Abstract/Notes: According to Montessori, children learn more effectively when they discover knowledge on their own, through spontaneous exploratory learning and experiential approach to knowledge, focusing primarily on trusting the child and respecting his exceptional capabilities and skills. The Montessori educational approach was implemented in a public preschool setting in North Greece. Two years after the implementation of the Montessori approach, parents were invited to participate in focus groups interviews. According to parents’ views, children gained confidence in mathematics and reading stories by their own, cooperated more easily and resolved problems with maturity. The data indicates that in such an environment, the classroom becomes productive and the children individually give their personal interpretation of the information offered to them.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1080/03004279.2020.1849344

ISSN: 0300-4279, 1475-7575

Abstract/Notes: There is now a well developed literature on the impact of high stakes testing on teaching approaches and student outcomes. However, the student perspective has been neglected in much research. This article draws on a mixed method longitudinal study of secondary students in the Republic of Ireland to explore the impact of two sets of high stakes examinations on student experiences. The analyses are based on surveys completed by 897 lower secondary students and 748 upper secondary students, along with 47 lower secondary and 53 upper secondary group interviews with students. Findings show the presence of impending high stakes exams results in increased workload for students, with many reporting pressure and stress. Throughout their schooling career, students clearly favour active learning approaches. However, for some students, particularly high-aspiring middle-class students, these views change as they approach the terminal high stakes exam, with many showing a strong preference for a more narrowly focussed approach to exam preparation. This article highlights how students shift from a position of critiquing exam-focused teaching methods as inauthentic to accepting such methods as representing ‘good teaching’.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1007/s11092-012-9154-6

ISSN: 1874-8600, 1874-8597

Abstract/Notes: Abstrakt Przedmiotem przeprowadzonych badań była realizacja idei podmiotowego traktowania rodziców dzieci uczęszczających do przedszkoli publicznych i niepublicznych opartych na koncepcji pedagogicznej M. Montessori. Ich celem było zdiagnozowanie aktualnej sytuacji dotyczącej współpracy przedszkola z rodzicami w wymiarze instrumentalnym i decyzyjnym oraz przepływu informacji. Problemem głównym stało się pytanie: W jaki sposób montessoriańskie przedszkola publiczne i niepubliczne realizują podmiotowe podejście we współpracy z rodzicami dzieci? Pytanie to zostało uszczegółowione o kwestię: oceny form i sposobów komunikowania się z rodzicami przez nauczycieli, możliwości współuczestnictwa decyzyjnego i instrumentalnego. W celu zebrania opinii rodziców zastosowano sondaż diagnostyczny z techniką ankiety. Badaniami objęto rodziców dzieci, które uczęszczały do przedszkola przynajmniej przez jeden rok, w czterech celowo wybranych placówkach wychowania przedszkolnego, realizujących koncepcję edukacyjną opracowaną przez M. Montessori. Wśród nich były dwie placówki niepubliczne i dwie publiczne z trzech miast: z Krakowa, Białegostoku i Tychów. Badania zostały przeprowadzone w roku szkolnym 2014/2015. Otrzymane wyniki wskazują, że w badanych przedszkolach realizowane są kryteria partycypacji rodziców w pracy placówek. Są oni informowani o koncepcji filozoficznej, pedagogicznej i organizacyjnej przedszkola. Pozytywnie ocenili przepływ informacji na temat rozwoju dzieci. Kwestia współdecydowania o pracy przedszkola jest regulowana statutem przedszkola. W niektórych sprawach nauczyciele powinni bardziej konsultować się z rodzicami oraz uświadamiać ich o swoich działaniach wychowawczych w celu wypracowania jednolitego oddziaływania na dziecko i budowania zaufania.

Language: Polish

DOI: 10.14632/eetp.2016.11.40.151

ISSN: 1896-2327, 2353-7787

Abstract/Notes: In the face of rising demand for private schooling in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar, a lack of affordable schooling options, monopolistic behavior of private education providers, and unpredictable government regulations have created a complex and unequal education sector. This research employs a mixed methods comparative approach to explore the ways in which private education providers navigate the regulatory schooling environments and assess the impact on education stakeholders in the UAE and Qatar. The study finds that there are considerable socioeconomic differences in terms of who has access to schooling and that a growing for-profit education sector may be deepening existing inequities in both countries, leaving poorer expatriate families only able to access low-quality education or in the worst cases, unable to access education at all. The promise of non-profit providers as a viable alternative to ensure access is explored.

Language: English

DOI: 10.18275/fire201603021076

ISSN: 2326-3873

Abstract/Notes: Recent years have provided an interest on the part of public school systems regarding Montessori as an educational choice, often as a magnet school option. "No Child Left Behind" legislation emphasizes the social and learning needs of individual children as well as a national spirit of accountability for academic achievement, and the public sector is making a comprehensive examination of curriculum delivery systems which can provide benefits for all learners in quantifiable ways, most often in the form of standardized test scores which demonstrate improved student achievement. This study examines the relationship of public Montessori education expressed as Stanford Achievement Test scores in reading and math in comparison with similar scores for students in traditional programs, using a within subjects, matched pairs design of repeated measures over a three year period. Math scores for the groups were not observed to be significantly different, although, following the initial observation, the Montessori group continued to produce increasingly higher mean scores than the traditional students. Marginal significance between the groups suggests that the data analysis should continue to elucidate a possible trend toward significance. Reading scores for the groups demonstrated significant differences, and in the second and third years of the study, Montessori students produced means which consistently outperformed the traditional group.

Language: English

ISSN: 1556-763X, 1938-9809

Abstract/Notes: To investigate the spread of peace education (PE), we examined 685 documents in SCOPUS between 1970 and 2018 in 70 countries and triangulated the information with 11369 news articles and 22 international organisationś founding dates. PE emerged in scientific databases in the 1970s, lost momentum in 1990 and then globalised after 2003. PE’s institutionalisation was furthered by: (a) the increasing search for discourses that highlighted individual agency of self-declared ‘peace educators’; (b) educational expansion that generated a greater demand for so-called best practices; and (c) the active role of professionals working on organisations such as UNESCO, UNICEF and the identified international organisations. We recognised five loosely coupled narratives: PE’s (a) philosophical foundations and relationship to critical pedagogy; (b) application to improve international relationships; c) solution to internal conflicts; (d) measurements of interventions; (e) linkages to religion. We reflect on the implications of PE as an educational discourse in curricular reforms.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1080/14767724.2019.1665988

ISSN: 1476-7724

Language: English

ISSN: 1071-6246

Language: English

ISSN: 1071-6246

Language: English

ISSN: 1054-0040

Language: English

ISSN: 0889-5643