Abstract/Notes: This study analyzed intuitive mathematics abilities of preschool children and to ascertain whether there was a difference between children who were educated according to the Ministry of National Education (MoNE) preschool education program and the Montessori approach. It was also examined whether the intuitive mathematics abilities of the children who were educated according to the MoNE program and Montessori approach showed a significant difference according to variables of gender, duration of pre-school education, and educational levels of parents. The study sample of the study consisted of 121 children (56 girls, 65 boys) aged between 60-72 months. The data was collected via “Personal Information Form” and “Intuitive Mathematics Ability Scale” developed by Güven (2001). Intuitive mathematical abilities of children who were educated according to the Montessori program were more developed compared to those of children educated according to MoNE program. There was no significant difference in intuitive mathematical abilities according to duration of preschool education, education levels of parents. As a result of the study, a significant difference was observed in the intuitive math abilities of the children trained according to the MoNE program in favor of the girls, whereas no significant difference was observed trained according to the Montessori approach. The results are discussed in light of the relevant literature.

Language: Turkish

DOI: 10.7176/JSTR/6-06-12

ISSN: 2422-8702

Abstract/Notes: This study was conducted in Kenya and focused on the use of instructional materials at the Early Childhood level. Purpose of the study was to establish the implications of instructional materials on oral skills among early childhood learners. The study adopted descriptive survey design. The target population comprised 42 head teachers, 126 teachers and 3180 leaners. It was found that that teaching using instructional materials improved the performance of learners in various learning activities such as repetition of letters, repetition of words and ability to write dictated words. The improved performance was in a range of 11% to 18%.

Language: English

DOI: 10.15739/IJEPRR.16.004

ISSN: 2360-7076

Abstract/Notes: This study aimed to examine the effects of Montessori Education on children’s self-regulation skills in the preschool period. The study had a 2 × 2 mixed design, wherein the dependent variable was self-regulation levels of 3, 4, 5-year-old children (experimental group: 62, control group: 53) and the independent variable was education based on the Montessori Method whose influence on children’s self-regulation skills was examined. The study employed the Demographic Information Form, the Preschool Self-Regulation Assessment (PSRA). The study results yielded a significant difference in posttest mean scores for Self-Regulation and Attention/Impulse Control between experimental and control group children, while there was no significant difference in Positive Emotion. There was a significant difference for Self-Regulation and Attention/Impulse Control between the pretest and posttest mean scores of experimental group children, whereas the analyses indicated no significant difference between pretest and posttest mean scores of control group children for Self-Regulation, Attention/Impulse Control and Positive Emotion.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1080/03004430.2021.1928107

ISSN: 0300-4430, 1476-8275

Abstract/Notes: The present two-year longitudinal study addressed developmental changes in different aspects of executive functioning (i.e., inhibition, updating, and cognitive flexibility) in a sample of 264 children aged between 5 and 7 years. Of special interest were issues of developmental progression over time, the influence of learning context and the predictive power of executive functions and school context for emerging academic skills. The results revealed pronounced improvements in all executive measures, both over time and as a function of age. For the learning context, small and age-dependent effects on executive skills were found. Inhibition uniquely contributed to the prediction of aspects of emerging academic skills, over and above chronological age and language skills.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1080/17405629.2011.571841

ISSN: 1740-5610, 1740-5629

Abstract/Notes: Okul öncesi dönemde geliştirilmesi gereken en önemli becerilerden biri bilimsel süreç becerileridir. Montessori yaklaşımı çocukların tüm gelişim alanlarını destekler ve temel bilişsel süreç becerilerine katkıda bulunur. Bu çalışmada okul öncesi eğitimine devam eden 48-72 aylık çocukların bilimsel süreç becerilerinin Montessori eğitim programı sürecinde incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Çalışma grubunu bir ilin merkezinde yer alan bir devlet anaokulunun Montessori sınıfında öğrenim gören 14 çocuk ve Montessori anaokulunda bulunan 4 Montessori sınıfında öğrenim gören 46 çocuk olmak üzere 60 çocuk oluşturmaktadır. Veri toplama aracı olarak Aydoğdu ve Karakuş (2017) tarafından geliştirilen, geçerlilik ve güvenilirlik çalışmaları yapılmış olan " Okulöncesi Öğrencilerine Yönelik Temel Beceri Ölçeği (OÖYTBÖ)" kullanılmıştır. Bu ölçekte; gözlem, sınıflama, çıkarım yapma, ölçme ve tahmin becerilerine yönelik 20 soru yer almaktadır. Çocukların ön uygulama ve son uygulama puan ortalamaları arasında; sınıflama, ölçme, gözlem, çıkarım ve tahmin becerilerinde son uygulama lehine anlamlı farklılıklar tespit edilmiştir.Bu bulgu çocukların bilimsel süreç becerilerinde Montessori okulunda aldıkları eğitim sonrasında eğitim öncesine kıyasla önemli bir gelişim olduğunu göstermektedir. Cinsiyet değişkenine bakıldığında ölçeğin tüm boyutlarında, kız ve erkek öğrencilerin ön uygulama ve son uygulama puan ortalamaları arasında anlamlı farklılık olmadığı belirlenmiştir. / The Montessori method supports all areas of development of children and contributes to basic cognitive process skills. In this context, one of the important skills can be considered as scientific process skills. In this study, it is aimed to examine the scientific process skills of preschool children (48-72 months) during a Montessori education program. This study was conducted as a longitudinal research design. The study group consisted of 60 children aged 4-6 years, living in a province center. The study group consisted of 14 children from a Montessori class of a public kindergarten and 46 children from 4 Montessori classes in a Montessori kindergarten. Basic Skills Scale for Preschool Students (BSSPS), which was developed by Aydoğdu and Karakuş (2017), was used as data collection tool. This scale includes questions about observation (four questions), classification (four questions), inference (four questions), measurement (four questions) and prediction (four questions) skills (20 questions in total). The reliability coefficient (KR- 20) of the 20-item scale was .74. The average difficulty of the scale was .69. The substance discrimination index of each question ranged from .23 to .56. In the analysis of the data, dependent samples t-test and two-factor ANOVA test were used. As a result of the study, significant differences were found between the pre- and post-application mean scores of the participants, in favor of the post-application according to classification, measurement, observation, inference and prediction skills. According to the two-factor ANOVA test, which was used to test whether the changes observed between the pre- and post-application scores of female and male participants are significant, the scientific process skills scores of male and female students do not differ significantly after the education process.

