Titre : How do future teachers and veterinary students relate to animals? 

Auteurs : Raphaël Chalmeau
, Fabienne Delfour
, Franck Martin,  

Revue : Educations 

Numéro : Issue 1 

Volume : 8 

Date : 2025/04/14 

DOI : 10.21494/ISTE.OP.2025.1277 

ISSN : 2632-590X 

Résumé : This study examines human-animal relationships, which can raise socially sensitive issues and be subject to controversy. Unlike adults, whose compassion and empathy towards animals vary according to moral values attributed to different types of animals (pets, livestock, wildlife, etc.), children do not make such distinctions. We analyze the perceptions of students training to become veterinarians and primary school teachers regarding their relationship with animals. By asking them to project themselves into choosing an animal they would like to be and an animal they would not like to be, we examine the justifications provided by the students, categorizing them according to anthropocentric or zoocentric perspectives, and searching for signs of interspecific empathy. Our analyses suggest that it is crucial to integrate questioning about human-animal relationships into the training of future veterinarians and teachers, particularly in the era of the biodiversity crisis. 

Éditeur : ISTE OpenScience