ABSTRACT
This chapter provides key aspects of several assessment tools that are likely to be useful to researchers and educators interested in exploring the intersection of human-animal interaction (HAI) and education. In research on HAI, one theme echoes throughout the literature. It explores the research on the subject of animals in education settings. The focus of the measures is on constructs of emotional health, including depression, anxiety, social competence, loneliness, and positive and negative affect, each of which is likely to affect overall student engagement and/or the classroom emotional climate. There is mounting evidence that a child's overall adjustment and school success depend upon the ability to meet social, as well as academic, challenges. The assessment tools measure skills and abilities necessary for academic achievement, including verbal and nonverbal abilities, working memory, and reasoning. Arguably, the most direct method of examining the pedagogical efficacy of a particular intervention is to assess academic learning outcomes.
