Abstract/Notes: The purpose of this study was to compare reading and math academic achievement scores of a cohort of students who had experienced mixed-age (two-grade span) and multiage (three-grade span) configurations, in a selected nongraded elementary school located in East Tennessee. Student attitude toward school, gender and socioeconomic status were also analyzed. The causal-comparative quantitative approach, along with convenience sampling, was the foundation for this study. Academic achievement normal curve equivalency (NCE) scores from the TerraNova Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills for the 1997-2000 academic years and survey results from the Attitude Toward School Inventory (Meier, 1973) given in the concluding year (2000) were analyzed using ANOVA, ANCOVA and t-tests to determine which configuration produced better results for students. Statistically significant results (p=. 05) were found indicating that the multiage students performed better in reading achievement during the 1997 and 1998 years (ANOVA). ANCOVA results indicated multiage configuration to be statistically significant in 2000 when controlling for prior reading achievement. ANOVA results proved to be statistically significant in math for the multiage configuration in 1998. NCE mean scores in reading and math were higher, some significantly higher, for all four years 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000 for those students in the multiage (three-grade span) configuration. No statistically significant differences were found in configurations regarding attitude toward school, however in all subtest areas the multiage (three-grade span) students mean scores were higher than the mixed-age (two-grade span) students scores. Findings include a stronger case for multiage (three-grade span) configuration when planning a nongraded developmentally appropriate elementary program.

Language: English

Published: Johnson City, Tennessee, 2001

Abstract/Notes: The individual through earliest recorded history reveals contradictory views of the human life-span. "Am I a free and unique individual, able to make choices and decide my own destiny?, or, "Am I only a victim of circumstance, a speck of dust in the universe's whirlwind of fate?" Each view is recognized in education and psychology, but the latter outlook is often prominent in schools which discourage decision making. Throughout the life-span, however, the individual must make choices. Allowing the young student to progress on the road to autonomy, requires a new educational outlook. How might teacher education focus on this new perspective? Rational Autonomy (RA) is an original conceptualization of the psychological foundations for a learning-teaching theory of practice; one which promotes autonomy and reasonable decision making in children and adults. Its purpose is to provide a framework for the development of an autonomous educator who may conceptualize the interaction between the dichotomies of autonomy and rationality. These values are imbedded within the leitmotif of liberty and freedom; individuality and socialization; creativity and cooperation all natural tensions within a democracy and a democratic classroom. Cognitive psychologies today advance a view reflecting an autonomous individual who is interactive, purposeful and capable of conscious decision making. Montessori (1870-1952) recognized these traits as inherent in most children. Viewing autonomy and reason as the individual's means to full cognitive and personality development, she proposed an expansive educational psychology which would anticipate this view in cognitive psychology. Until now, few psychological definitions were available to define Montessori's theories. Thus, this thesis defines existent psychology as providing a "Social Cognitive Field" frame in which to define her theories and derive a new concept. The concept of Rational Autonomy incorporates psychological principles from human development, social, personality and learning theories. Constructs are demonstrated by interaction models of the child, family and educator. These are exemplified in a school program through a site and case study. Elementary and early childhood teacher education extends the Design into a life-span theory. The mentor-teacher relationship, curricular implications, educator group facilitation and university aims are included in the RA Design.

