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The Impact of Dogs on Student Academic Reading Performance
Many programs initiated in school fail to motivate students to read and find the courage
to do so at a young age due to the fear of struggling in front of their peers (Kiran et al., 2017). A
holistic approach to bridging the gap is the introduction of therapy dogs in the classroom (Steel,
2022). Dogs are a new tool utilized in classrooms to not only improve student literacy but
increase student mental health as well. Dog-assisted reading in young children has laid claim to
benefit students and increase low reading scores however there is insufficient data to fully
support this claim (Connell et al., 2019).
Practices, Policies, or Procedures that Relate to the Topic
According to NAEP state profiles (2022), 12 states scored significantly lower than the
National public which accounts for a quarter of the United States. The drop in reading scores has
increased since 1992 resulting in students reading below grade level. This is a problem that
students carry with them throughout primary school, secondary, post-secondary, and into
adulthood due to the lack of addressing the problem early on. Allowing the issue to continue will
hinder students’ ability to be sufficiently functioning adults that contribute to society. This then
leads to an issue of increased unemployment rates and poverty. Despite the role intervention,
extra schooling, specialized lectures, and government aid students are still falling below grade
level in reading (Noble & Holt, 2018). Observing overall student academic acceleration has been
a foundation in the drive for more implementation tools to be developed to bridge this gap. The
need for further research on the educational impact is identified by Steel (2022) indicating the
research provided is based on psychologic paired with low-quality evidence.
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IMPACT OF DOGS ON READING PERFORMANCE
Importance of the Topic
Increasing reading performance is essential to education and student performance.
Providing students will the tools that will increase performance is of the utmost importance. The
implementation of therapy dogs in the classroom has been inducted in various ways. Some ways
of implementation include interventions throughout the week for a total of 4 hours (Connell et
al., 2019). Other implementations were conducted in once-a-week sessions due to the limitation
of the availability of therapy dogs (Rodriquez-Meehan et al., 2022). Much of the data available is
qualitative data surrounding the observation of students with therapy dogs and without. Steel
(2022), measured student’s enjoyment levels while others measured the self-perceived interest in
reading (Rousseau & Tardif-Williams, 2019). The trend of measuring social-emotional impact is
quite common. There is a lack of quantitative data with very few measuring the effects of reading
to dogs’ impact on student test scores. Barber and Proops (2019) are the very few that measured
students’ reading scores reading to a teacher and reading to a dog. The lack of qualitative data is
needed to fully support the claim that dogs improve students reading.
Steps Taken to Address the Topic
Many school districts have implemented methods to improve student reading proficiency
through intervention classes, and additional reading support through programs such as Achieve
3000. Los Angeles Unified School District created a document that teachers can refer to when
planning lessons to build reading confidence and motivation in the classroom (LAUSD, 2022).
Hatch Valley Public School district in New Mexico implemented the use of Achieve 3000 for 1
hour a week during advisory and silent reading time during advisory 1 hour a week in efforts to
further assist students (B. Holguin, personal communication, May 16, 2023). The state of
Tennessee leveraged $60 million and $40 million in federal grant money to launch Reading 360
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IMPACT OF DOGS ON READING PERFORMANCE
to improve student reading skills across the state. Tennessee expects school districts to test
students and report the data back to the state to evaluate success (Tennessee Department of
Education, 2021).
Biblical Worldview
Humans have been accompanied by companion animals such as dogs for over 30,000
years in which humans began to domesticate them (Boehringer, n.d). The bond between beast
and human began in early history coexisting simultaneously. Although dogs are depicted as evil
in the bible the scripture Genesis 2:18 Then the Lord God Said, “It is not good for man to be
alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him” proves man needs companionship (King James
Bible, 1796/2017). This companionship is suitable for students who can be satisfied with
incorporating dogs in the classroom to better aid students and relieve feelings of discomfort.
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IMPACT OF DOGS ON READING PERFORMANCE
References
Barber, O., Proops, L. (2019). Low-Ability Secondary School Students Show Emotional,
Motivational, and Performance Benefits when Reading to a Dog Versus a Teacher.
Anthrozoös, 32(4), 503-518. https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2019.1621522
Boehringer Ingelheim. (n.d.). The human-dog relationship-a historical perspective. Boehringer
Ingelheim. https://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/our-responsibility/animal-health-
news/human-dog-relationship-historical-perspective#:~:text=There%20is
%20archaeological%20evidence%20dogs,domestication%20of%20horses%20and
%20ruminants).
Connell, C.G., Tepper, D.L., Landry, O., Bennett, P.C. (2019). Dogs in Schools: The Impact of
Specific Human-Dog interactions on Reading Ability in Children Aged 6 to 8 Years.
Anthrozoös, 32(3), 347-360. https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2019.1598654
The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2017). King James Bible
Online.Ohttps://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/ Links to an external site. O(Original work
published 1769)
Kiran, J., Ventresco, N.E., Gardner, T. (2017). The impact of a Therapy Dog Program on
Children’s Reading: Follow-up and Extension to ELL Students. Early Childhood
Education Journal, 46, 103-116. https://doi.org/10.1007/10643.2017.0844
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IMPACT OF DOGS ON READING PERFORMANCE
Nations Report Card. (2022). NAEP State Profiles. The Nation’s Report Card.
https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/profiles/stateprofile?
chort=2&sub=RED&sj=AL&sfj=NP&st=AB&year=2022R3
Noble, O., & Holt, N. (2018). A study into the impact of the Reading Education Assistance Dogs
scheme on reading engagement and motivation to read among Early Years Foundation-
Stage children. Education 3-13 International Journal of Primary Elementary and Early
Years Education, 46(3), 277-290. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2016.1246587
Rousseau, C.X., Tardif-Williams, C.Y. (2019) Turning the Page for Spot: The Potential of
Therapy Dogs to Support Reading Motivation Among Young Children. Anthrozoös,
32(5), 665-677. https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2019.1645511
Steel, J. (2022). Children’s’ wellbeing and reading engagement: the impact of reading to dogs in
a Scottish Primary 1 classroom. Education 3-13 International Journal of Primary
Elementary and Early Years Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2022.2100442
Steel, J. (2022). Reading to Dogs in schools: a controlled feasibility study of an online Reading
to Dogs intervention. International Journal of Educational Research, 117.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2022.102117
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IMPACT OF DOGS ON READING PERFORMANCE
Student Support and Progress Team. (2022). Middle and High School Intervention Strategies:
Literacy Strategies. Los Angeles Unified School District.
https://achieve.lausd.net/cms/lib/CA01000043/Centricity/domain/217/sspt%20handbook
%20files/SSPT%20Strategies%20ELA.Math%2011.4.16.pdf
Tennessee Department of Education. (2021). Reading 360. Tennessee Department of Education.
https://www.tn.gov/education/reading-360.html
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