Abstract/Notes: Although Chinese societies have generally become striking as the classic over-achievers in international measures of academic performance, there has been no specialised publication exploring early childhood curriculum in Chinese contexts. Through this book, readers will learn more about how the Chinese context and culture collide with educators’ beliefs about the right activities for children and educators in early childhood settings. This book will be the first one of its kind to focus on early childhood curriculum in Chinese societies – from social context and culture to reforms and practices, and finally to the lessons that researchers, policymakers and practitioners could learn, as well as future directions. Is play valued? Are young children schooled earlier in Chinese societies? How do Chinese children learn in kindergartens? What is valued by Chinese educators when they implement early childhood curricula? How do Chinese teachers deliver early childhood curricula for their young children? Why were Chinese early childhood curricula implemented in these ways? Answers to these questions and more will be provided in this pioneering book.

Language: English

Published: London, England: Routledge, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-351-02726-7

Language: English

Published: New York, New York: Random House, 1969

Abstract/Notes: Montessori education was developed over 100 years ago, and persists as a marginal ‘niche reform’ of the standard model. Here I discuss two unresolved dichotomies in early childhood education – the tension between work and play, and between structure and freedom. I explain how Montessori collapses and thereby resolves the dichotomies, and does so in a contemporary theoretical frame – one that is dynamical rather than linear. I next describe the origins and functioning of Montessori preschool environments, outcomes from the most methodologically sound studies to date, and impediments to Montessori’s more widespread adoption. I also show how Montessori is a culturally responsive pedagogy, and conclude by return to the dichotomies and how Montessori makes sense for the modern era. Originally published in: Early Child Development and Care, volume 191, issue 7–8 (2021), pp. 1196–1206.

Language: English

Published: New York, New York: Routledge, 2022

ISBN: 978-0-367-63674-6 978-0-367-63675-3 978-1-00-312021-6

Abstract/Notes: Early childhood education has been shown to positively impact future academic performance, as well as social and emotional development. With ever-increasing demands being placed on children's academic performances, school readiness has become a key component of academic success. The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative study was to examine the effectiveness of different early childhood curriculum models in preparing children for kindergarten, and to investigate whether one early childhood curriculum model better prepares students than another. The theoretical framework for the study is based on the developmental constructivist theories of Piaget, Vygotsky, Erikson, and Dewey. Kindergarten teachers assessed school readiness by administering the Kindergarten Observation Form. Each student had matriculated from either Montessori, High/Scope, or Reggio Emilia programs or early childhood programs without an identified curriculum model. Kindergarten teachers rated students on 24 items related to areas of cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical development. ANOVA and post-hoc tests revealed that students matriculating from programs without an identified curriculum model scored significantly better than their counterparts, F (3,122) = 5.33, p = .002. Implications for social change include improved kindergarten readiness on the part of students, increased awareness by educators as to best practices in early childhood education, and, a move towards understanding the types of environments in which children learn best.

Language: English

Published: Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2012

Abstract/Notes: The documentation of educational processes and the development of children is today seen as a sign of high quality in ECE centres and as a central task of pedagogues. This general and widely undisputed setting is fed by both (elementary) pedagogical theories and programs as well as by political requirements. First, four significant educational approaches (Montessori and Waldorf education as well as the Situation approach and the Reggio approach) will be examined to see what importance they attribute to documentation. Subsequently, the today in theory and practice of elementary education dominant social constructivist educational understanding will be illuminated in more detail with regard to documentation; this is followed by an analysis of the curricula of the German federal states as relevant political framework for the work in ECE centres. Finally, these theoretical and political foundations will be brought together by working out the diversity of objectives associated with documentation as well as the different addressees of documentation.

Language: English

Published: Wiesbaden, Germany: Springer, 2022

ISBN: 978-3-658-39736-4

Abstract/Notes: Montessori education arrived in New Zealand (NZ) in the early 1900s for children aged three to six years. Currently it is one of a diverse range of early childhood education options in a sector that has experienced huge policy changes aimed at enhancing quality early childhood provision. This paper positions the growth of Montessori early childhood services within discourses about early childhood quality in NZ and discusses how recent policy changes related to early childhood teaching qualifications, self-review and reflective practice have impacted on Montessori education. It argues that the current Montessori workforce is equipped as never before to reflect critically on the richness of Montessori philosophy and to innovate and experiment with Montessori practice.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1177/183693911604100210

