Teaching Slaughter: Mapping Changes in Emotions in Veterinary Students during Training in Humane Slaughter

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Education
• Animal Welfare Science
• Psychology of Learning

Background:

• Humane slaughter of livestock is a critical skill for veterinary students.
• This training is often perceived as emotionally challenging by students.
• Understanding student emotional responses is vital for effective pedagogical approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To map changes in self-reported emotions of veterinary students during humane slaughter training.
• To assess the impact of a video and self-reflection on student emotions.
• To explore the utility of emotion cards in understanding student emotional experiences.

Main Methods:

• Utilized emotion cards (40 depicting emotions) to record student feelings at three program stages.
• Implemented a video demonstration of humane slaughter and a self-reflection period.
• Compared emotion mapping data before and after program modifications across five student groups.

Main Results:

• No significant change in reported emotions was observed after adding the video and self-reflection component.
• Veterinary students consistently reported significant emotional challenges throughout the humane slaughter training.
• Emotion cards provided valuable insights into the emotional landscape of students undergoing this training.

Conclusions:

• Instruction in humane slaughter techniques presents a substantial emotional hurdle for veterinary students.
• The addition of visual aids and reflective practice did not mitigate the emotional impact.
• Emotion cards serve as a useful tool for educators to gauge and address student emotional responses in challenging curricula.