Abstract/Notes: Providing a meaningful and experiential learning environment for all students has long created a concern for alternate ways to teach students who are reportedly demonstrating non-mastery on state standardized assessments. As the benchmark for showing successful academic achievement increases, so does the need for discovering effective ways for students to learn. The Montessori teaching method has been in existence since the early 1900s when Dr. Montessori made her discovery of the student learning process. Dr. Montessori connected to the laws of nature and the environment for creating students who are problem-solvers with critical-thinking skills. The Montessori Method is designed to promote independent learning and support normal development in children. A Montessori lesson is defined as any interaction between an adult and a child; it incorporates techniques that are defined to serve as guidance for the adult personality in working with the child. The study investigated the impact of Montessori Method on the academic achievement of 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students. The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) was used to measure academic achievement in reading and mathematics. An ex post facto, causal-comparative design was employed. The characteristic-present samples consisted of 47 3rd, 40 4th, and 44 5th graders. There were 71 3rd, 60 4th, and 49 5th graders in the comparison samples. Due to non-probability nature of the sampling technique, external validity was limited to study participants. Due to non-experimental nature of the study, no causal inferences were drawn. A series of Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) showed that there were no statistically significant differences between the students who received the Montessori Method of instruction and those who did not on the basis of the outcome measures of academic achievement in reading and mathematics. The mean difference effect sizes, which were used to examine the practical significance of the findings, ranged from negligible to small. Although the results of the study did not support the hypothesis, it must be pointed out that the Montessori Method of teaching facilitates self-paced learning that promotes a child's independence and encourages decision-making which are instrumental in becoming successful learners. Additionally, Montessori advocates experiences that are "real-world" and allow children to build intrinsic motivational opportunities; therefore, creating independent thinkers that will be competitive problem-solvers in the global economy of the 21st century. The limited studies on the Montessori Method of teaching offer opportunities for further investigation at all grade levels. For example, it is recommended to conduct a study to compare students who receive Montessori education during the early years of their academic life with those who receive Montessori education from pre-k to high school graduation. Because the Montessori name does not have a trademark, there are opportunities for investigating Montessori teacher preparation and comparing the preparation of the teachers to the standardized assessment results. There are also opportunities for investigating the method and curriculum used at schools that carry the name Montessori for comparison purposes amongst Montessori schools as well as in comparison to the results of the standardized assessments at these schools.

Language: English

Published: Corpus Christi, Texas, 2013

Abstract/Notes: Schools following the Montessori method use individual and small-group teaching methods and hands-on, concrete materials to provide a basis for deep learning of mathematical concepts. Schools with a mostly traditional approach to mathematics teaching mainly use large-group lecture methods with little use of manipulative materials. This study investigated the understanding of place value concepts and abilities of Montessori students by comparing task responses of 93 students in grades 1-3 in a Montessori school (n=47) and in a mostly traditional comparison school (n=46). Data collection included clinical interviews with each student. The theoretical framework used in the study was taken from Zoltan Dienes, a mathematician, who believed that mathematics is learned and created by forming layers of abstract generalizations. Interview tasks were both gathered from the literature and created by the researcher. Procedural tasks included those that asked students to count, to identify the value of digits in a number, and to use the standard addition algorithm for multidigit numbers. Conceptual tasks included those that required students to solve two-digit addition and missing addend questions with and without materials and to solve word problems involving three- and four-digit numbers. Some tasks included large numbers into the thousands because Dienes' framework calls for increasingly abstract generalizations, which for place value means larger and larger numbers.

Language: English

Published: Columbus, Ohio, 2000

Abstract/Notes: Elementary education has theoretical underpinnings based on cognitive psychology. Ideas from cognitive psychologists such as James, Dewey, Piaget, and Vygotsky coalesce to form constructivism (Cooper, 1993; Yager, 2000; Yilmaz, 2011). Among others, the Montessori Method (1912/1964) is an exemplar of constructivism. Currently, public education in the United States is heavily impacted by the No Child Left Behind legislation (Paige, 2006) which emphasizes high stakes academic achievement testing. Absent from the literature is an examination of the academic achievement of Montessori students in public education. This study explores the academic achievement outcomes of public school students who completed varying numbers of years in Montessori elementary education. Singer and Willett's (2003) multilevel model of change serves as the statistical tool utilized to explore the academic achievement outcomes of a first grade cohort through their elementary and secondary school careers. Accrued years in Montessori did not account for significant variance amongst the trajectories, and gender and ethnicity, when considered without the interactions with accrued years, had minimal impact. Socioeconomic status, when the variable of accrued years in Montessori was removed from the equation, was a significant predictor of reading and math achievement.

