“Assessment of Values and Attitudes Toward the One Health Approach in the Context of the Learning Territory”. This was the topic of the dissertation defended on Monday, June 29, at Paul-Valéry University of Montpellier by Estelle Lefrançois, a member of the Veterinary School and the IDEALISS research unit.

Her defense took place before a jury chaired by:

• Jean-Marc LANGE, full professor (University of Montpellier), thesis advisor
• Angela BARTHES, full professor (Aix-Marseille University), co-advisor
• Alain SANDOZ, full professor (Aix-Marseille University), rapporteur
• Abdel Karim ZAID, full professor (University of Lille), rapporteur
• France ARBOIX-CALAS, associate professor (University of Montpellier), examiner
• Aurélie BINOT, research fellow (MSH-SUD), examiner
• Agnès LEBLOND, Professor (VetAgroSup), Examiner
• Jean-Luc CADORÉ, Professor Emeritus (VetAgroSup), Examiner

We warmly congratulate Estelle Lefrançois on earning her PhD in Educational Sciences!
 

Abstract

Humanity is facing an unprecedented global, multidimensional, and socio-ecological crisis. 

In the field of health, this crisis is reflected in an acceleration of the emergence of zoonotic infectious diseases, as well as an epidemic of non-communicable diseases linked to ecosystem degradation. It has led to the development of the One Health approach, which “recognizes that the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the broader environment (including ecosystems) are closely linked and interdependent,” and aims to optimize it (OHHLEP, 2022). This integrated approach to health is intended to be multisectoral, interdisciplinary, and multiscale in order to better account for the complexity of the phenomena involved. This represents a profound shift in the practices of the stakeholders concerned: health professionals, researchers, farmers, ecologists, policymakers, and citizens. 

Beyond the specific knowledge on which this approach is based, stakeholders must mobilize appropriate skills; however, their values and dispositions are also challenged and ultimately determine their commitment to the One Health approach and, consequently, its implementation. To support this evolution, “educations for” approaches are well-suited pedagogical methods, as they “give significant importance to values […] and generally have the explicit objective of changing behaviours, or at least attitudes” (Barthes et al., 2017). The concept of a learning territory is highly conducive to the deployment of the One Health approach and vice versa, as it promotes collaboration among stakeholders and integrates the complexity of the issues addressed. 

This research work falls within the framework of “educations for” and aims to evaluate values and dispositions of interest for the deployment of the One Health approach in a learning territory context. Two research projects made it possible to study the values and dispositions of professionals and citizens living in the Grands Causses area in the Cévennes. The data collected were complemented by an evaluation of the values of second-year veterinary students at UniLaSalle in Rouen. 

These experiments thus made it possible to test three different methods: ranking values through a self-administered questionnaire, qualitative and quantitative analysis of players’ verbalizations in the case of a serious game, and ranking values through a forced-choice method proposed to veterinary students. Schwartz’s model was selected for the choice of values studied and for the interpretation of the results. 

The experiments conducted established the feasibility of implementing the two value assessment methods and showed a prioritization of values related to self-transcendence and change, which differs from Schwartz’s results. They also made it possible to propose values and dispositions more suited to the One Health approach. The GoTicks! game proved to be limited for evaluating values and dispositions but potentially interesting for activating values or eliciting emotions related to them. It constitutes a tool that fosters mutual understanding among stakeholders, making it relevant for the deployment of the One Health approach or a learning territory. 

The conduct of this research and the results obtained confirm the relevance of values and dispositions for evaluating a project involving the One Health approach or a learning territory, as well as for assessing “educations for” and professional training programs, in addition to competency-based approaches. This research has also contributed to enriching the One Health concept and opens up perspectives for further research in the fields of evaluation, education, and training related to One Health.