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

Language: English

ISSN: 2235-767X

Abstract/Notes: The study investigated the effects of school environment and methods of teaching on language skills achievement of pre – primary school pupils in Edo State. It also investigated the interaction effects of Montessori and played methods and urban and rural environments on pupils' achievement in listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. Three urban and three rural areas which were selected from two Local Government Areas (LGAs) were used for the study. Six pre - primary schools were purposively selected for the study. A total of 228 kindergartens 2 pupils intact classes were used for the study which lasted for eight weeks. The study was a pretest, posttest, quasi- experimental control group design with independent variables as methods and school location while achievement in Language Skills Achievement Test (LSAT) was the dependent variable. Descriptive statistics and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) were used to analyze the data obtained while the Multiple Classification Analysis (MCA) was used as post-hoc test for further significance. Three research questions were answered with three hypotheses, tested at 0.05 level of significance. Results showed that the Montessori Method of teaching pre –primary pupils was more effective than the play method. Similarly, urban school pupils achieved higher than their rural counterparts. There was also a significant interaction effect of methods and school location on pupils' academic achievement in Language skills. It was therefore recommended that the Nigerian Government should adopt the Montessori Method as a dominant method of teaching pre – primary school pupils and that pre – primary school owners should provide materials adequately for teaching and learning.

Language: English

DOI: 10.31014/aior.1993.04.03.335

ISSN: 2621-5799, 2657-215X

Language: English

DOI: 10.24130/eccd-jecs.1967201932142

ISSN: 2564-7601

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: 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: In this study, it is aimed to examine the mathematical conceptual skills of 48-72-month-old children attending pre-school education institutions providing a Montessori Approach and Ministry of National Education Pre-school Program (MoNE PSP). The study group consisted of 20 children, who were trained by the Montessori Approach, and 20 children, who continued to attend pre-school education institutions applying the MoNE PSP. The research was carried out in accordance with the state study design of the qualitative research methods, and the data of the study was collected by the structured observation method at the free play/individual work time in the learning centers of the children constituting the study group. A structured observation form was used as the data gathering tool, and mathematical concept skills such as counting, matching, grouping, comparison, positioning, measurement, pattern, part-whole, transactions and creating a graphic were included. Research data were analyzed with descriptive analysis method, and the frequency and percentage values of the obtained data were calculated. As a result of the study, it was observed that the students trained with the Montessori Approach and MoNE PSP could not create graphics in both groups, while the rhythmic counting and patterning skills were the most observed skills in children. It has been determined that children trained with the Montessori Approach perform more studies, especially on matching, grouping, comparison/ranking, and part-whole skills, compared to the children trained with MoNE PSP. In the light of the results obtained in this research, it is suggested that the play materials that had to be in classes where MoNE PSP was applied should be standardized, and children should be able to get through these materials; also mathematics center should be established in the class level.

Language: English

DOI: 10.12973/eu-jer.8.1.9

ISSN: 2165-8714

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

Language: English

ISSN: 0010-700X