards animals, others, and self. Paired survey data, totaling 395 TLC TM and jTLCTM students, were archived and, for this dissertation, were digitized from their original paper and pencil format. In September 2013 the pre and post surveys for these programs were changed to collect data that focused on changes in empathy, using the Bryant Empathy Index (BEI) (Bryant, 1982). Seventy-one BEI surveys were included in this study's analysis. Data were analyzed using descriptive and comparative statistics. The mean scores increased significantly on knowledge scales and subscales for the participants in TLCTM or jTLCTM, across all cases and variables of gender and school level. Mean scores increased significantly on attitude scales and subscales for the jTLCTM participants, across all cases and gender. Mean empat (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Carol Baron PhD (Committee Chair); Jon Wergin PhD (Committee Member); Paul Gorski PhD (Committee Member); Catherine Faver PhD (Other) Subjects: Animals; Behavioral Psychology; Counseling Education; Education; Educational Evaluation; Educational Leadership; Educational Psychology; Psychology; School Counseling