Language: English

Published: Commerce, Texas, 2014

Abstract/Notes: This study aims to (1) produce Montessori reading books and (2) reveal the effectiveness of Montessori reading books in learning to improve the reading skills of first-grade elementary school students. This research is research and development (RnD). The research subjects were students and teachers of grade 1 elementary school. Data was obtained through interviews and observation. The products developed are validated by experts, and initial reading skills are carried out to obtain the effectiveness of the book. Product effectiveness is tested through quasi-experiments. Data analysis techniques used an independent sample t-test with a significant level of 0.05. The results of this study are in the form of Montessori reading books. (1) The results of the expert validation assessment show that the books developed are appropriate according to material experts in the "very good" category, media experts in the "good" category, and linguists in the "very good" category. Teacher and student responses to Montessori books in learning are categorized as "very good". (2). The results of the effectiveness test indicated that the book was effective in improving beginning reading skills. Based on the results of operational field trials, the value of p <0.05 means that there is a significant difference in students who carry out the learning process using Montessori books.

Language: English

DOI: 10.35445/alishlah.v15i3.1285

ISSN: 2597-940X, 2087-9490

Abstract/Notes: Within the realm of elementary public schools, several pedagogical models of early childhood education are practiced in the United States (Lillard, 2005). The constructivist approach to early childhood education is illustrative of best practices based on current theory. One model of constructivist early childhood education is the Montessori Method founded in the early twentieth century by Maria Montessori, an Italian physician (Montessori, 1912/1964). Though the Montessori Method is aligned with research-based best practices espoused by constructivism, there are relatively few public Montessori schools currently in the United States. A direct comparison is needed between the academic outcomes of public elementary school programs which implement the Montessori Method and those which implement a more traditional approach to early childhood education. The focus of this study is the academic achievement outcomes of Montessori public school students as compared to similar non-Montessori students. The Montessori students’ Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) Total Reading and Total Math scores in grades one and two were not statistically different than their non-Montessori counterparts. In grade three, the Montessori students’ Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) Reading and Math scores were not statistically different than those of the non-Montessori students. In grades four and five, the TAKS Reading and Math scores statistically favored Montessori students.

Language: English

ISSN: 2227-1090, 1991-8100

Abstract/Notes: The purpose of this study is to determine and compare the effect of traditional and Montessori methods on perceptual motor activities of elementary school students. This research is applied in terms of purpose and semi-experimental in terms of implementation. Abad forms. The sample size in this study was selected using G-POWER software and the sample size was 36 people. It is necessary that three groups of 12 people are selected randomly from them. In this study, there are three groups of 12 people for research, one of which is the Montessori training program; In the second group, the traditional training program and the third group as a research control group, in which the two experimental groups performed the necessary training sessions for 8 weeks and 3 sessions per week. In both traditional and Montessori groups, the changes in pre-test and post-test are significant and this means that both Montessori and traditional methods have been able to improve students' balance. The results showed that the Montessori group had the greatest impact on fine motor skills. Also, the traditional training group was able to create a significant difference with the control group.

Language: Persian

ISSN: 2645-7806

Language: German

ISSN: 0944-2537

Language: English

ISSN: 1071-6246

Abstract/Notes: Preschool education is an important and much studied topic in developed countries, and of growing importance in the third world. Studies exploring preschool experience have noted positive effects when comparing children with access to preschool versus children without access, and effects of particular curriculum approaches over the length of primary schooling. This study adopts a focused sample, cross‐sectional design to explore the types of preschool experience available (denoted by types of preschool activities which equate broadly to curriculum approaches) and whether variation in preschool experience affects core curriculum (English, science, mathematics) performance and classroom behaviours throughout the years of primary schooling in Trinidad and when children complete their primary education in the form of a national ‘common entrance examination’ for entry into a stratified secondary school system. Results show that a large majority of the sampled children attended preschool and that most of the preschool experience was traditional and teacher centred. Neither child centred or teacher centred preschool activities affected academic performance in the core subjects during the primary school years or at the end of their primary school career. Type of preschool activity did affect teacher perception of behaviour in class. Child centred experience facilitated a social/peer orientation in children. High levels of teacher centred experience detracted from later relationships with teacher. Results were confounded by social class, with middle class children having most access to (the limited amount available) child centred preschool experience and performing at the highest academic and behavioural levels in the classroom although in limited numbers. The discussion questions the appropriacy of the various preschool activities for pupils within a cultural orientation of traditional upbringing and primary schooling practices.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1080/0300443941030103

ISSN: 0300-4430, 1476-8275

Language: English

ISSN: 1054-0040