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Master's Thesis (Action Research Report)

A Toddler Mentor Program with Elementary Students to Improve the Development of Empathy

Available from: St. Catherine University

Action research

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Abstract/Notes: The purpose of this action research project was to determine if there would be improved development of empathy in elementary students as a result of involvement in the Toddler Mentor Program. The study took place in a 6-9 year Montessori Elementary Classroom. There were eight participants, which were first and second year students in the classroom. The age range was 6-7 years old. The elementary students spent twenty minutes as a mentor in the Toddler classroom once a week. Data was collected by teacher observation pre, during and post project in three different environments, the elementary classroom, the toddler classroom and recess. The students were interviewed following all visits of the toddler classroom and also participated in group discussions. The results showed an increase in empathetic behaviors over the time as a whole group. Individually, the girls displayed consistent empathy in the toddler classroom and the boys showed the most improvement over time. In conclusion, the Toddler Mentor Program provided the students the opportunity to focus on social-emotional skills such as being helpful, kind, respectful, and acknowledging other’s feelings. In order to identify long-term effects outside the classroom more research is recommended.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2015

Master's Thesis (Action Research Report)

Use of Yoga to Alleviate Stress in Toddler Group Care Programs

Available from: St. Catherine University

Action research

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Abstract/Notes: Each year children enter into group childcare settings. This is both a necessity for working parents and can be a great introduction to their first group education program. Along with the positive aspects of group care come some negatives. Toddlers show signs of stress such as crying at drop off that can last from a moment to many hours during the day. Toddlers can be very social but must learn how to navigate these social interactions by sharing, taking turns, waiting for materials to become available, and receiving less individual attention from a single caregiver. In this Action Research Project I introduce a curriculum of yoga to toddlers in a Montessori setting as a means of reducing stress. This curriculum intends to teach children to calm themselves through relaxation, breathing, and focus on an activity of interest. In addition, I show that the yoga can increase focus and attention through extended periods of work time. Primary data sources include the use of direct observation to record behaviors pre-, during and post- yoga curriculum. These observations include the recording of specific behaviors that indicate a stressful situation as well as length of time it takes for a child to recover from such behaviors. Also recorded were lengths of time children could hold their focus working on a specific material. Findings show yoga was an effective method of teaching children to self-soothe, using breathing techniques to calm themselves. In addition, focus and concentration increased over the period of time yoga was introduced during the morning routine.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2014

Master's Thesis (Action Research Report)

The Effects of the Implementation of the Conscious Discipline Program on Social Emotional Learning in an Early Childhood Classroom

Available from: St. Catherine University

Action research

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Abstract/Notes: This study investigates the efficacy of Conscious Discipline’s teaching strategies to enrich social-emotional learning and establish a positive classroom climate in an early childhood Montessori classroom. Conscious Discipline is a written program, of instructional and behavioral strategies created by Dr. Becky Bailey (2011). The question throughout this research project was “Does teaching Conscious Discipline strategies enhance social-emotional learning in preschool aged children?” The study was conducted in a Montessori classroom, the participants being both boys and girls ranging in age from 3 to 4 years. For six weeks, Conscious Discipline strategies were being implemented on a day-to-day basis, when dealing with real-life incidents in the classroom, reading books purchased through Conscious Discipline and establishing a Safe Place. During this sixweek study data was gathered through observations, a pre-survey, and a standardized assessment, and analyzed to document the effects of Conscious Discipline. The data collected demonstrated an increase in social-emotional learning, an increase in the joy in teaching, a positive classroom climate, a decrease in aggressive acts, and an increase in student respect and responsibility in a social community.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2014

Article

School Consultation Program

Publication: AMI/USA News, vol. 6, no. 3

Pages: 1–2

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Language: English

Doctoral Dissertation

Success and Failure in Five Different Programs of Preschool Intervention With Culturally Disadvantaged Children

