Black Stallion Literacy Project- Theoretical Framework

As part of my Masters work, I was able to study and evaluate this amazing literacy program. If you know nothing about the Black Stallion Literacy Project in conjunction with the Animal Assisted Learning Model. You can leanr about BSLP through thier website http://www.bslp.org/. What came out of this study was some amazinf evidence of the use of animals in education. Many people have asked for information regarding this project but my thesis was 300+ pages long. No one wnats to read that! But in part, I will post chapters and excerpts from the study to make it available. It is a University study so if you use any of the data or quote from it, please cite it properly. It was a huge part of my life and the lives of those that worked hard and they deserve credit. But on the other ahnd, USE IT! Below I have pasted the Theoretical Framework which brings together thoery of education, motivation, literacy and human animal bond. Please let me clarify one thing, this study focused on an educational model of learning that uses animals to motivate kids to read. The program was BSLP. I took many liberties with the implementation of the program so please chack directly with them for information.

Theoretical Framework of the Animal Assisted Learning Model

In order to create a program that utilizes the best practices or successful literacy programs to marry different theories together to create the framework upon which the assertions and results will be supported. A phenomenological approach was used as a foundation, with human-animal interaction theory, general reading theory and motivational theory added to address specific interests of this project. This study is a combination of evaluative and survey methodology and qualitative phenomenology through interview, observation and narrative evaluations.


Phenomenology
Patton (1993) describes phenomenology with the question “What are the meaning, structure and essence of the lived experience of this phenomenon for the person or group of people?” In this case, it is simply the respondent’s account of their experience participating in this program. Phenomenology allows the researcher to tell the story and gain a deeper understanding of the nature and meaning of the experience. The focus is on a particular phenomenon, which in this project are the experiences of the students throughout this program. However, in order to reduce mono-method bias (Driebe, 2003) and to gain a complete sense of the impact, the parents and teachers are also asked to share insight into the experience from their perspective. An interpretation of the experience is essential to the understanding of the phenomenon being studied. In this study, multiple forms of data collection including qualitative and quantitative methods are used to increase the level of reliability as well as understanding. The qualitative data was gathered through interview, observation and narrative evaluations. Through summarization and interpretation of the responses, one can help support the quantitative data and represent the unique experiences that happen in the classroom as a result of the program that cannot be seen through statistics. Through the reporting of a persons experience not only can the researcher put a face to the number but they can also use the insight gained to support and build theory.

Biophilia Hypothesis
Kellert and Wilson (1993) developed a concept called the Biophilia Hypothesis, which states that humans have an intrinsic attraction to life. This theory is discussed in more depth in the literature review section. This theory provides the support and basis for the claim that animals can impact human learning. If children are intrinsically attracted to nature, the animals used in the program will draw and captivate the attention of the children and create a positive experience associated with reading there by improving their attitude toward reading and increasing their likelihood for success. Maslow (1954) published “Motivation and Personality,” which introduced his theory about how people satisfy their various needs. Based on his observations he proposed a general pattern of needs that people would recognize and try to satisfy in generally the same sequence. One of the basic needs listed towards the bottom of his hierarchy is the need for social interaction and belongingness (Maslow, 1954). This social interaction has been increased in the new program design focusing on interaction between the horse and student as well as student to student.


Reading Engagement
According to Rueda, MacGillivray, Monzó, & Arzubiaga, (2001) engagement with academic tasks is described as the observable manifestation of achievement motivation. It can be identified by students' on-task behavior, lack of disruptions during lessons, or completion of activities. More recently, cognitive-oriented researchers argue that an engaged reader is one who is motivated, knowledgeable, strategic, and socially interactive (Gambrell, 1996; Guthrie & Wigfield, 2000). This requires that the learner be actively thinking about the reading task. Such definitions make engagement difficult to observe. This project takes on a constructivist perspective of engagement. From this approach, the engagement is a process that the active learner uses to connect personal a priori knowledge or previous experiences to new ideas in order to construct new knowledge and build upon what they already know (McCombs, 1995). Constructivism is a theory of learning based on the idea that knowledge is constructed by the knower based on mental activity. Learners are considered to be active organisms seeking meaning. Constructions of meaning may initially bear little relationship to reality (as in the naive theories of children), but will become increasing more complex, differentiated and realistic as time goes on (Funderstanding, 2003).
Language acquisition is a developmental process, which is social in nature (Halliday, 1994). The socio-cognitive perspective says that we are all born with the capacity to learn and that ability is influenced by our social interactions (Halliday, 1994). Because the process is dynamic, learning to read takes the activation of multiple systems. Not only the strategies and techniques that are taught but also the senses and imagination. The Interactive Reading Instructional model helps to account for all of the influences acting upon that learner (Yopp & Singer, 1994). When interaction occurs in an instructional setting, it is dependent upon the teacher, text or stimulus and learner in combination with extraneous stimulus in the room as to the engagement of the reader. This is why the program is structured in such a way to help the student combine those skills and stimulus together to create engagement.
Motivational Theory
Active or engaged reading is grounded in intrinsic motivation. From an engagement perspective, motivations are reasons for reading (Guthrie, & Anderson, 1998). According to Guthrie and Anderson (1998) these reasons can range from independent reasons such as involvement, curiosity and efficacy to more social reasons such as competition or recognition. But like the literacy process, motivations are not static. They develop and evolve as students become more self-aware and the agent of their own engagement (Guthrie, & Anderson, 1998). According to Wigfield and Guthrie, (1997) the independent reasons translate to intrinsic motivation and a desire to be engaged in a task [reading] for its own sake.


Vygotsky
The work of Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) provides a sound theoretical foundation for investigating the rationale underlying various instructional strategies. He proposed a theory called the zone of proximal development (1978). According to Doolittle’s (1997) interpretation, mental functioning is not merely absorbed or transmitted verbatim from teacher to student but actively constructed by the individual as the result of social experience. It is for this theory of cognitive development that Vygotsky has become known as a major contributor to the discussion of constructivism.
Vygotsky believed that an individual's immediate potential for cognitive growth is limited on the lower end by that which he or she can accomplish independently, and on the upper end by that which he or she can accomplish with the help of a more knowledgeable other such as a peer, tutor, or teacher (1978). This zone is not static. It changes with the introduction or exposure to every new experience. Vygotsky (1978) went on to state that learning must be relevant to the student and that he or she must feel a need for development to occur. Vygotsky (1978) concluded that students learn through interactions with others. Students internalize the knowledge and skills first experienced during these interactions and eventually use this knowledge and these skills to guide and direct their own behavior.


Real World Interaction
All of these theories come full circle when the concept of real world interaction is introduced. In 1938, John Dewey proposed a theory of Experience and Education. This theory is truly interdisciplinary in that it is used as a foundation in many different fields. Dewey was convinced that successful education is connected to personal experiences of the learner (1938). He defines growth as “the ability to learn from experience” (p.44). Ross (1988) conducted an extensive meta-analysis of this work literature and found that hands-on science activities aroused attention, questions and supported active learning. This study supports Dewey’s theories that the lived experience is vital and even more valued is the transformation of that phenomenon and the integration into our personality (1938). The goal of education from this point of view then would be to structure and organize learning activities in which experience themselves facilitates learning.