Language: English

Published: [Washington, D.C.]: National Center for Educational Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, US Department of Education, 2007

Abstract/Notes: Concentration is meaningful not only for students' academic achievement but also for the construction and development of their personality. Mindfulness has been suggested as an effective way of supporting concentration. Based on research and related literature review, the author consolidated different ways of mindfulness into a handbook with the purpose of providing methods for fellow teachers in supporting children in a Montessori lower elementary classroom to enhance their concentration capability. This project was presented to a focus group and feedback was collected in the form of a survey. Collected feedback showed the most and the least possible method that might be applied and it implied mindfulness training for teachers can be the next topic for research.

Language: English

Published: Moraga, California, 2020

Abstract/Notes: A growing interest in the benefits of youth meditation has led to new research in early childhood and elementary classrooms. The results of the existing studies are promising, but the body of research is limited and does not include children in a Montessori setting. Youth meditation studies have reported improvements in social-emotional behaviors, self-regulatory skills, executive function, and attention as a result of consistent meditation practices. An action research project was designed to determine if ten children, between the ages of two and a half and six years, in a Montessori classroom would demonstrate an increase in focus and concentration after six weeks of daily meditation practice. Data collection transpired via teacher observations, rating scales, and checklists. The results of this study denoted favorable variations in focus and concentration after the implementation of daily meditation. Future considerations include completing a lengthier assessment to determine the full effects of meditation on students' behavior as well as conducting a comprehensive study that incorporates additional Montessori schools.

Language: English

Published: River Falls, Wisconsin, 2019

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

Abstract/Notes: The purpose of this research project was to study how Physical Activity (PA) can impact behaviors in a classroom setting. This study implemented PAs from the MNRI program to determine its impact on students’ on- and off-task behaviors. The study took place in a public Montessori school located in a medium-sized upper Midwestern city. There was a total of 16 children in the classroom and the grade levels included both first and second grade students, ranging from ages six to eight years old. Over the span of the six-week study (only Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays were days of observations due to COVID-19), students’ on- and off-task behaviors were observed. A combination of both quantitative and qualitative data was collected, and the results of the study showed that MNRI PA does aid in student behavior in a lower elementary Montessori classroom. The effects on the activities showed that there was an increase in on-task behaviors and a decrease in off-task behaviors post-intervention beginning the second week of intervention. This study also includes extensive descriptions of the MNRI archetypes and illustrations of the infant reflexes made available by permission from Dr. Masgutova.

Language: English

Published: River Falls, Wisconsin, 2021

Abstract/Notes: This paper examines the challenges facing the public school system as it attempts to live up to the promise to provide a “free appropriate public education” to all of its students. The funding mechanism for public schools, with its reliance on community funding, lends itself to inequities. The lack of an effective response to the rising challenge of mental health issues, the unwillingness to respond to the changing skill demands of the workforce by revising curriculum and the ineffectiveness of efforts to close the achievement gap have all led the public to question whether or not they are receiving an “appropriate” education. The response increasingly has been to look for a better educational alternative elsewhere, in charter schools. The effect of charter schools overall has been to weaken public schools’ abilities to provide a quality education for each and every student. An analysis of each of these challenges and possible responses will provide a possible road map for traditional public education to do a better job of living up to its mandate, to “promote the general welfare”.

Language: English

Published: River Falls, Wisconsin, 2020

Abstract/Notes: In this research ıt has been analyzed the effects of montessori method on creative thinking of students. These researches are experimental. Pre-test, final-test control group methods and experimental design have been used. Within these research the experimental group have used the Montessori method, the control group have used the National Education Ministry's own method. In this research to gather data they have used Torrence creative thinking survey. As a result; the Montessori education approach has a positive effect on students creative skills. / Bu araştırmada öğrencilerin yaratıcı düşünme becerilerinde Montessori yönteminin etkisi incelenmiştir. Araştırma deneysel bir çalışma olup ön test son test kontrol gruplu deneysel desen kullanılmıştır. Çalışmada deney grubunda Montessori yöntemi, kontrol grubunda Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı?nın halihazırdaki programı kullanılmıştır. Çalışmada veri toplama aracı olarak, Torrance yaratıcı düşünme anketi kullanılmıştır.

