”… min skolhund tar vid där mina förmågor slutar...”
: En kvalitativ studie om inställning kring samverkan med socialt tjänstehundsteam i skolan

Translated title of the thesis: "... my school dog picks up where my abilities end...": A qualitative study on attitudes towards collaboration with social service dog teams in schools
  • Matilda Ämström
  • Marie Larsson
  • Sara Rigbo

Student thesis: Bachelor

Abstract

Swedish school law emphasizes safety and support for students, despite this, many children in Sweden experience school stress and ill health, which negatively affects their performance. The aim of the study was to investigate the attitude of school staff towards collaboration with social service dog teams in the school. The study's qualitative approach with a hermeneutic approach invited school staff as informants. Semi-structured interviews with 11 informants were conducted and then the data were processed with content analysis to answer the purpose of the study. The study identified two main categories: 1) Organizational settings and 2) Practice-related settings. The results showed that principals were central to the implementation but faced financial constraints and a lack of national guidelines. Collaboration with various actors, including social service dogs, was perceived as positive and promoted students' well-being and attendance. The presence of the dogs thus had positive effects on both students and staff, which contributed to a safer and more engaging school environment. Despite organizational and financial barriers, school social service dog interventions can improve public health by supporting students' mental health, social integration and academic success.
Date of Award2024-Jun
Original languageSwedish
SupervisorJohanna Bergman (Supervisor) & Petra Nilsson Lindström (Examiner)

Educational program

  • Public Health and health promotion with specialization in behavioral science

University credits

  • 15 HE credits

Swedish Standard Keywords

  • Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology (30302)

Keywords

  • outlook
  • collaboration
  • school staff
  • social service dog team
  • school environment

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