Validation of the human–animal interaction scale in Chinese children

The significance of environmental education is increasingly clear amid growing global environmental challenges. Human–animal interaction (HAI), as an effective approach, can foster human empathy and emotional connection toward animals, enhance individuals’ ecosystem sensitivity and environmental responsibility, and offer new theoretical perspectives and practical pathways for environmental education. The Human-Animal Interaction Scale (HAIS) is a measurement tool that assesses actual human and animal behavior during human–animal interactions. The present study aimed to adapt the HAIS for Chinese children and to examine its structural validity, measurement invariance across gender, and reliability and validity. A survey of 272 primary school students was conducted. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) examined the Chinese HAIS structure, and multi-group CFA tested gender invariance. Reliability used Cronbach’s α, McDonald’s ω, composite reliability (CR), and split-half; validity covered convergent, discriminant, and external links with the Children’s Treatment of Animals Questionnaire. The results indicate that the Chinese version of the HAIS has good reliability and validity and is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring human-animal interaction behavior.