Abstract/Notes: This study explored the effects of nature’s environment on attention fatigue restoration, and consequently the regulation of attention in preschool students through a Montessori perspective. The purpose of this study was to further evaluate how effective the attention restoration theory (ART) is for preschool students’ attention fatigue and, consequently, concentration. In addition, this study examined the implications ART has on developing independent attention sustainability in the context of the work period practiced in Montessori pedagogy. The retrospective interview of a Montessori teacher who has taught both indoors and outdoors provided content for further discussion about outdoor learning and its effects on concentration. In conclusion, there seems to be a positive influence on preschool students’ ability to concentrate on a task while working outdoors vs. indoors.

Language: English

Published: Moraga, California, 2022

Abstract/Notes: Previous research on Montessori preschool education is inconsistent and prone to analytic flexibility. In this preregistered study, disadvantaged preschoolers in a French public school were randomly assigned to either conventional or Montessori classrooms, with the latter being adapted to French public education. Adaptations included fewer materials, shorter work periods, and relatively limited Montessori teacher training. Cross-sectional analyses in kindergarten (N = 176; Mage = 5–6) and longitudinal analyses over the 3 years of preschool (N = 70; Mage = 3–6) showed that the adapted Montessori curriculum was associated with outcomes comparable to the conventional curriculum on math, executive functions, and social skills. However, disadvantaged kindergarteners from Montessori classrooms outperformed their peers on reading (d = 0.68). This performance was comparable to that of advantaged children from an accredited Montessori preschool.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13575

ISSN: 0009-3920, 1467-8624

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: Research findings indicate that executive function (EF), social-emotional skills, and pre-academic competence significantly promote children's school readiness and later success. School readiness broadly refers to a combination of skills necessary to function successfully in school and lack thereof may increase the risk of children's school problems. Therefore, it is essential for school systems to provide appropriate and timely support to the development of these fundamental skills. The present study focused on three particular preschool programmes: Montessori, Reggio Emilia, and the traditional play-based (British Columbia Early Learning Framework: BCEFL) programmes in Western Canada. Although they are popular, there is little empirical research that examines and compares the benefits of these programmes to the development of school readiness skills. As such, the present study aimed to 1) determine the effectiveness of these three preschool programmes in Western Canada on the development of children's school readiness; and 2) examine other sources of influences in the child, family and school in relation to the development of school readiness skills. Overall, 119 preschool children (48 Montessori, 42 Reggio Emilia, 29 BCELF) participated in the study. Observation was conducted once in the autumn of 2015 for each classroom using the CLASS observation tool. Teachers and parents of participating children filled in a series of questionnaires regarding the quality of their relationship with their child and their perceptions of daily EF and social-emotional skills of their child. The researcher also assessed individual children's fluid intelligence, EF, and pre-academic competence. The results showed that 1) although Montessori education appeared to be the most effective in facilitating numeracy skills, no curriculum stood out as notably more effective than any of the others at improving other areas of school readiness skills; 2) well-run classrooms where teachers were effective in time, behavioural, and attention management were most effective in promoting children's numeracy skills; 3) EF, social-emotional skills, and pre-academic competence exhibited an overlapping developmental process over time; 4) relational quality in both home and school environments significantly affected the development of school readiness skills, especially social-emotional skills; and 5) adults' perceptions of children's EF and social-emotional skills had a significant consequence for how teachers and parents formed their relationships with their children.

Language: English

Published: Oxford, England, 2018

Abstract/Notes: This article is about the Maria Montessori education system and its innovative approach to the comprehensive development of children in preschool education. / Annotatsiya Ushbu maqolada maktabgacha tarbiya yoshidagi bolalarni ruhiy, jismoniy, aqliy rivojlantirishda Mariya Montessori didaktik materiallarining rivojlantiruvchi ahamiyati haqida yoritilgan. / Эта статья о системе образования Марии Монтессори и ее инновационном подходе к всестороннему развитию ребёнка в дошкольном образовании.

Language: Uzbek

Abstract/Notes: This dissertation examines the role of quality age-appropriate television in children's knowledge of polite behavior routines. The television program used is from the series "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" and the child subjects are preschoolers in a Montessori school in a midwestern University town. The study asks: What do preschoolers know about appropriate host-guest behaviors and from where does this knowledge come? A developmental investigation of preschoolers' knowledge of polite behavior routines and their learning from the television program is undertaken using the theoretical framework of Soviet activity theory. By framing the interacting elements in the study as an activity system, a study design in five phases emerges. The phases include: observations of children in the classroom environment; a deep reading of the program; interviews with the program's producers; a study of children's learning from the program and knowledge of host-guest behaviors, and; surveys and interviews with parents intended to establish family attitudes and methods for teaching polite behaviors. Results from the five phases are integrated and analyzed within the framework of activity theory. It is concluded that preschoolers have quite a bit of knowledge about how to interact as hosts and guests and that they do imitate and learn from an appropriate television program. Their knowledge of appropriate behaviors and their memory and comprehension for the televised messages increase with age from three to five years. There also appears to be an affective component, involving fear related to strange situations, at work for the youngest children, which may contribute to inhibiting their performance of appropriate behaviors. The television program, the school, and the home, which in this study all reflect middle-class American values, parallel each other in the behaviors they encourage. And although the importance of this kind of television programming is acknowledged, it is concluded that children's abilities in this domain are stretched more by interacting with an adult, that is, learning takes place in the "zone of proximal development" in a role-playing situation, but not simply as a result of viewing.

Language: English

Published: Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, 1993

Abstract/Notes: Discusses guidelines for the use of the Montessori prepared environment in addressing special needs students, focusing on writing and reading difficulties. Examines the value of Montessori's motor and sensory education as a bridge for both typically and atypically developing children. (JPB)

Language: English

ISSN: 1522-9734

Language: English

Published: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1977

Language: English

Published: Chicago, Illinois, 1968

Abstract/Notes: British Infant vs Montessori preschool programs, logical structure & number comprehension & cognitive development & social interaction, male vs female, 3 vs 4 yr olds

Language: English

Published: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1977