Language: Italian

ISSN: 0042-7241

Abstract/Notes: The purpose of this action research was to determine the effect of a variety of mindfulness activities and exercises on self-regulation. Twenty-eight students from a lower elementary class of first, second, and third graders in a public Montessori school participated in the study. Data was collected over a period of six weeks using an on task behavior tally sheet, productivity scoring rubric, observational notes, behavior logs, self-assessments, student feedback, and an auditory following directions matrix. Results show a promising association between mindfulness and self-regulation. All students enjoyed partaking in mindfulness and reported positive associations with the intervention and showed increases in multiple measures. Improvements were observed in productivity, behavior, listening and following directions, and focus to include a decrease in the amount of disruptive behaviors. The data shows that mindfulness can be integrated into the classroom to assist students socially, emotionally and academically. Further research should be conducted to validate these results.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2018

Abstract/Notes: Bu araştırmada, Montessori Yöntemi'nin okul öncesi eğitimi alan 36-66 ay çocuklarının öz bakım becerilerine etkisi incelenmiştir. Araştırmanın bağımlı değişkeni çocukların öz bakım (kişisel bakım ve temizlik, yemek yeme, dinlenme, giyinme, kazalardan korunma, çevreyi düzenleme) becerileri, bağımsız değişkeni ise Montessori Yöntemi'dir. Bu araştırmanın çalışma grubu 2013-2014 öğretim yılında Konya ili, Selçuklu ilçesi, Selçuk Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Fakültesi İhsan Doğramacı Uygulama Anaokulunda eğitim alan ve yansız atama ile seçilen 3-6 yaş grubu çocuklarından oluşmaktadır. Araştırmaya 20 deneme, 20 kontrol grubu olmak üzere 40 çocuk dahil edilmiştir. Araştırmanın çalışma grubu oluşturulurken yaş değişkeni göz önünde bulundurulmuş ve gruplar eşitlenmiştir. Araştırmada okul öncesi çocuklarının öz bakım becerilerini belirlemek amacıyla Öz Bakım Becerileri Değerlendirme Testi kullanılmıştır. Testler çocuklara deneme öncesi ve sonrasında uygulanmış, ayrıca beş hafta sonra deneme grubuna eğitimin kalıcılığı ölçmek için tekrar uygulanmıştır. Araştırmada elde edilen verilerin analizinde; Mann Witney U Testi ve Wilcoxon İşaretli Sıralar Testi uygulanmıştır. Araştırmadan elde edilen bulgular aşağıda özetlenmiştir: ● Deneme grubu çocuklarının öz bakım becerileri son test puan ortalamaları ön test puan ortalamalarından anlamlı düzeyde yüksektir. ● Kontrol grubu çocuklarının öz bakım becerileri son test puan ortalamaları ön test puan ortalamalarından anlamlı düzeyde yüksektir. ● Deneme grubu çocukları öz bakım becerilerinden temizlik ve kişisel bakım, yemek yeme, dinlenme, giyinme becerilerinde son test puan ortalamaları, kontrol grubu çocuklarının temizlik ve kişisel bakım, yemek yeme, dinlenme, giyinme becerileri son test puan ortalamalarından anlamlı düzeyde yüksektir. Kendini kazalardan koruma ve çevreyi düzenleme becerilerinde ise deneme ve kontrol grubunun bulguları benzer çıkmıştır. ● Deneme grubu çocuklarının son test puan ortalamaları ile izleme testi puan ortalamaları arasında anlamlı bir farklılaşma bulunmamıştır. Elde edilen sonuçlar doğrultusunda ulaşılan genel sonuç, Montessori Yöntemi'nin okul öncesi çocuklarının öz bakım becerilerine olumlu yönde katkı sağladığı ve MEB Okul Öncesi Eğitim Programına göre temizlik ve kişisel bakım, yemek yeme, dinlenme, giyinme becerilerine göre daha etkili olduğudur. / In this study, the effects of The Montessori Method on preschool children's (36-66 months) self care skills were examined. The dependent variable in this study was "children's self care skills (personal care and cleaning, eating, resting, wearing, protecting themselves from the accident, arranging environment)", the independent variable was "The Montessori Method". The study group of the research consisted of three/six years old children who were chosen with the objective assignment and had education in Selcuk University Health Sciences Faculty Ihsan Dogramaci Application Kindergarden School in 2013–2014 education year in Selcuklu county in Konya. A total of 40 children were included in the study;twenties of them were in the experimental group and the rest of them were in the control group. While the study groups were being formed, age variable was taken into consideration and groups were equally distributed. In the study, self care skills assessment test was used to determine preschool children's self care skills assessment. The tests were applied to children before and after testing, and they were applied again to evaluate permanence to experimental group 5 weeks later. At the analysis of the data acquired in the study, Mann Witney U Test and Wilcoxon signed ranks tests were applied. The findings of the study were summarized below: ● The general self care skills of children in experimental group's post-test average scores were significantly higher than pre-test average scores. ● The general self care skills of children in control group's post-test average scores were significantly higher than pre-test average scores. ● The post test average scores of children in experimental group's self care skills (personal care and cleaning,eating,resting,wearing skills) were meaningfully higher than the post test average scores of children in control group. Also protecting themselves from the accident and arranging environment skills' scores were same between children in experimental and control group. ● No significant difference was found between post-test average scores and follow-up tests average scores of experimental group. The general conclusion which was obtained from the results was The Montessori Method made positive contribution to preschool children's self care skills and it was more effecient than Ministry of National Education Pre-school Education Program about the personal care and cleaning, eating, resting, wearing skills.