ISSN: 1836-9391, 1839-5961

Abstract/Notes: The aim of this study is to adapt The Early Childhood Curricular Beliefs Inventory ECCBI questionnaire into Turkish. The ECCBI is a tool designed for exploring curricular beliefs of pre-service teachers in the area of early childhood education. A subscale named “behavioural approach” is not in the Turkish adaptation of the scale according to expert opinions, three subtests meaning 54 items out of 72 items have been included in the adapted version of scale. After the equivalence test of Turkish form, instrument has been applied to 30 preschool teachers and 200 preservice preschool teachers and total 230 person. In order to test construct validity of Turkish instrument, confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis have been applied; to identify reliability, Cronbach Alpha reliability coefficient, Sperman-Brown formula and Guttmann split-half reliability formula have been employed and corrected itemtotal correlation has been examined. Results show that this scale is a suitable assessment tool for the pre-service teachers to determine their related beliefs about early childhood approaches. / Bu çalışmanın amacı, Erken Çocukluk Yaklaşımlarına İlişkin Görüşler The Early Childhood Curricular Beliefs Inventory ECCBI Ölçeği’ni Türkçe’ye uyarlamaktır. Ölçek, okul öncesi eğitimi alanında öğrenim gören öğretmen adaylarının erken çocukluk yaklaşımları ile ilgili görüşlerini belirlemek amacıyla geliştirilmiştir. Türkçe’ye uyarlanan ölçekte, uzman görüşleri doğrultusunda “Davranışçı yaklaşım” olarak adlandırılan alt boyut yer almamış, 72 maddelik ölçeğin 54 maddesi yani üç boyutu yer almıştır. Türkçe form eşdeğerlik sınamasının ardından geçerlik, güvenirlik çalışması için 30 okul öncesi öğretmeni ve 200 okul öncesi öğretmen adayı olmak üzere toplam 230 kişiye uygulanmıştır. Türkçe ölçeğin yapı geçerliğini incelemek için açımlayıcı ve doğrulayıcı faktör analizi yapılmış, güvenirliğin belirlenmesi için Cronbach alpha güvenirlik katsayısı, Sperman-Brown formülü ve Guttmann split-half güvenirlik formülü kullanılmış ve düzeltilmiş madde-toplam korelasyonu incelenmiştir. Sonuçlar, erken çocukluk eğitimi alanında öğrenim gören öğretmen adaylarının erken çocukluk yaklaşımları ile ilgili görüşlerini belirlemek için uygun bir değerlendirme aracı olduğunu göstermektedir.

Language: Turkish

ISSN: 2147-1037

Abstract/Notes: This research is motivated by the concept of Early Childhood Education offered by various educational figures to impact the emergence of increasingly dynamic educational theories. Issues on this concept did not escape the attention of Abdurrahman An-Nahlawi and Maria Montessori. The two figures have similarities and differences in their underlying points of view and approaches, and these cannot be separated from the philosophical study behind them. Based on the above, this study explores the two figures’ thoughts to give birth to a new paradigm of education for early childhood. The research method used was a literature study by collecting various references that can support research. From the research results, it can be found that, philosophically, the concept of Early Childhood Education, according to Abdurrahman An-Nahlawi, is attached to the perennial normative approach, while Maria Montessori’s notion is more towards a constructivism approach. The two approaches have different points of view in highlighting the educational side. The similarity in the points of view of these two figures is an understanding of the concept of education, which should be integrated and contextual, and position the child as the main subject in education.

Language: English

DOI: 10.14421/al-athfal.2020.62-03

ISSN: 2477-4189, 2477-4715

Abstract/Notes: Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh metode Montessori dalam meningkatkan pemahaman konsep matematika bagi anak usia dini khususnya usia 4-6 tahun di kota Banjarmasin. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode quasi eksperimen. Pengenalan matematika di kelas eksperimen menggunakan metode Montessori,sedangkan di kelas kontrol menggunakan metode konvensional. Hasil uji hipotesis menunjukkan implementasi metode Montessori berpengaruh signifikan dalam meningkatkan hasil belajar anak pada materi data dan grafik di kelas eksperimen. Nilai rata-rata N-Gain di kelas eksperimen adalah 95.61. Nilai rata-rata N-Gain kelas kontrol adalah 34.56. Metode Montessori 61.05% lebih efektif dalam meningkatkan hasil belajar anak pada materi data dan grafik daripada metode konvensional. Begitu pula hasil uji hipotesis pada materi pola ABCDE-ABCDE, implementasi metode Montessori berpengaruh signifikan untuk meningkatkan hasil belajar anak kelas eksperimen. Rata-rata N-Gain kelas eksperimen adalah 87.50. Nilai rata-rata N-Gain kelas kontrol adalah 31.24. Metode Montessori 56.26% lebih efektif dalam meningkatkan hasil belajar anak pada materi pola dari pada metode konvensional. [This study aims to determine the effect of the Montessori method in improving understanding of mathematical concepts for early childhood especially ages 4-6 years in the city of Banjarmasin. This study uses a quasi-experimental method. Introduction to mathematics in the experimental class uses the Montessori method, while the control class uses conventional methods. Hypothesis test results show that the implementation of the Montessori method has significant effects in improving children's learning outcomes in data and graphic material in the experimental class. The average value of N-Gain in the experimental class was 95.61. The average value of the N-Gain control class is 34.56. The Montessori method is 61.05% more effective in improving children's learning outcomes in material data and graphics than the conventional method. Similar to the results of hypothesis testing on the ABCDE-ABCDE pattern material, the implementation of the Montessori method has a significant effect on improving the learning outcomes of children in the experimental class. The average N-Gain of the experimental class is 87.50. The average value of the control class N-Gain is 31.24. The Montessori Method 56.26% is more effective in improving children's learning outcomes on material patterns than conventional methods.]

Language: Indonesian

DOI: 10.14421/al-athfal.2020.61-02

ISSN: 2477-4189, 2477-4715

Abstract/Notes: Recent research indicates that children develop the emergent knowledge and skills that lead to formal literacies in their homes and early childhood settings long before school entry. The research evidence is clear that emergent literacy needs to be actively encouraged in the early years, if children are to have optimum chances of learning to read at school. In New Zealand, there are only a few studies of how literacy is promoted and practised in early childhood settings. This paper examines how 107 teachers in a range of early childhood settings believe that they promote literacy and their reflections on the ways in which Te Whāriki (the national curriculum) influences that practice. The implications for promoting literacy in early childhood settings are explored.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1177/183693910603100206

ISSN: 1836-9391, 1839-5961