Language: English

ISSN: 2235-767X

Language: German

Published: Berlin, Germany: LIT Verlag, 2009

ISBN: 978-3-8258-1650-6

Series: Impulse der Reformpädagogik , 24

Abstract/Notes: The study investigated the effects of school environment and methods of teaching on language skills achievement of pre – primary school pupils in Edo State. It also investigated the interaction effects of Montessori and played methods and urban and rural environments on pupils' achievement in listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. Three urban and three rural areas which were selected from two Local Government Areas (LGAs) were used for the study. Six pre - primary schools were purposively selected for the study. A total of 228 kindergartens 2 pupils intact classes were used for the study which lasted for eight weeks. The study was a pretest, posttest, quasi- experimental control group design with independent variables as methods and school location while achievement in Language Skills Achievement Test (LSAT) was the dependent variable. Descriptive statistics and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) were used to analyze the data obtained while the Multiple Classification Analysis (MCA) was used as post-hoc test for further significance. Three research questions were answered with three hypotheses, tested at 0.05 level of significance. Results showed that the Montessori Method of teaching pre –primary pupils was more effective than the play method. Similarly, urban school pupils achieved higher than their rural counterparts. There was also a significant interaction effect of methods and school location on pupils' academic achievement in Language skills. It was therefore recommended that the Nigerian Government should adopt the Montessori Method as a dominant method of teaching pre – primary school pupils and that pre – primary school owners should provide materials adequately for teaching and learning.

Language: English

DOI: 10.31014/aior.1993.04.03.335

ISSN: 2621-5799, 2657-215X

Language: Dutch

ISSN: 0166-588X

Language: English

Abstract/Notes: Foreign language learning has been a part of German elementary schools for several years now. Montessori schools focusing on individual learning, i.e. mostly independent from the teacher and based on auto-education, interest, and free choice, are also asked to teach an L2. The original lack of a concept of L2 learning for this environment has brought forth different approaches. Bilingual education seems to be feasible and applicable in Montessori education. The downside to this is that even in a bilingual classroom the Montessori way of learning may not allow for very much oral production of the foreign language. The role of L2 production (cf. Swain 1985, 1995, 2005) for language acquisition has been theoretically claimed and empirically investigated. Output can have a positive influence on L2 learning (cf. e.g. Izumi 2002, Keck et al. 2006). This also applies to interaction (cf. Long 1996), where negotiation of meaning and modified output are factors supporting L2 development (cf. e.g. de la Fuente 2002, McDonough 2005). Task-based Language Learning (TBLL) presents itself as one way to promote oral language production and to provide opportunities for meaning-negotiation. Especially tasks with required information exchange and a closed outcome have been shown to be beneficial for the elicitation of negotiation of meaning and modified output. This paper argues that TBLL is a promising approach for the facilitation of L2 production and thus the development of speaking skills in a Montessori context. It also hypothesizes that TBLL can be implemented in a bilingual Montessori environment while still making the Montessori way of learning possible. Different tasks on various topics, examples of which are presented in this article, can lay the foundation for this. Offering such tasks in a bilingual Montessori elementary classroom promises to foster language production and the use of communication strategies like negotiation of meaning, both being facilitative for L2 acquisition. This hypothesis remains to be tested in future research.

Language: German

DOI: 10.13092/lo.54.284

ISSN: 1615-3014

Abstract/Notes: This quasi-experimental research study examined the performance of two groups of five year old children on the Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning-Revised (DIAL-R) (1990) in relationship to their method of schooling. The purpose of the study was to compare mean scores received by the Montessori group (N=10) and the Traditional group (N=10) on Motor Area skills, Concept Area skills, and Language Area skills of the DIAL-R (1990) using t tests for independent samples. Scores received on each test item were also analyzed statistically to determine the specific strengths and weaknesses of each subject group. The findings show that there was no significant difference between the two subject groups in the Motor Area skills as assessed by the DIAL-R (1990). There was a significant difference between the two subject groups in the Concept Area skills which favored the Montessori subjects. The Montessori group performed better than did the Traditional group in the Language Area skills of the DIAL-R (1990), but the difference was not statistically significant. Implications of these findings for Early Childhood educators are discussed, in view of the fact that this sample was quite small. The findings provide support for both the Montessori and Traditional programs for young children found within the Dallas Public Schools in student performance on the DIAL-R (1990). Recommendations for further studies are also given.

