Abstract/Notes: This action research project was completed to test the effects of a culturally diverse art program on early childhood students’ cultural competency. The setting was a Montessori early childhood classroom of 22 children. There were two Asian students, one African American student, and 19 Caucasian students. Data were collected using a student conference form, self-portrait rubric, and tally sheets - continent symbol matching, group discussions and art activities. A group presentation took place each week about an artist from one the six inhabited continents which included a biography and examples of their artwork. Following the presentation an art activity was placed on the art shelf. The results showed that the program had a positive impact on the students’ cultural competency. This program will continue to evolve by interweaving it with other cultural curricula in the classroom and spending more than one week with each artist and activity.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2022

Abstract/Notes: This seven-week study explored the impact of student-self assessment on learning and engagement behaviors of 48 sixth graders during math classes in a public school setting. Data collection tools such as student surveys, pre-and post -self-assessments, observations, reflections, and teacher- student conferencing provided the information to inform the conclusions regarding self-efficacy. Observation confirmed that a student’s participation in using self-evaluation to contribute to their learning affected internal processes such as motivation and engagement. Assessment activities that provided evidence and feedback to inform goals specific to skill development and learner traits yielded significant results. Highly structured assessment tools and classroom routines reduced students' reliance on the teacher to interpret and use individual performance data. The use of formative assessment practices that promoted goal setting, self-assessment and self-determination practices improved engagement and learning behaviors in the classroom.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2022

Abstract/Notes: This action research project investigates the effect of providing earth-conscious materials in the art curriculum on early childhood Montessori students' environmental awareness. The participants for this study were seven preschool students at a private, home-based Montessori school in the urban Western United States. The research design was qualitative and quantitative, utilizing field notes, observational notes, behavioral tally sheets, and group conversational questionnaires to gather information on students' environmental awareness. The students' mean eco-affinity responses increased by 16%, while their mean environmental awareness responses increased by 23%. The frequency of material usage positively correlated with the frequency of environmental actions. The findings suggest that earth-conscious art materials have a positive effect on student environmental awareness. The researcher realized that increased environmental awareness does not indicate increased ecological stewardship. The conclusion of this study urges educators to reconsider the role that art curriculum and materials play on student environmental awareness.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2020

Abstract/Notes: This study project was designed to study the effectiveness of implementations to aid in the successful inclusion of special needs students in a Montessori elementary classroom. This study also looked at the impacts that inclusion has on special-needs students. This study took place in a small Montessori upper elementary classroom of fourth through sixth grade in the southern United States. The implementations included self-control building, self-regulating and calming activities, Grace and Courtesy lessons, team building activities and oral reading, discussions and journal entries of Wonder (Palacio, 2012) Data was collected using student journals, an observational tally, researcher’s field journal, discussion notes and parent pre mid and post surveys The findings indicate there is a correlation of use of the implementations and a reduction of inappropriate interactions. It is recommended that future studies focus on a larger subject base as well as a more longitudinal period of implementations and data collection.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2020

Abstract/Notes: The purpose of this action research was to study the effects that daily proactive restorative circle practice (PRCP) had on speaking skills, listening, and positive classroom culture amongst Montessori Children's House students. The research took place over a four week period of time in a two way immersion Children's House in a Montessori public charter school in the Midwest. The population included 8 students ages 4-5.5 years. Students participated in a daily proactive restorative circle each afternoon. The researcher also observed students during lunch to collect data on any influence the PRCP had outside of circle time. Data was collected through field notes, tallies, and a sense of community scale. The intervention suggested an increase in speaking skills and maintaining positive classroom culture. Students also demonstrated an increased sense of responsibility and accountability to the implementation of PRCP. Continued research is needed to determine the effectiveness of PRCP with more participants as well as how the effects of the PRCP transfer over to the general classroom experience.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2020

Abstract/Notes: This study aims to bring clarity to the relationship between procedural mathematical work and abstracted math learning when carrying in addition and multiplication. To explore this relationship, researchers employed both quantitative and qualitative data tools that unearthed the nuances within this specific process of math learning. Participants in the study included twenty-nine students from two different schools in different mixed age groups including ages three-to-six-years-old and six-to-nine-years-old. Students participated in a six-week intervention process, working on dynamic addition and multiplication using conceptual mathematical language to support the process. The findings indicate an overall two-point increase across learning variables post intervention. The conclusion of this study implores the broader educational community to revisit systemic, procedural math learning processes. In the future, we must question the finality of manipulatives and their place in the continuum of authentic math learning.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2019

