Language: English

Abstract/Notes: The most common reason for a person to partake in reading and writing is enjoyment which also provides intrinsic motivation. Students who have intrinsic motivation are more likely to be engaged and interact deeply in the literacy activity, which has shown to increase comprehension and higher reading achievement. Intrinsic motivation and engagement are vital in creating life-long readers and writers. Engaged literacy activities are both a goal of instruction and a pathway to achieve success. The purpose of this research project was to study the effects of engagement strategies and the use of social justice literature on literacy development. This study took place at a public Montessori school located in the Midwest. There was a total of twelve students which consisted of first and second graders aged six through eight years old. Over the span of the twelve-week study, the engagement strategies of experiential learning, interactive read-aloud, and interactive writing were implemented. Student behaviors, knowledge, and skills were assessed to place students on the Reading Developmental Continuum through observation and miscue analysis before and after the strategies were implemented to determine literacy growth in engagement, comprehension, and language-to-print connections. The results indicated growth in all three reading components. It also revealed an increase in students’ social justice awareness and sense of agency. This suggests that engagement strategies rooted in rich meaningful literature positively impact students’ literacy development.

Language: English

Published: River Falls, Wisconsin, 2021

Abstract/Notes: Longitudinal research has demonstrated that children’s emotional and social skills are linked to their early academic achievement (Wentzel & Asher, 1995). Children who have difficulty paying attention, following directions, getting along with others, and controlling negative emotions like anger and distress do not do as well in school (Arnokl et al., 1999; McClelland et al., 2000). Academic achievement in the early years of schooling appears to be built on a firm foundation of children’s social emotional skills (Ladd, Kochenderfer, & Coleman, 1997; O’Neil et al., 1997). Higher quality prekindergarten programs are associated with the early years of schooling and more positive academic outcomes in children (Burchinal et al., 2000). Investments in early childhood programs by state and federal governments have been made with a goal of improving school readiness for low income children. These investments are based on findings that show a link between program quality and children’s academic outcomes. Studies of model programs show that intensive early childhood services can improve children’s cognitive, 2 academic, and social skills with gains maintained into adulthood (Burchinal, Kainz, & Cai, in press). The purpose of this study was to create knowledge that indicates the influence of the social emotional skills children gain by completing prekindergarten. Schools in Sevier County, Tennessee that have prekindergarten classrooms in place were chosen for this study because kindergarten is the next experience children will have after pre-k. Kindergarten teachers in the schools chosen were purposefully selected as participants. Kindergarten teachers have the opportunity to make comparisons of differences in academic readiness of students who have completed prekindergarten and the students who have not been in a school environment. Kindergarten teachers may be able to conclude from classroom observation of the 2 groups if there is a difference in academic readiness. Home environments with strong parental involvement were most kindergarten teachers’ first choice for early learning and kindergarten preparation. Teachers realization that a strong home environment is not available to all children encouraged them to appreciate having a high quality public school prekindergarten as an alternative. Kindergarten teachers overall perceptions about the readiness of children who enter their classroom after completing prekindergarten were positive.

Language: English

Published: Johnson City, Tennessee, 2013

Abstract/Notes: Today, the documentation of children's education and development is an important part of educational work in early childhood education. This book systematises the topic of pedagogical documentation based on current empirical research. The book analyses different pedagogical reasons for documentation and then presents and discusses different procedures of pedagogical documentation in theory and empirical practice : Portfolio, Learning Stories, pedagogical documentation in the room, project documentation and digital pedagogical documentation. Pedagogical documentation is discussed in the tension between a social constructivist understanding of education on the one hand and a diagnostic logic of fostering on the other. The book is intended as a part of pedagogically oriented childhood research, which also wants to contribute to the reflection and improvement of pedagogical practice.