Language: Turkish

ISSN: 2147-1606

Language: English

DOI: 10.24130/eccd-jecs.1967201932142

ISSN: 2564-7601

Abstract/Notes: This study aimed to examine the opinions of Montessori educators on the digital assessment tool they use in terms of 21st-century teacher skills. The study sample covered 14 Montessori educators working in early childhood classes in public and private preschool educational institutions, located in Barcelona and Istanbul, where the Montessori educational approach is applied. In the study, the experiences of the Montessori educators with the digital assessment tool they use as the assessment tool were examined in terms of the identified 21st-century teacher skills. To this end, the research was designed with a phenomenological approach in the qualitative research method. The data were obtained through the personal information form and structured interview questions prepared for the digital assessment tool used by the Montessori educators. In the analysis of this data, the phenomenological study of Moustakas (1994) was introduced through the steps of the analysis. The perspectives of the Montessori educators concerning digital assessment, their application experiences regarding the digital assessment tool, and their views on their experiences were discussed in terms of utilization of the digital tool applications, as well as to use and evaluate information, their skills regarding collaborative work and communication, and finally their communication skills with the parents, which are among the 21st-century teacher skills. It was concluded that different factors influenced the opinions of the Montessori educators, where there were positive and negative expressions within the scope of these skills regarding the digital assessment tool.

Language: English

DOI: 10.31014/aior.1993.04.02.247

ISSN: 2621-5799, 2657-215X

Abstract/Notes: Research Findings: A quasi-experiment was undertaken to test the effect of Montessori practical life activities on kindergarten children's fine motor development and hand dominance over an 8-month period. Participants were 50 children age 5 in 4 Montessori schools and 50 students age 5 in a kindergarten program in a high-performing suburban elementary school. Children were pre- and posttested on the Flag Posting Test, an individually administered test of fine motor skill requiring children to place tiny flags mounted on pins into preset pinholes. Students in the Montessori treatment group demonstrated significantly higher accuracy, speed, and consistent use of the dominant hand on the posttest, adjusted for pretest differences and gender. Effect sizes were moderate for accuracy and speed (ds = .53 and .37, respectively) and large for established hand dominance (▵R2 = .35). Longitudinal research on the effects of early childhood programs emphasizing the reciprocal interplay of cognitive and physical aspects of activity is recommended. Practice or Policy: The findings argue for a balanced approach to early childhood education that maintains the importance of physical activity and fine motor development in conjunction with cognitive skills. Montessori practical life activities involving eye–hand coordination and fine motor skills can be integrated into programs.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1080/10409289.2015.995454

ISSN: 1040-9289, 1556-6935

Language: English

DOI: 10.1080/10409289.2010.514522

ISSN: 1040-9289, 1556-6935

Abstract/Notes: A pretest-posttest control group design was used to measure the effect of practical life materials on public school kindergarten children's fine motor skill development over a 6-month period. The dependent measure was a penny posting test. More than 50 different sets of activities were provided to the experimental group (n = 101). Teachers coached students in following specific steps to use tweezers, tongs, and spoons to manipulate a variety of objects. Students then employed the materials during center time in their classrooms. Although experimental and control group teachers reported equal amounts of fine motor activity in their classrooms, significant interaction effects were found indicating the experimental group outperformed the control on the posttest measure. An overall effect size of 0.74 indicates that the type of fine motor activity is important in children's development.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1023/A:1016533729704

ISSN: 1082-3301, 1573-1707