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525 results

Article

✓ Peer Reviewed

Maria Montessori e la Prima Casa dei Bambini dell'Istituto Romano di Beni Stabili (1907) [Maria Montessori and the First Children's Home of the Roman Institute of Beni Stabili (1907)]

Publication: Giornale di Storia Contemporanea, vol. 10 (Anno 10)

Pages: 160-174

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Language: Italian

ISSN: 2037-7975

Article

✓ Peer Reviewed

Less-Structured Time in Children's Daily Lives Predicts Self-Directed Executive Functioning

Available from: University of California eScholarship

Publication: Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 5

Pages: Article 593

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Abstract/Notes: Executive functions (EFs) in childhood predict important life outcomes. Thus, there is great interest in attempts to improve EFs early in life. Many interventions are led by trained adults, including structured training activities in the lab, and less-structured activities implemented in schools. Such programs have yielded gains in children's externally-driven executive functioning, where they are instructed on what goal-directed actions to carry out and when. However, it is less clear how children's experiences relate to their development of self-directed executive functioning, where they must determine on their own what goal-directed actions to carry out and when. We hypothesized that time spent in less-structured activities would give children opportunities to practice self-directed executive functioning, and lead to benefits. To investigate this possibility, we collected information from parents about their 6-7 year-old children's daily, annual, and typical schedules. We categorized children's activities as "structured" or "less-structured" based on categorization schemes from prior studies on child leisure time use. We assessed children's self-directed executive functioning using a well-established verbal fluency task, in which children generate members of a category and can decide on their own when to switch from one subcategory to another. The more time that children spent in less-structured activities, the better their self-directed executive functioning. The opposite was true of structured activities, which predicted poorer self-directed executive functioning. These relationships were robust (holding across increasingly strict classifications of structured and less-structured time) and specific (time use did not predict externally-driven executive functioning). We discuss implications, caveats, and ways in which potential interpretations can be distinguished in future work, to advance an understanding of this fundamental aspect of growing up.

Language: English

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00593

ISSN: 1664-1078

Article

✓ Peer Reviewed

Preschool Children's School Adjustment: Indicators of Behaviour Problems, Gender, and Peer Victimisation

Available from: Taylor and Francis Online

Publication: Education 3-13, vol. 43, no. 6

Pages: 630-640

Asia, Middle East, Turkey, Western Asia

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Abstract/Notes: The relationships among school adjustment, victimisation, and gender were investigated with 284 Turkish children aged between five and six years. Teacher Rating Scale of School Adjustment, The Preschool Behaviour Questionnaire, and Peer Victimisation Scale were used in this study. Analyses indicated that children's behaviour problems and victimisation variables were significant predictors of the school adjustment of children while controlling for gender.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1080/03004279.2013.848915

ISSN: 0300-4279, 1475-7575

Article

✓ Peer Reviewed

Children's Temperament and Behavior in Montessori and Constructivist Early Childhood Programs

Available from: Taylor and Francis Online

Publication: Early Education and Development, vol. 11, no. 2

Pages: 171-186

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Abstract/Notes: This study tested the hypothesis that curriculum type (Montessori and constructivist) moderates the impact of temperament (specifically activity level and attention-persistence) on the classroom behavior of 3- to 5-year-old children. Mothers enrolled in Montessori and constructivist preschools filled out the Colorado Childhood Temperament Inventory. The children’s teachers filled out the Preschool Behavior Questionnaire and the Preschool Adjustment Questionnaire. A near-significant trend suggested that temperamentally active boys were more likely to be perceived by their teachers as having behavior problems if they were enrolled in Montessori programs than if they were enrolled in constructivist programs. There was no such trend for girls. There was no evidence that temperamental attention span persistence moderated the impact of curriculum type on either boys’ or girls’ behavior. The findings thus give modest support to the notion that parents should be advised to select constructivist early childhood programs especially for boys who are temperamentally predisposed to be highly modifying their teaching practices to better accommodate the needs of these children active. In addition, directors and teachers in Montessori programs may consider

Language: English

DOI: 10.1207/s15566935eed1102_3

ISSN: 1040-9289, 1556-6935

Article

✓ Peer Reviewed

The Influence of Preschool Teachers' Beliefs on Young Children's Conceptions of Reading and Writing

Available from: ScienceDirect

Publication: Early Childhood Research Quarterly, vol. 4, no. 1

Pages: 61-74

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Abstract/Notes: Examines the relationship between two preschool program directors' and teachers' beliefs, instructional decisions, and preschool children's conceptions of reading and writing. Results show that preschool children's conceptions of reading and writing reflected the practices of the two programs. (Author/BB) Directors of two preschool programs were interviewed regarding their orientations toward reading and writing instruction. Ten children from each program were interviewed regarding their conceptions of reading and writing. One school was found to have a “mastery of specific skills/text-based” orientation, and the other was found to have a “holistic/reader-based” orientation. A relationship was found between preschool program's orientations toward reading and writing instruction and children's ideas about reading and writing. The relationships between preschool practices and children's conceptions are examined. Implications for the influence of preschool teacher's beliefs and instructional decisions on children's conceptions of reading and writing are discussed.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1016/S0885-2006(89)90077-X