Language: English

Published: Wiesbaden, Germany: Springer Nature, 2022

ISBN: 978-3-658-39736-4 978-3-658-39735-7

Language: Dutch

Abstract/Notes: In this study, 173 preschool teachers (80 non-Montessori teachers and 93 Montessori teachers) were given a survey at two early childhood professional conferences that examined their beliefs about Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP). The purpose of this study was to (a) investigate preschool teachers' beliefs about Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) and Developmentally Inappropriate Practice (DIP); (b) discover the similarities and differences in the factor structures of the Teacher's Beliefs Scale (TBS) between the study conducted by Charlesworth, Hart, Burts, Thomasson, Mosley, and Fleege in 1993 and the current study about DAP; (c) discover the similarities and differences of Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) and Developmentally Inappropriate Practice (DIP) beliefs between Montessori teachers and preschool teachers; and (d) investigate the factors that are related to teachers' beliefs about DAP and DIP. The Teacher Beliefs Scale (TBS) was used to assess preschool teachers' beliefs about DAP and DIP. Factor analysis was used to support the validity of TBS in the current study. Multiple t-tests were used to identify the differences in developmental appropriate/inappropriate beliefs between Montessori and non-Montessori teachers. Multiple regression analyses were used to explain the relationship between variables of 173 Montessori and non-Montessori preschool teachers. Results of the study showed that a majority of preschool teachers agreed with 22 Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP) and 12 Developmentally Inappropriate Practices (DIP). Responses to seven items were different from the original study (Charlesworth et al., 1993). There was a significant difference on Inappropriate Activities and on Appropriate Child Choice between non-Montessori and Montessori teachers. There was a relationship between teachers' beliefs about DAP and teachers' educational backgrounds, teaching experiences, ethics, and DAP understanding level in the current study.

Language: English

Published: Greeley, Colorado, 2003

Language: English

Abstract/Notes: The highlights of Montessori's accomplishments are embodied in her cosmic views and organized into a Cosmic Plan of Education while she worked in the hills of Kodaikanal, India. The fruition of these cosmic views came late in her life and appeared to be synonymous with the development of her relationships with the warm and accepting Indian people. During this periodi Montessori devoted her energies to understanding how children naturally unfold into purposeful, yet interdependent individuals. Through all the professional challenges that Montessori faced in her lifetime as an educator of young children, her focal point continued to be 'the child'. This was especially true in connection with children during their transitional stage of growth from five- to seven-years of age when the acquisition of social, spiritual and cultural values are so strong. Montessori not only shared her methods and ideas with the people of India, but these people, in turn, influenced her views significantly enough to have caused her to formulate The Cosmic Plan of Education. This plan was designed especially for the transitional-age children but incapsulated within it was Montessori's own new-found East-West Cosmology. Through primary sources such as interviews, unpublished books and lectures, the dissertation gives the historical backdrop of the emergence of Montessori's cosmic views in the beginning five chapters. A description of the operation of the Cosmic Plan of Education during its conception is given in Chapter Six. The final chapters deal with how these views weathered the changes within the Indian society over the period of forty years.

