Humane education and human-animal interaction: implications to humane primary education in China

Abstract

This dissertation addresses the necessity, urgency, and efficacy of developing humane primary education in China. It is centred on a systematic literature review of 35 publications on the definition, development, challenges, and improvements in humane education. Humane education (HE) in the 21st century incorporates multiple concepts of animal ethics, ecological environment, and social justice. This study examines the advantages and disadvantages of humane primary education in China by comparing the evolution of humane education in the United States. In addition, the findings address the reasons for humane education, which corresponds to its three dimensions of major challenges globally and in China, including animal cruelty and interpersonal violence due to a lack of empathy, insufficient environmental education, and social injustice. The improvements combine Nussbaum's theory of the capabilities approaches, loving-kindness theory, and Pestalozzi's loving education theory in response to three challenges and provide solutions including transforming social ideology and establishing an all-encompassing education system and partnership. In the practical section, this study critically investigates how human-animal interaction (HAI) can advance humane education through fostering empathy, prosocial behaviour, and responsibility. Likewise, the study finds that treating empathy and prosocial behaviour as skills may help establish a link between animal-oriented empathy and human-oriented empathy. Finally, on the basis of the findings of this review, potential contributions are offered for future research and policy formulation of humane education, identifying the social need for additional research within the Chinese context. Humane primary education in China has the potential to contribute to developing a more inclusive system in the future. Challenges and concerns such as the generalizability and accuracy of research findings remain to be resolved.