Animal-Inclusive Education at RPTU

At the Institute for Special Education in Landau, the AiSPi research unit has been conducting research on animal-inclusive education since 2025. During the summer semester of 2026, Kaya, a dog who visits seminars, was on duty. We see her as a key participant in the seminar“Special Education Counseling in Inclusive Settings”(Sabine Marschall & Ute Waschulewski), which took place for the first time this summer as a pilot program.

Kaya, Sabine Marschall’s two-year-old herding dog mix, took her role very seriously. In her own unique way, she greeted the students, calmed them down, and made them happier. She regularly made her rounds, demanded pats, accepted treats, rested on her blanket, or quietly sat next to those who needed her presence at that moment. To our delight, the vast majority of participants expressed very positive feedback about Kaya’s (educational) work in the anonymous, written follow-up evaluation.

Her involvement took place as part of Ute Waschulewski’s research project:“When Animal Turn Meets Inclusive Turn in Education: On Continuity and Change in Concepts of Subject and Actor in Special Education.”

Events in the field of animal-inclusive pedagogy are also planned for the 2026–27 winter semester. Students from other disciplines (starting in the 5th or 6th semester) are welcome:

BA LA Special Education M1.3

Family Socialization with Animals
(U. Waschulewski)

BA LA 1.7 Special Education M1.7

Professional Development in Animal-Inclusive
Interventions in School and
Non-School Settings
(U. Waschulewski)

BA LA Special Education M1.8

Special Education Counseling
in Inclusive Settings (S. Marschall,
G. Herbert & U. Waschulewski)

At the same time, the textbook by U. Waschulewski and I. A. Strunz,“Animal-Assisted Education in Preschools and Elementary Schools,”will be published by Kohlhammer Verlag in the fourth quarter.

For more information, visit

https://shop.kohlhammer.de/tiergestutzte-
padagogik-in-kita-und-grundschule-36881.html#147=19