Language: Turkish

Published: Konya, Turkey, 2015

Abstract/Notes: Self-directed learning (SDL) has been gaining popularity in recent years, particularly with adult learners. However, research has indicated that it can be an effective means to educate younger students within a variety of disciplines. The purpose of this study is to identify the impact of student-directed learning through goal setting on academic performance and self-determination in lower elementary students. The researcher hypothesized that allowing students to self-direct their learning through goal setting would result in higher self-determination and improved academic performance. Researchers measured the progress of 15 students towards self-selected goals and compared their results to self-determination scores before and after the intervention. 77% of participants showed quantitatively measurable improvement of academic performance in their selected goal. 100% of participants showed qualitatively measurable improvements of academic performance in their selected goal. There was no evidence found to support that self-directed learning leads to higher self-determination, nor was their evidence found to support that self-determination leads to improved academic performance. This study provides evidence that student-directed learning implemented with student-selected goals in multiple academic areas leads to higher academic performance related to self-selected goals.

Language: English

Published: River Falls, Wisconsin, 2021

Abstract/Notes: Bu araştırmada Montessori günlük yaşam becerileri çalışmalarının zihinsel yetersizliği olan çocukların öz bakım becerilerine etkisi incelenmiştir. Araştırmanın deneklerini 2019-2020 eğitim-öğretim yılında Aksaray ili Sarıyahşi ilçesine bağlı bir ilkokuldaki özel eğitim sınıfına devam eden üç zihinsel yetersizliği olan çocuk (hafif, orta, ağır düzeyde) oluşturmaktadır. Denekler, seçkisiz (rastgele) olmayan örnekleme yöntemlerinden ölçüt örnekleme yöntemi kullanılarak belirlenmiştir. Katılımcılar ölçüt olarak, farklı engel düzeylerinin olmasına göre belirlenmiştir. Araştırmada tek denekli araştırma desenlerinden ABA modeli kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın nicel verilerini toplamak için "Öz Bakım Becerileri Değerlendirme Testi" kullanılmıştır. Nitel verileri toplamak içinse gözlemci sınıf öğretmenine uygulama sonunda sorular sorulmuştur. Elde edilen veriler, çizgi grafiğiyle sunulmuştur. Araştırmanın sonuçlarına göre Montessori günlük yaşam becerileri çalışmaları hafif ve orta düzey zihinsel yetersizliği olan çocukların öz bakım becerilerini olumlu yönde etkilemiştir. / In this research, the effect of Montessori practical life studies on the self care skills of children who have mental retardation was observed. The subjects of the study consist of three mentally disabled children (mild,moderate,severe) attending a special-ed class in a primary school in Sarıyahşi district of Aksaray province in the 2019-2020 academic year. The subjects were determined by using the criterion sampling method, which is one of the non-random sampling methods. Participants were determined according to the different levels of disability as a criterion. In the study, ABA(Applied Behavioral Analysis) model, which is one of the single-subject research designs, was used. The 'Self Care Assessment Test' was used to collect the quantitative data of the study. Questions were asked to the observer classroom teacher to collect qualitative data at the end of the application. The data acquired are presented with a line chart. According to the results of the study, Montessori practical life studies positively affected the self-care skills of children with mild and moderate mental retardation.

