Education Commons^™

Finding Roots In The Montessori Social Studies Curriculum, Kimberly Torres

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This action research aimed to determine if an equity audit of the Montessori social studies curriculum and learning about the researcher’s culture impacted professional self-efficacy and resilience. This six-week intervention and study was a self-study through daily regimented activities. Three weeks were used to learn more about the researcher’s own culture and history. Three additional weeks were dedicated to the equity audit process, where the researcher revised original lessons or created new, culturally sustaining lessons to augment the curriculum. The data collected was completed daily using four tools: an attitude scale, a guided questionnaire, a reflective journal, and finally during …

Filling The Gap: Phonological Awareness Activities For A Montessori Kindergarten, Shauna A. Aranas

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

Phonological Awareness in Kindergarten 2 Abstract This action research was conducted to determine if small group explicit phonological awareness (PA) instruction using materials from Early Reading Mastery (Klein, 2015) and Words Their Way (Bear et al., 2006) would increase students’ ability to segment phonemes (i.e., break words into sounds) and build three letter consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words. The research was completed in a full-day public suburban Montessori kindergarten. Data was collected using phonological awareness tests, a teacher adapted spelling test, tally sheet, and researcher’s log. Pre-test data was used to create homogenous small groups for the four-week intervention. Explicitly worded lessons …

Children And Food Acceptance, Matti Tuuri

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

Abstract

This study was designed to investigate a child’s willingness to eat certain foods using three settings. The likelihood of a child to try a food was examined using teacher modeling with positive language, involvement with preparation and peer influence. The study sought to determine which setting was more likely to encourage a pre-school aged child to partake of the offered food. Included in this study were 20 pre-school children at a New York City private Montessori school. Data sources included pre and post study parent surveys, a structured student interview and observational data in the form of field notes …

How Does Parent Nutrition Education Change What Children Bring For Lunch?, Theresa A. Brandl

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

Abstract The intent of this action research was to see if parent nutrition education changed what parents packed in their children’s lunches. This study was conducted at a Colorado Montessori school enrolling infants through kindergartners. Data sources included teacher observation before and after the nutrition classes, a pre-class parental survey on nutrition knowledge and topic needs, a teacher journal, and a post-class evaluation. Results showed that after the class, five out of seven students’ lunches changed 20 to 60%. Parents incorporated ideas learned from the class and ways to entice picky eaters. Based on this action research project, the school …

The Impact Of Parent Involvement On Preschool English Language Learners' Ability To Learn The English Language, Ann Marie T. Torres, Tu Cam Tran

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

Abstract

Montessori preschool children who are English Language Learners (ELL) age three to five, consisting of one female and six males. It was conducted in two different preschool classrooms, focusing on literacy skills as well as oral communication skills. The direct aim of the study was to help children successfully learn English as their second language while keeping their native language. Researchers also investigated whether parental involvement increased the ability of ELLs to learn the English language. Data collection procedures utilized were: (1) parent interviews, (2) observation and anecdotal records, (3) pretest, and (4) post-test. A take-home literacy kit was …