Language: English

Published: Corvallis, Oregon, 1989

Language: English

Published: Washington, D.C., 1958

Abstract/Notes: Did the work of Maria Montessori have an influence on the educational methods used in the infant and elementary school classrooms in England and Wales between 1910, when her work was first publicized in England, and 1933, when the Consultative Committee of the Board of Education published its report on Infant and Nursery Schools? To answer this principal question the following factors are considered: the effect on educational practices of the slow development of government provided education, the characteristics of the British Infant School, the social and political circumstances which were effecting education in 1910, the nature of Montessori's fame, and the official reaction to Maria Montessori and her work. For information concerning the methods actually being used in the classrooms from 1928 to 1933, the primary sources are memoranda submitted during that period to the Consultative Committee on the Primary School and to the Consultative Committee on Infant and Nursery Schools. The documents were analyzed for references to Montessori, for evidence of teachers having attended Montessori training courses, and for descriptions and advocacy of classroom methods which, according to a definition given by the Consultative Committee in its published report, reflect a Montessori influence. Eleven of thirteen Junior School Inspectors, six of thirteen Infant School Inspectors, and eleven of sixteen Heads of Infant Schools, according to the criteria used, advocate Montessori methods for more than half of the curriculum areas which they discuss. This evidence from the memoranda submitted to the Consultative Committees, combined with conclusions drawn from historical evidence, indicate that Maria Montessori did have considerable influence on the schools of England and Wales.

Language: English

Published: Mansfield, Connecticut, 1981

Abstract/Notes: Montessori education emphasizes the development of prosocial skills, which are correlated with positive educational and behavioral outcomes in both middle-class and low-income school environments. Two recent studies document the effectiveness of the Montessori approach in this area. Historically, the Montessori method, developed in Italy in 1906, became widespread in American independent schools in the 1950s. With the advent of charter school legislation, the number of public Montessori schools serving lower income children has been increasing over the last decade. The purpose of this study was: (a) to observe and describe how Montessori teachers foster prosocial skills, and (b) to explore whether and how this differs in public and private Montessori schools serving students of different backgrounds/SES. Five mixed-age (first-third grade) Montessori classrooms (two private, three public) were observed and videotaped on two occasions between December 2006 and February 2007. An observation tool developed for non-Montessori classrooms was used to record teacher behaviors linked to prosocial skills development. Similar teacher strategies to promote prosocial skills were recorded in both the public and private schools. These similarities were apparent despite vastly different student and school characteristics. A number of teacher strategies typically associated with the promotion of prosocial skills which were emphasized in the observation tool were not observed in either school. The findings of this study raise questions about the use of observation tools outside of the context in which they were developed. This finding may also be attributed to the timing of the observations (in winter), as the teacher behaviors are more likely to be exhibited during the first few months of school. Interviews with teachers and principals also revealed different leadership needs of a start-up school as opposed to an established school.

Language: English

Published: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2007

Abstract/Notes: The purpose of this research was to teach children how to control and deepen their focus through mindfulness practice. The study integrated a daily practice of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) movements, breathing, and focus training. The six-week study involved fourteen children between the ages of 5 and 9 years from a private school in the Bay Area of California. Data collection included a pre- and post-assessment for each child, daily observations, and parent observations. Results of the pre- and post-assessments revealed mixed opinions on the connection between deepened focus and mindfulness practice. Observation data showed an overall increase in the children’s ability to use deep concentration on a task. Parent observations indicated that learners did not consistently show comparable effects in their home environments. The data shows a positive correlation between the MBSR practice and focus in children from ages 5 to 9. Suggestions for further research include a larger sample-size across a wider range of diversity and an extended study period.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2016

Abstract/Notes: The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) requires schools to be held accountable for academic performance. It is believed the pressure of accountability will lead teachers to narrow the curriculum by engaging students in test preparation activities. The purpose of this two-phase, explanatory mixed methods study was to examine elementary teachers’ perceptions of the impact of the Stanford Achievement Test 10 (SAT-10) and the Alabama Reading and Math Test (ARMT) on classroom teaching practices from a sample of third-grade, fourth-grade, and fifth-grade teachers in three large school systems in Alabama. The purpose of the first, quantitative phase of the study, was to reveal teachers’ perceptions of the impact of high-stakes testing on curriculum and instructional approaches, the amount of time spent on critical thinking skills, the amount of time spent on test preparation activities, and the perceived impact of state tests on students and teachers by surveying 123 third-grade through fifth-grade teachers in three large Alabama school systems. In the second, qualitative phase of this study, purposeful sampling strategy and maximal variation sampling strategy were employed to interview nine teachers who responded to the survey in the first, quantitative phase of the study to explore the results from the statistical tests in more depth. Findings suggested urban teachers spent more time on critical-thinking skills than rural and suburban teachers, and low-socioeconomic, rural teachers experienced more stress caused by high-stakes testing than their geographical counterparts. All teachers independent of socioeconomic status or school geographical location reported they increased their focus on reading and math, which were the subjects assessed on high-stakes tests and de-emphasized subjects not tested such as social studies and science. Finally, most teachers reported they decreased the teaching of critical thinking skills due to the SAT-10 but increased the teaching of critical thinking skills due to the ARMT. Due to the lack of research regarding high-stakes testing in Alabama elementary schools, there was a need for teachers to discuss the specific impact of testing on classroom teaching practices because they work directly with students and are cognizant of the challenges that teachers face.