Available from: University of Illinois - IDEALS

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Language: English

Published: Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, 1969

Doctoral Dissertation

A Comparative Study of Characteristics of Montessori Teachers Certified by Three Montessori Training Programs

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Language: English

Published: Memphis, Tennessee, 1977

Doctoral Dissertation

Follow-up Study of Montessori and Traditional Day Care Preschool Programs for Disadvantaged Children

Comparative education, Inclusive education, Montessori method of education - Criticism, interpretation, etc., Montessori method of education - Evaluation, Poor children

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Language: English

Published: Kent, Ohio, 1976

Doctoral Dissertation

The Cognitive Effects of Preschool Programs for Disadvantaged Children

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Language: English

Published: Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1970

Doctoral Dissertation

A Comparison of Student Achievement, Student Self-Concept, and Parental Attitude Toward Traditional and Montessori Programs in a Public School Setting

Available from: University of North Texas Digital Library

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Abstract/Notes: This study investigates differences in academic achievement and self-concept of students enrolled in a traditional public school program and a public school Montessori program. The attitudes of parents of students are also compared. The population includes 182 experimental and control kindergarten, first-, second-, and third-grade students in a Texas metropolitan school district. Academic pretest and posttest data include scores on the Bilingual Syntax Measure, Metropolitan Readiness Tests, California Achievement Tests, and the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. The McDaniel-Piers Young Children's Self Concept Scale and the Parent Opinion Survey were also administered. A two-way analysis of covariance was used to analyze pretest and posttest academic achievement and self-concept scores, and to test for possible interaction between the programs and the sex variable. The pretest score was used as the covariate. The means of both parent groups were analyzed using the t test for two independent samples. The .05 level of significance was used to test each hypothesis. First-grade traditional students had significantly higher academic achievement scores than first-grade Montessori students. A significant interaction effect at the first-grade level revealed that traditional males had the highest adjusted mean score for academic achievement and Montessori males had the lowest adjusted mean score. Second-grade traditional students showed a significant increase over second-grade Montessori students in self-concept. No significant difference was found in the attitude of parents of students enrolled in both programs. Conclusions based on this investigation are that more similarities than differences are evident between the two programs, differences in academic achievement and interaction effects and sex appeared at only one grade level, differences in self-concept appeared at only one grade level, and parent attitudes are similar. Recommendations include continuation of the Montessori program evaluation and replication using a larger population, different grade levels, and different socioeconomic levels.

Language: English

Published: Denton, Texas, 1982

Doctoral Dissertation

An Evaluation of Magnet School Programs-Parent Choice, Teacher Choice, and Pupil Choice: Implications of One Model for Curriculum Reform

Available from: University of Illinois - IDEALS

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Abstract/Notes: It is quite clear that there is considerable disagreement as to the ways children learn and the ways teachers should teach. There is very little conclusive data comparing the major efforts in this field particularly with respect to any one factor being the sole contributor to the superiority of any one effort. The recent literature on learning and teaching almost invariably returns to some form of curriculum reform. However, there is widespread agreement that teachers teach more effectively and children learn more efficiently if they are in environments conducive to their preferred styles. Magnet Schools are vehicles that require different arrangements for teaching and learning. This study explores the attitudes of teachers, parents, and students in such an environment. Additionally, it examines the academic performance of students when parents or the students themselves select their learning environment and teaching method. The data will permit comparisons among the various groups of Magnet and non-Magnet parents, teachers, and students. The primary method for data collection is academic testing and structural surveys of the populations relative to Magnet and non-Magnet participants. The data will also indicate how individuals view programs and curriculum when they are involved in them. Because the population surveyed and tested involved a cross-section of academic abilities, the data will be especially useful to local school district officials interested in providing for individual differences in teaching and learning. The control model of Magnet School programs provides an ongoing testing ground for fine-tuning educational theories which may be essential for productive learning in the broader system as well.

Language: English

Published: Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, 1984

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