Language: English

Published: Denton, Texas, 1995

Abstract/Notes: Preschools have become an important beginning step in education. This sequential mixed methods study sought to determine if the Montessori preschool setting provides greater academic achievement in reading readiness, specifically phonemic awareness, in preschoolers as compared to a conventional elementary standards-based preschool setting. Social constructivist theory and sociocultural theory were used as theoretical frameworks. Qualitative data was comprised of interviews with kindergarten teachers who agreed unanimously that preschool had a positive impact on students’ academic ability upon entrance to kindergarten. However, all four teachers had a negative connotation pertaining to Montessori students and the Montessori Method based solely on students’ behavior and students’ lack of conformity. For the quantitative data, multiple two sample t-tests were conducted to determine the effect of preschool experience on all 90 participants’ reading readiness scores upon entrance to kindergarten based upon DIBELS FSF and PSF and their KRA assessment scores, while taking socio-economic status into consideration. T-tests were used to compare the results from 30 Montessori students, 30 conventional standards-based elementary students, and 30 students with no preschool experience. All three sub-groups were matched equally based on socio-economic status. Montessori students outperformed the other two school groups on all three assessments. The difference in scores when separating Montessori students by socio-economic status is the most significant finding to come from this study. Montessori students considered low income had statistically lower scores on all three assessments when compared to Montessori students who are not considered low income.

Language: English

Published: Findlay, Ohio, 2019

Abstract/Notes: This work aims to strengthen the communication skills in English as a Foreign Language of young children in Ecuadorian elementary schools. It used the action research method and a combination of qualitative and quantitative research approaches. The sample consists of 10 children of the second grade of elementary school and their parents. All they have permanent residence in the province of Manabi, Ecuador. The researcher team designed an educational intervention based on the Montessori Methodology to improve participants’ communication skills in English as a Foreign Language. The educational intervention lasted 6 months and used the contains of the second grade of the elementary education curriculum of Ecuador. The instruments used for data collection were in-deep interviews, class observation, and the vocabulary acquisition test of Windi (2017). The results showed that all participants improved in 3-4 points their scores of English communication skills from pre-test in comparison to post-test. It concluded that 100% of young children that participated in this research improved their communication skills in English as a Foreign Language when supported the instruction with Montessori Methodology. / Este trabajo tiene como objetivo fortalecer las habilidades de comunicación en inglés como lengua extranjera de los niños pequeños en las escuelas primarias ecuatorianas. Utilizó el método de investigación de acción y una combinación de enfoques de investigación cualitativos y cuantitativos. La muestra está compuesta por 10 niños del segundo grado de primaria y sus padres. Todos ellos tienen residencia permanente en la provincia de Manabí, Ecuador. El equipo de investigadores diseñó una intervención educativa basada en la Metodología Montessori para mejorar las habilidades comunicativas de los participantes en inglés como lengua extranjera. La intervención educativa tuvo una duración de 6 meses y utilizó los contenidos del segundo grado del currículo de educación básica del Ecuador. Los instrumentos utilizados para la recolección de datos fueron entrevistas en profundidad, observación de clases y la prueba de adquisición de vocabulario de Wendi (2017). Los resultados mostraron que todos los participantes mejoraron en 3-4 puntos sus puntajes de habilidades de comunicación en inglés desde la prueba previa en comparación con la prueba posterior. Se concluyó que el 100% de los niños pequeños que participaron en esta investigación mejoraron sus habilidades comunicativas en inglés como lengua extranjera cuando se apoyó en la instrucción con la Metodología Montessori.

Language: English

DOI: 10.46827/ejel.v7i1.3987

ISSN: 2501-7136

Abstract/Notes: Max is a 3-year-old healthy boy who was brought to the pediatrician's office by his mother for frequent temper tantrums at home. His teachers at the Montessori school are concerned about his communication skills. He is very talkative with his peers, but he constantly speaks about Thomas the Tank Engine. His peers seem to be uninterested in his repetitive stories. His teachers believe that Max has difficulty separating fantasy and reality. At home, his mother describes Max as “difficult to control.” When placed in time-out, he hits, kicks and scratches his mother. He has a large vocabulary, but mostly speaks in phrases directly from cartoons. For example, he repeats a particular phrase from a program in which the main character grows in size with fury every time he gets angry and says, “I hate it, leave me alone.” Before this exposure, the mother reports that her son had never used the word “hate.” Max watches 5 hours of children's programs on television every day; he is not exposed to any news programs. Frequently, he watches the same episode of a program many times. Max's mother believes that he can watch as much TV as he wants as long as it is “good programming,” so he only watches PBS kids shows and the Disney channel.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1097/DBP.0b013e3181d83173

ISSN: 0196-206X