Language: Turkish

Published: Konya, Turkey, 2021

Abstract/Notes: The purpose of the present quasi-experimental mixed-methods study was to examine the effects of an Intercultural Competence Intervention with Self-Regulatory Prompts (ICI-SRP) on elementary students’ development of intercultural knowledge, skills, and attitudes, and their self-efficacy beliefs in self-regulating their intercultural learning, and to investigate the ways in which self-regulatory prompts (SRP) influence elementary students’ activation of self-regulatory strategies in intercultural learning. Twenty (N=20) Montessori elementary students from two Montessori schools participated in four sessions of an intercultural exercise, in which only the experimental group were given SRP. It was hypothesized that the experimental group’s use of SRP would further enhance the participants’ development of intercultural knowledge, skills, and attitudes and their self-efficacy beliefs in self-regulating their intercultural learning. Quantitative data collected from the ICI-SRP survey was analyzed by conducting a univariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) for each of its four subscales and was used to examine the effects of SRP on the students’ development of intercultural competence (IC) and self-efficacy beliefs in self-regulating intercultural learning. Qualitative data collected from focus groups was analyzed using the constant comparative method to shed light on the ways in which SRP influence the students’ activation of self-regulatory strategies in intercultural learning. Results from the ANCOVA did not support the hypothesis, as they showed non-statistically significant differences between the development of intercultural knowledge, skills, and attitudes, and the self-efficacy beliefs in self-regulating intercultural learning in both groups. Results from the ANCOVA showed numerical increases in intercultural knowledge, skills, and attitudes in both groups, and numerical decreases in the self-efficacy beliefs in self-regulating intercultural learning in both groups. Findings from the analysis of the focus group data were mostly aligned with the data from the ANCOVA. Data from the focus groups shed light on different types of IC knowledge, skills, and attitudes, and different types of planning and monitoring applied by participants of both groups. The overall findings of the present study suggest that it is likely for elementary aged students to develop IC through intercultural exercises, and that SRP may support that development under certain conditions. The findings of the study may contribute to the development of elementary students’ intercultural learning methods and tools.

Language: English

Published: Fairfax, Virginia, 2022

Language: German

ISSN: 0340-1634

Abstract/Notes: The regulation of behavior is a major issue in early childhood development, with important implications for children’s adaptive and maladaptive developmental outcomes. Emerging research suggests that the degree of successful self-regulation depends upon the efficiency of the child’s attentional system and that the ability to focus and sustain attention supports emotional self-regulation throughout the lifespan. The neural networks that underlie the development of attention are beginning to be charted. Studies have shown that the executive attention network undergoes considerable development between the ages of 2 and 7. To support this development, research scholars have suggested the need to develop curriculum to promote focused and sustained attention in preschool programs. One hundred years ago, Maria Montessori observed that when the environment was designed to promote concentration, children went through a transformative process, which she referred to as normalization. Is normalization the same as self-regulation? This study was designed to examine whether Montessori’s theory of normalization can be considered an applied theory of self-regulation. This was accomplished by analyzing Csikszentmihalyi’s optimal experience theory and Ryan and Deci’s self-determination theory to provide the requisite guidance for developing curriculum capable of nurturing multiple aspects of self-regulation, which led to a conceptual framework for the comparison with Montessori’s theory of normalization. Montessori’s theoretical perspective is not readily available in published literature. Therefore this study used qualitative methods to conduct interviews with 12 Montessori teacher trainers. These individuals are considered the highest authority regarding Montessori theory and practice. Though Montessori’s contributions to the field of Early Childhood Education are often mentioned in university textbooks, the underlying theory (normalization) that guides her work receives little discussion. Without a clear understanding of Montessori’s theoretical perspective, research scholars are not able to isolate distinguishing characteristics that can assess self-regulation as an outcome of the curriculum nor can they adequately compare this approach with other forms of education. By introducing Montessori’s theory of normalization and analyzing it as a theory of selfregulation, this study has created a conceptual framework to articulate the governing characteristics and educational principles necessary to enhance practices that support the development of self-regulation in early childhood.

Language: English

Published: Corvallis, Oregon, 2008

Abstract/Notes: This action research examined how fostering student autonomy, competence, and relatedness as described in Self-determination Theory (SDT) improved the Montessori kindergarten student’s motivation to choose work from the math curriculum? By increasing the kindergarten student’s knowledge of the Montessori math curriculum sequence, an attempt was made to increase their autonomy, competence and relatedness as it pertains to choosing math work. The data collection consisted of a student survey and questionaire that was administered before and after the introduction of the action research interventions. Teacher observations were also helpful when determining if students were choosing math works at a higher rate. This research found that introducing kindergarten students to the sequence of Montessori math work improved their knowledge of and attitude towards the Montessori math curiculum.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2013

Abstract/Notes: This study sought to determine if the implementation of a cyclical process of student goal setting, monitoring of progress, and reflection would improve task performance and intrinsic motivation in middle school learners. Fifteen upper-elementary children in a public Montessori classroom were selected and grouped according to student and teacher perception of their performance the previous year. Prior to the intervention, students completed an assessment of their self-regulation abilities. All students received lessons on goal setting, monitoring, and reflection with the use of a self-regulation notebook to make themselves aware of the standards, set goals, track their progress, and reflect on performance. Teachers collected data regarding on-task performance and on-task behavior. The results showed an increase in both on-task behavior and task completion, but no consistent increase in students’ perception of their self-regulation abilities. A suggestion for further research could be conducting a study of the effect that intentional conversation and student interviews would have on student self-perception of their ability to self-regulate.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2017