ISSN: 0885-2006, 1873-7706

Article

✓ Peer Reviewed

Chinese and US Preschool Teachers' Beliefs About Children's Cooperative Problem-Solving During Play

Available from: Springer Link

Publication: Early Childhood Education Journal, vol. 49, no. 3

Pages: 503-513

Americas, Asia, China, East Asia, North America, Perceptions, United States of America

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Abstract/Notes: Many researchers have investigated the cooperative problem solving (CPS) of children during play; however, there is a lack of studies focused on teachers’ beliefs about how to support the development of children’s CPS in classrooms. This study aims to investigate the pedagogical beliefs of Chinese (n = 3) and US (n = 3) teachers about the CPS of children during play and their decision-making capabilities in supporting children to advance this skill in classrooms. A semi-structured interview was conducted with the integration of video-stimulated recall approach in order to achieve this aim. Results confirm that the Chinese and US teachers believe that children are competent and have the autonomy to decide how to solve problems with their peers. The beliefs are similar across the teachers, whereas their execution of these beliefs varies, which reflects their cultural uniqueness in scaffolding and creating classroom environments.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1007/s10643-020-01087-9

ISSN: 1082-3301, 1573-1707

Article

✓ Peer Reviewed

Young Children's Imaginative Play: Is It Valued in Montessori Classrooms?

Available from: Springer Link

Publication: Early Childhood Education Journal, vol. 36, no. 5

Pages: 381-383

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Abstract/Notes: The main purpose of this article is to describe the nature of imaginary play in Montessori classrooms. A transcript from a train ride shows how young children imagine and recreate ideas from their real world experiences and weave them into original new accounts. The author discusses how the play-like action of dramatizing The Caboose Who Got Loose is highly motivating for young children. An informal analysis provides the reader with important insights into the way children see and think about the world. The play episode observed in this study appears as a microcosm of the larger Montessori culture, reflecting the spirit of kindness and respect that permeates Montessori Schools.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1007/s10643-008-0282-z

ISSN: 1082-3301, 1573-1707

Article

✓ Peer Reviewed

The Effect of the Montessori Education Method on Pre-School Children's Social Competence, Behaviour and Emotion Regulation Skills

Available from: Taylor and Francis Online

Publication: Early Child Development and Care, vol. 189, no. 9

Pages: 1-15

Asia, Efficacy, Middle East, Montessori method of education, Preschool children, Social development, Social emotional learning, Turkey, Western Asia

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Abstract/Notes: This research aims to investigate the effect of Montessori method on social competence and behaviors of 3.5–5 years-old-children on their emotion regulation skills. Sequential Explanatory Design, one of the mixed method designs, was used in the study. The study group of the research consisted of 55 children attending two independent preschools in Eskişehir. Personal Information Form, Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation Inventory-Teacher and Parent Forms, Emotion Regulation Checklist and Parent Interview Forms for the Evaluation of Montessori Method have been used to collect the data. Friedman test used for data analysis. Post-hoc analysis with Wilcoxon signed-rank test and MannWhitney U were conducted to reveal the source of differentiation between the scores. It was determined that significant differences between Social Competence – Behavior and Emotion Regulation Skills sub-scale pretest and posttest mean scores of children in the study group. There are significant differences between the posttest scores of study and control groups.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1080/03004430.2017.1392943

ISSN: 0300-4430, 1476-8275

Article

Ocean Springs: After the Flood [Children's House Montessori School, Ocean Springs, Mississippi]

Publication: Public School Montessorian, vol. 18, no. 4

Pages: 1, 7

Public Montessori

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Language: English

ISSN: 1071-6246

Article

✓ Peer Reviewed

Activities and Programs that Improve Children's Executive Functions

Available from: SAGE Journals

Publication: Current Directions in Psychological Science, vol. 21, no. 5

Pages: 335-341

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Abstract/Notes: Executive functions (EFs; e.g., reasoning, working memory, and self-control) can be improved. Good news indeed, since EFs are critical for school and job success and for mental and physical health. Various activities appear to improve children's EFs. The best evidence exists for computer-based training, traditional martial arts, and two school curricula. Weaker evidence, though strong enough to pass peer review, exists for aerobics, yoga, mindfulness, and other school curricula. Here I address what can be learned from the research thus far, including that EFs need to be progressively challenged as children improve and that repeated practice is key. Children devote time and effort to activities they love; therefore, EF interventions might use children's motivation to advantage. Focusing narrowly on EFs or aerobic activity alone appears not to be as efficacious in improving EFs as also addressing children's emotional, social, and character development (as do martial arts, yoga, and curricula shown to improve EFs). Children with poorer EFs benefit more from training; hence, training might provide them an opportunity to "catch up" with their peers and not be left behind. Remaining questions include how long benefits of EF training last and who benefits most from which activities.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1177/0963721412453722

ISSN: 0963-7214, 1467-8721

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