Language: English

Published: Birmingham, Alabama, 2010

Abstract/Notes: Teacher decision-making is referred to as the fundamental responsibility of teachers. All teachers are asked to make decisions on a daily basis in their classrooms. For decades researchers have collected data on teacher decision-making in hopes to understand how teachers make decisions and why. Interestingly, most researchers collect data on teacher decision-making only in public school classrooms. The purpose of this study was to collect teacher decision-making data in a nearly unexplored classroom environment, the lower elementary Montessori classroom. The objective of this study was to examine what characteristics operated in the decision-making of two lower elementary Montessori guides. The hypothesis was lower elementary Montessori guides may have more opportunities to understand and approach care and culturally responsive teaching given the Montessori environment seeks to develop the whole child. In order to explore lower elementary Montessori guide decision-making I chose to perform a qualitative case study design. First, I gathered information about the school. Second, I collected data on the two lower elementary Montessori guides in this study. Once data was collected I reviewed the data for emerging themes. Then, I asked the question how was care and cultural responsiveness understood and approached in the decision-making of these two lower elementary Montessori guides.The findings of this study revealed three (3) main influences on the decision-making of lower elementary Montessori guides at River Montessori: (1) Association Montessori Internationale Training (AMI); (2) school ideology; and (3) guide improvisation based on student observation. Care and cultural responsiveness was understood and approached by both lower elementary Montessori guides in this study. However, the enactments of cultural responsiveness fell short of normative understandings of culturally responsive teaching (Gay, 2000; 2002).

Language: English

Published: Austin, Texas, 2013

Abstract/Notes: The purpose of the research was to find which interventions (cognitive, humanistic, behavioral, social) are most effective in decreasing off-task behaviors in an elementary classroom. The research project took place in an upper elementary classroom. The class consists of sixteen fourth through sixth grade Montessori students in a public school setting. Fifty percent of these students are new to Montessori education. Twenty-five percent of the class is special needs students. The four sources of data used in this research included observation forms, self-assessment forms, a story-evaluation form, and class revision of community rules. The results showed a decrease in off-task behaviors and an increase in on-task learning. The conclusion of this research reveals that the most successful intervention is the behavioral learning theory. Students improve the most when given direct responsibility for becoming aware of and changing their own off-task behaviors. They are able to transfer this knowledge into supporting their community's on-task learning.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2014

Abstract/Notes: The purpose of the research was to find whether the creation of self-assessed student work portfolios would be effective in engaging students in learning opportunities and lead to self-regulated behaviors. The research project was conducted in an upper elementary classroom. The class consists of twenty-three grade four to grade six Montessori students in a private school. Ten students have had a Montessori education starting in preschool, eight students started in grade three, two were held back a year, two students started in grade four, and two students started in grade six. Fifty-two percent of the class has a form of learning difference; prominently dyslexia. Three students are on the Autism spectrum. The sources of data used in this research included observation forms, self-assessment forms, journal prompts, teacher reflection journal, and student-teacher interviews. The results indicated an increase in engagement in learning and self-regulated behaviors. This was equally evident in the students with different learning needs. Implications are that empowering students with self-assessment and choices of work improves work habits and leads to better quality of learning outcomes and engagement. Students improved the most when they combined their self-assessment with peer feedback and were given direct responsibility for the creation of their own portfolio.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2014