Language: English

Published: Manoa, Hawaii, 1984

Abstract/Notes: Montessori is historically recognized for her contributions to early education. Her primary recognition derived from the comprehensive educational program which became known as the Montessori Method. Relatively little attention has focused on her background as physician, psychiatrist, and pedagogical psychologist, from which she developed a body of psychological knowledge which established the foundation of the well-known Method. Her pedagogical psychology was overshadowed by her pedagogical theory despite her secure position in the history of child psychiatry. Also contributing to the non-acceptance of Montessori's psychology was the psychological tenor of the times. In the forefront of the psychological movement in the early 1900's were psychometric testing, Freud's psycho-sexual stages, Thorndike's stimulus-response theory, and the emergence of behaviorism under the leadership of Watson, to name a few. This climate was not hospitable to Montessori's developmental-interactionist theory. In the 1960's through the research findings of psychologists and the availability of Federal funds to compensate the "cumulative deficits" of the disadvantaged child, interest was focused on early childhood education and consequently the Montessori Method. As psychologists embraced Piaget's developmental theory, resemblances in thinking between Piaget and Montessori were noted. While psychologists pointed to Montessori's developmental-interactionist ideas, nobody attempted to elaborate her developmental theory in toto. This study attempts to do so. For Montessori, the development of the child takes place in successive and qualitatively different stages, with each stage providing the foundation for succeeding stages. Within this framework, she clearly delineates cognitive, motor, language, socialization, personality, and character as developing through stages. Cognitive structures develop through the child's interaction with, and actions upon, objects in the environment. A thorough examination of her theory leaves no doubt that Montessori is a cognitive developmentalist. While at times she appears nativistic, and at other times an extreme environmentalist, her position on development is interactionist and constructivist. Montessori is historically recognized for her contributions to early education. Her primary recognition derived from the comprehensive educational program which became known as the Montessori Method. Relatively little attention has focused on her background as physician, psychiatrist, and pedagogical psychologist, from which she developed a body of psychological knowledge which established the foundation of the well-known Method. Her pedagogical psychology was overshadowed by her pedagogical theory despite her secure position in the history of child psychiatry. Also contributing to the non-acceptance of Montessori's psychology was the psychological tenor of the times. In the forefront of the psychological movement in the early 1900's were psychometric testing, Freud's psycho-sexual stages, Thorndike's stimulus-response theory, and the emergence of behaviorism under the leadership of Watson, to name a few. This climate was not hospitable to Montessori's developmental-interactionist theory. In the 1960's through the research findings of psychologists and the availability of Federal funds to compensate the "cumulative deficits" of the disadvantaged child, interest was focused on early childhood education and consequently the Montessori Method. As psychologists embraced Piaget's developmental theory, resemblances in thinking between Piaget and Montessori were noted. While psychologists pointed to Montessori's developmental-interactionist ideas, nobody attempted to elaborate her developmental theory in toto. This study attempts to do so. For Montessori, the development of the child takes place in successive and qualitatively different stages, with each stage providing the foundation for succeeding stages. Within this framework, she clearly delineates cognitive, motor, language, socialization, personality, and character as developing through stages. Cognitive structures develop through the child's interaction with, and actions upon, objects in the environment. A thorough examination of her theory leaves no doubt that Montessori is a cognitive developmentalist. While at times she appears nativistic, and at other times an extreme environmentalist, her position on development is interactionist and constructivist. In contemporary terms her "psychopedagogy" would be considered an action psychology, which basically precludes it from academic "respectibility". Her theory contains both strengths and weaknesses in light of present-day thinking; however, on balance, Montessori's theory is quite contemporary and remarkably ahead of most of the psychological thinking of her time.

Language: English

Published: New York City, New York, 1982

Abstract/Notes: This descriptive study examined the nature and degree of autonomous behavior among Montessori elementary students. A further aim of the study was to elucidate those elements of the Montessori educational model which may affect the development of autonomy. The study employed direct observation and comparative analysis to examine the actual classroom experience of Montessori elementary students and traditional elementary students. Thirty third-year students from two accredited Montessori schools and thirty third-grade students from two public schools were included in the sample. The research hypothesis stated that the nature and degree of autonomous behavior was expected to differ between the two groups. The first stage of the investigation involved ethnographic observations of classroom environments, focusing upon physical space and furnishings, materials, procedures, social interactions, and the role of the teacher. The second stage of the study compared classroom behaviors of the student groups as recorded by independent observers using the Classroom Autonomous Behavior Checklist. The results of the ethnographic observations demonstrated clear distinctions between the Montessori and traditional classroom environments in all five elements examined. Results of the observations of student behavior indicated that the Montessori students demonstrated significantly higher levels of independence, initiative, and self-regulation, the three constructs used to define autonomy. The nature of autonomous behavior also differed between the two groups with Montessori students initiating more social interaction and employing a more varied approach to task completion and problem solving. The results of this study confirm the effectiveness of the Montessori method in assisting the development of autonomy among children. As such, this research makes an important contribution toward evaluation of the Montessori model and the validity of its methods. For educators concerned about the lack of motivation and initiative among students in our schools, this study highlights the role of education in the development of autonomy and suggests important considerations in restructuring our educational system to address those concerns.

Language: English

Published: Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1992