Abstract/Notes: The purpose of this action research project was to explore how the implementation of bucket filling could affect self-regulation in 5-year-olds in a Montessori classroom. The bucket filling theme is character education children’s literature. The collection of data for this action research utilized a mixed method of quantitative and qualitative, including the pre- and post-Preschool Self-Regulation Assessment, daily observation reflections, and tally sheets of behaviors. The data collected and analyzed in this study use of bucket filling can have some effect on self-regulation skills in 5-year-olds in a Montessori classroom. Self-regulation is essential to success in the classroom and in the world at large, any intervention that supports self-regulation is vital for students and teachers.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2019

Abstract/Notes: This action research was carried out to determine if parent education of sleep and routine had an effect on classroom behavior (physical contact and defiance). The research was completed in two full day 4K (four-year-old) Montessori classrooms in a Pee Dee Region elementary school. Students and parents were included in the research. Data from parents was gathered using assessments and sleep diaries. Teacher data was gathered using reflection journals and tallying charts. Parents were provided weekly education on sleep and routine importance. There was no conclusive data to show that parent education directly affected classroom behavior. The researchers believe the outcome was due to a lack of consistent parental participation.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2019

Abstract/Notes: Black students consistently underachieve academically in comparison to White students. To minimize the achievement gap between Black students and White students, some experts advocate the use of differentiated instruction as an alternative methodology to teach underachieving students. Differentiated instruction is predicated on teaching students based on their learning abilities and/or learning preferences. The differentiated instructional model examined in this study combined traditional teaching methodology with specific Montessori stage two and stage three constructs. This exploratory qualitative study examined the impact that Montessori constructs combined with traditional teaching methods had on academic achievement of Black students in grades four and five in an inner city school in Dallas County, Texas. The study further explored the sample’s perceptions of and preferences for the combined teaching methodology. The sample group had been exposed to the differentiated teaching model evaluated in the study. Disaggregated 2007 and 2008 TAKS results from the Texas Education Agency were obtained to compare the school’s fourth and fifth grade Black students’ achievement to their cohort groups in the district and in the state. The TAKS data comparisons found variability in performance among the groups in each of the subject areas assessed by TAKS. Qualitative data from a Likert Scale, multiple choice questions, questionnaires, written essay, and interviews were obtained from the participants to examine the students’ perceptions of and preferences for the combined teaching methodology. Data responses were analyzed and themes were developed to determine black students’ preferences for teaching, learning, and factors that contribute to learning. The findings of this study imply that future use of a differentiated instructional model that combines traditional teaching methodology and specific Montessori constructs and principles might be effective in improving Black student achievement.

Language: English

Published: Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2009

Abstract/Notes: The purpose of the study was to investigate differences in literacy outcomes of Montessori-trained students under alternative instructional conditions in first grade. As a method of instruction, Montessori has not been adequately researched in the area of literacy to verify its efficacy in educating students. Previous studies compared Montessori students to non-Montessori students; therefore, the findings were open to the criticism that private school students enjoyed an a priori advantage over their public school counterparts. In this study, all participants had Montessori preschool experience. Roughly half the subjects chose public school and half chose to continue at Montessori for first grade. Sociofunctional linguistics, educational psychology, and Montessori's writing on education provided theoretical underpinnings for the study. A mixed research design was employed. Qualitative observations were conducted over a period of a calendar year. Quantitative measures were taken in a pretest/posttest format on five different literacy measures. Qualitative results show the core theme of the classroom was child-centeredness. This assertion was supported by five separate categories that emerged from observation. Quantitative results indicate that Montessori-trained students in alternative instructional conditions fared better on literacy measures than their counterparts who remained at Montessori for first grade. These results, along with methodological innovations for using literate register cohesion and genre analysis in literacy research, contribute to the educational research base in literacy studies.

Language: English

Published: West Lafayette, Indiana, 2005