Language: Turkish

Published: Zonguldak, Turkey, 2012

Abstract/Notes: Bu araştırmada, Montessori eğitimi ile MEB OÖEP uygulanan okul öncesi öğrencilerin yaratıcı düşünme becerilerini incelemek amacıyla hazırlanmıştır. Çalışmada, nicel araştırma yöntemlerinden olan betimsel ve ilişkisel tarama desenleri kullanılmıştır. Bu araştırmanın çalışma grubunu 2020-2021 eğitim-öğretim yılı güz döneminde İzmir ilinde Montessori eğitimini uyguladığını duyuran herhangi bir anaokulu ile Muş ilinde MEB OÖEP'yi uyguladığını duyuran herhangi bir özel okulun anasınıfında eğitim gören toplam 40 öğrenci oluşmaktadır. Araştırmanın çalışma grubu oluşturulurken yaş değişkeni göz önünde bulundurulmuş ve gruplar eşitlenmiştir. Araştırma verileri, Aslan (1999) tarafından Türkçeye uyarlanan "Torrance Yaratıcı Düşünce Testi" ve araştırmacı tarafından geliştirilen "Kişisel Bilgi Formu" kullanılarak elde edilmiştir. Araştırmada elde edilen verilerin analizinde; Mann Witney U Testi ve Sperman Sıra Farkları Korelasyon Analizi uygulanmıştır. Montessori eğitimi uygulanan öğrencilerin TYDT toplam yaratıcılık puanları MEB OÖEP uygulanan öğrencilerin TYDT toplam yaratıcılık puanlarından anlamlı düzeyde yüksektir. Montessori eğitimi ile MEB OÖEP uygulanan okul öncesi öğrencilerinin toplam yaratıcılık puanları arasında önemli ölçüde ilişki vardır. Montessori eğitimi uygulanan öğrencilerin yaratıcı düşünme becerilerinden akıcılık, orijinallik, başlıkların soyutluğu ve zenginleştirme alt becerileri toplam yaratıcılık puanları, MEB OÖEP uygulanan öğrencilerin akıcılık, orijinallik, başlıkların soyutluğu ve zenginleştirme alt becerileri toplam yaratcılık puanlarından anlamlı düzeyde yüksektir. Erken kapamaya direnç alt becerilerinde ise her iki eğitimi de olan öğrencilerin bulguları benzer çıkmıştır. Elde edilen sonuçlar doğrultusunda ulaşılan genel sonuç, Montessori eğitimi'nin okul öncesi öğrencilerinin yaratıcı düşünme becerilerine olumlu yönde katkı sağladığı ve MEB Okul Öncesi Eğitim Programına göre akıcılık, orijinallik, başlıkların soyutluğu ve zenginleştirme becerilerine göre daha etkili olduğudur. / In this study, it was prepared to examine the creative thinking skills of preschool students who were applied Montessori education and MEB OÖEP. Descriptive and relational scanning patterns, which are among the quantitative research methods, were used in the study. The study group of this study consists of a total of 40 students studying in the kindergarten of any kindergarten in the province of İzmir that announced that they have implemented Montessori education in the fall semester of the 2020-2021 academic year and any private school in the province of Muş that announced that they have implemented the MEB OÖEP. While creating the study group of the research, the age variable was taken into consideration and the groups were equalized. The research data were obtained using the "Torrance Creative Thinking Test" adapted into Turkish by Aslan (1999) and the "Personal Information Form" developed by the researcher. In the analysis of the data obtained in the research; Mann Witney U Test and Sperman Rank Difference Correlation Analysis were applied. The total creativity scores of the students who are applied Montessori education are significantly higher than the TTCT total creativity scores of the students who are applied to MEB OÖEP. There is a significant relationship between the Montessori education and the total creativity scores of pre-school students who are applied MEB OÖEP. Fluency, originality, abstractness of the titles and enrichment sub-skills among the creative thinking skills of the students who were applied Montessori education, the total creativity scores, the fluency, originality, the abstraction of the titles and the enrichment sub-skills of the students who were applied MEB OÖEP were significantly higher than the total creativity scores. In the sub-skills of resistance to early closure, the findings of the students with both education were similar. The general conclusion reached in line with the results obtained is that Montessori education contributes positively to the creative thinking skills of preschool students and is more effective than the fluency, originality, abstractness of the titles and enrichment skills compared to the Ministry of National Education Preschool Education Program.

Language: Turkish

Published: Samsun, Turkey, 2021

Language: English

Abstract/Notes: This action research project examined the effects of mindfulness and meditation on concentration among elementary students. The research was conducted at a private Montessori school in an upper elementary classroom for twenty-six children ages nine to twelve. Baseline data was collected for three consecutive days. The intervention was implemented for four weeks. The teacher led the students in mindful movements in the morning and daily meditation took place in the afternoon. The average percent of on-task behavior was collected for baseline data using observational records and journal notes. Observational records included what percent of the class was on-task for specific intervals. Journal notes contained what specific behaviors were observed as off-task. Data collection during the intervention included observational records, journal notes, group discussions and questionnaires. Data analysis showed that concentration did not increase during the intervention. However, students reported meditation and mindful breathing as useful in their daily lives. Further research could include the effects of student chosen mindful activities on concentration and student well-being. A similar study of a longer duration may also yield different results.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2016