Exploring Ethical Human-Animal Relationships Among Pre-Service Teachers: A Study of Awareness, Ethical Sensitivity, and Educational Relevance

Abstract

Human-animal relationships constitute an important but comparatively underexplored dimension of value-oriented and sustainability-oriented education. Although teacher education is expected to contribute to the development of professional knowledge, ethical dispositions and social responsibility, limited empirical attention has been given to how prospective teachers understand the ethical dimensions of human-animal relationships. The present study examined self-reported awareness and ethical orientations concerning human-animal relationships among B.Ed. pre-service teachers. A quantitative, descriptive survey design was adopted. The participants comprised 99 B.Ed. pre-service teachers from the Department of Education and constituent colleges of the University of Lucknow, selected through purposive-cum-convenience sampling. Data were collected using a researcher-developed 24-item questionnaire comprising six dimensions: awareness of the concept of ethical human-animal relationships, awareness of animal exploitation, ethical sensitivity, responsibility and action orientation, educational relevance, and personal attitude towards humane treatment. The instrument was reviewed by an expert and demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach's α = .92). Data were analysed using item-wise percentages and dimension-wise mean scores. The six-dimension means ranged from 4.24 to 4.45 on a five-point scale, with ethical sensitivity obtaining the highest mean and educational relevance the lowest. A substantial majority of respondents reported awareness of animal exploitation, concern for animal suffering, acceptance of moral responsibility, support for humane treatment, and recognition of the educational relevance of the issue. However, these findings represent self-reported orientations and should not be interpreted as direct evidence of ethical behaviour or pedagogical competence. Comparison with existing research indicates both convergence and an important contextual distinction: while the present participants reported stronger humane orientations than those reported among pre-service teachers in a Hong Kong study, the difference may reflect contextual, sampling, measurement and social-desirability factors rather than a genuine population difference. In the Indian context, the findings are relevant to NEP 2020's emphasis on environmental awareness, values, sustainability and teacher preparation. The study suggests that teacher education may provide an important setting for moving from general humane attitudes toward critically informed ethical reasoning, reflective practice and responsible action concerning human-animal relationships.