Browsing by Author "Yli-Kuivila, Lotta"

Objectives. The purpose of my bachelor`s thesis was to determine influencing factors for a safe learning environment and the thesis is based on literature. I will especially focus on the effect of dog for a safe learning environment. I researched these following questions: 1) What factors create a safe learning environment? 2) How can a dog influence the sense of security in the learning environment? My goal is to increase understanding of a safe learning environment and how dog presence will affect for it. In the field of education and teaching, the theory of Hurme and Kyllönen (2014) divides safety into five areas: state security, physical integrity, social, psychological and pedagogical security. A safe learning environment has been researched, but my thesis complements the topic of the dog. My thesis complements the lack of research available in Finnish in the subjected area. Methods. My thesis is a descriptive literature review. The method helps to create a concept of a chosen topic based on previous publications. Answering to the first research question created a theoretical background of my thesis. This part is mainly based on two publications for which I found supportive material. Answering to the second research question created the actual material of my thesis which is mainly based on six different articles. In addition, I got ideas from other sources as well. I selected only articles published after 2004 and most of them were also peer-reviewed. Results and Conclusions. Emotional security arises when security is realized in physical level (state security and physical integrity) as well as at the mental level (social, psychological and pedagogical). The teacher can influence the feeling of safety by reducing behaviour problems using a five-step program. In the classroom, the dog can promote both social, psychological and pedagogic safety as long as the physical safety has been taken care of.