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Full-Text Articles in Education
The Effects Of Using Computer And Ipad Story-Writing Applications For Creative Writing With Kinder Year Students In A Montessori Early Childhood Program, Ruth Ann Christensen
The Effects Of Using Computer And Ipad Story-Writing Applications For Creative Writing With Kinder Year Students In A Montessori Early Childhood Program, Ruth Ann Christensen
Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers
This study investigated the viability and implications of technology-assisted story writing with kinder year students. Seven kinder year students at a private Montessori school participated in the study. Pre- and post-study conferences and Likert scales determined story writing skills and attitudes. These were followed by one-on-one storywriting sessions using a variety of story-writing tools. Students were given the choice of story-writing method at each session. Individual sessions were evaluated and completed stories compared to a rubric of fundamental story-writing elements. Stories written by the students improved with the use of computer and iPad programs, but independent story writing was not …
Effect Of Self-Regulatory Behaviors On Task Completion, Leslie M. Wertz
Effect Of Self-Regulatory Behaviors On Task Completion, Leslie M. Wertz
Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers
This study sought to determine if the implementation of a cyclical process of student goal setting, monitoring of progress, and reflection would improve task performance and intrinsic motivation in middle school learners. Fifteen upper-elementary children in a public Montessori classroom were selected and grouped according to student and teacher perception of their performance the previous year. Prior to the intervention, students completed an assessment of their self-regulation abilities. All students received lessons on goal setting, monitoring, and reflection with the use of a self-regulation notebook to make themselves aware of the standards, set goals, track their progress, and reflect on …
The Effect Of Parent Nights On Parents’ Involvement In Homework Support For Children, Samantha Thelemann
The Effect Of Parent Nights On Parents’ Involvement In Homework Support For Children, Samantha Thelemann
Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers
The presented research was performed to answer a specific question. What is the effect of an indepth Parent Orientation Evening and an Open House Material Night on parents’ involvement in homework support for their children in a mixed 1st – 3 rd grade Montessori classroom? The study consisted of fifteen students and their guardians. The six weeks of exploration began with a Parent Orientation Evening. It continued with data collection in Math Facts and Spelling Words Practice Sheets, Teacher and Parent Running Record, an Open House Material Night, and Parent Attitude Scales. The research found the two times guardians were …
Supporting Narrative Writing Proficiency And Engagement In A Montessori Upper Elementary Classroom Through The Writing Workshop Model And 6+1 Traits Of Writing, Kirstin A. Nordhaus
Supporting Narrative Writing Proficiency And Engagement In A Montessori Upper Elementary Classroom Through The Writing Workshop Model And 6+1 Traits Of Writing, Kirstin A. Nordhaus
Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers
This action research project set out to determine the effects of daily writing workshop lessons, including the 6+1 Traits of Writing vocabulary, on student writing proficiency and engagement. An upper elementary classroom of 17 students, consisting of nine fourth graders and eight fifth graders, in an independent, suburban Montessori school participated in this study. Students completed a five-week narrative writing unit from Calkins, Ochs, & Luick’s (2017) Up the Ladder curriculum. The teacher-researcher collected data through observation, writing prompts scored using a 6+1 Traits of Writing rubric, student feedback forms, Bottomley, Henk, & Melnick’s (1997/1998) Writer Self-Perception Scale, and small …
The Effects Of Collaboration On Teacher Empowerment, Brittany Kay Feinauer
The Effects Of Collaboration On Teacher Empowerment, Brittany Kay Feinauer
Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers
The purpose of this action research project was to measure the effects that collaborative curriculum planning had on three early childhood classrooms in a private Montessori school. The study population included six early childhood teachers who collectively designed a curriculum and helped collect data for the first seven weeks of the intervention. Each participant filled out a teacher feedback form which was based on Spreitzer’s (1995) psychological empowerment scale to measure changes in perceptions of four different aspects of empowerment: meaning, competence, self-determination, and impact. The primary researcher also analyzed data from individual teacher journals, notes from weekly discussions, and …
Practicing Freedom: Effects Of Personal Anti-Racist Engagement On A Montessori Educator's Experience, Maggie Mccaffrey
Practicing Freedom: Effects Of Personal Anti-Racist Engagement On A Montessori Educator's Experience, Maggie Mccaffrey
Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers
This self-study was designed to assess the effects of engagement with antiracist media on the work of a Montessori educator in the classroom. Conducted over eight weeks, the study used nightly readings, daily reflections, a tally of daily antiracist thoughts, and a scale of one through five measuring the participant’s optimism regarding the integration of antiracist pedagogy with Montessori philosophy and practice. The study was performed at a racially and economically diverse private Montessori school in a Midwestern metropolitan area in a class of twenty children ranging from 2.7 to 5 years old. The results indicated that, although the intervention …
Aerobic Exercise And Its Effect On Students’ Readiness To Learn, Shanan K. Zollinger
Aerobic Exercise And Its Effect On Students’ Readiness To Learn, Shanan K. Zollinger
Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers
The purpose of this research was to test if aerobic exercise done before academic work would improve student learning readiness which includes increased alertness, longer periods of concentration and a resilience in doing work. The six-week study incorporated twenty-minutes of aerobic exercise every morning and involved 26 students between the ages of 9 and 12 years in a Montessori classroom. Data collection included pre and post surveys on student energy levels, exercise logs filled out by each student daily, on-task observation sheets and levels of attention observation sheets done by myself daily for the first thirty-minutes to evaluate students’ depth …
Movement Interventions For Appropriate And Coordinated Movement, Brianna N. Blasberg
Movement Interventions For Appropriate And Coordinated Movement, Brianna N. Blasberg
Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers
The purpose of this action research was to determine the effect of fundamental movement lessons and independent movement jobs on appropriate and coordinated movement as well as focus of students. Twenty-five students from a lower elementary class of first, second, and third graders in a public Montessori school participated in the study. Data was collected over a period of six weeks using a coordination scale, student feedback, work plans, and time on task observations. Results show a positive correlation between movement intervention and student coordination, on task behavior, focus, and productivity. All students reported positive associations with the movement jobs …
Using Mindfulness To Self-Regulate In The Upper Elementary Classroom, Ashleigh L. Bartz
Using Mindfulness To Self-Regulate In The Upper Elementary Classroom, Ashleigh L. Bartz
Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers
The purpose of this research was to determine the effects on students’ ability to self regulate while learning about daily mindfulness lessons. The study took place over the course of six weeks in an upper elementary class of 20 students, including four fourth graders, nine fifth graders, and seven sixth graders. The study was conducted in a rural public Montessori school in the Midwest. Students participated in a six-week mindfulness unit from The Mind Up Curriculum (The Hawn Foundation, 2011). The researcher collected data through a pre-and postassessment, students’ self reflections and graphs, researcher’s observation, and researcher’s daily journal. The …
Building Peer Independence Among Children, Sienna D. Kuhn
Building Peer Independence Among Children, Sienna D. Kuhn
Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers
The research was conducted to determine if grace and courtesy lessons could increase the peer to peer reliance in a new community of 12 children ranging in age from thirty-three months to four years old at a private Montessori school in a metropolitan area. It is rare to experience starting a new community and only having 12 children of the same relative age in a Montessori school. The study was conducted with grace and courtesy lessons, given an average of three times a week, on how to ask other peers for help and how to offer help to others. Data …
The Effect Of Background Baroque Music On Work Accomplishment And Student Concentration On Days Of Rapid Weather Changes., Dayani A. Pieri
The Effect Of Background Baroque Music On Work Accomplishment And Student Concentration On Days Of Rapid Weather Changes., Dayani A. Pieri
Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers
This study used Baroque background music to mitigate the effects of weather variables on 12 students of a Montessori elementary classroom. The weather forecast data were gathered from the National Weather Service. Two student feedback forms gauged attitudes towards the music and academic activities, focus, and accomplished work. A teacher tally chart marked daily observations of behavior. The study utilized Microsoft Excel with methods of descriptive data analyses, t-tests, and regression analysis. Student appreciation of music varied, but the children’s affinity for music remained high. It is unclear whether the music created a positive mindset. The Baroque background music contributed …
The Effect Of Student-Led Conferencing At School And At Home On Goal-Setting, Goal-Fulfillment, Effort, Achievement, Intrinsic Motivation, And Satisfaction For Montessori Lower Elementary 3rd Year Students., Timothy David Blake Schwartz
The Effect Of Student-Led Conferencing At School And At Home On Goal-Setting, Goal-Fulfillment, Effort, Achievement, Intrinsic Motivation, And Satisfaction For Montessori Lower Elementary 3rd Year Students., Timothy David Blake Schwartz
Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers
This study was designed to determine the effect of weekly student-led conferences (both at-home and at-school) on goal setting, goal fulfillment, effort, achievement, intrinsic motivation, and satisfaction. One teacher, eight Montessori third-year lower elementary students, and eight parents participated in the study for six weeks. Baseline data on goal setting and fulfillment was collected and analyzed. Guiding questions designed to encourage and support the students formed the content of the conferences. Pre- and post-intervention surveys were administered. The results showed that while the intervention did not help the students set and fulfill greater quantities of goals, it did have a …
How Acts Of Kindness Facilitate Prosocial Behaviors In An Early Childhood Montessori Classroom, April L. Malley
How Acts Of Kindness Facilitate Prosocial Behaviors In An Early Childhood Montessori Classroom, April L. Malley
Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers
This action research project examined how the implementation of Kindness Guidelines affected prosocial behavior among Early Childhood students. The setting was a private Montessori school, with 18 children ages two to five-years-old. Guidelines were developed using child-generated ideas on how to be kind to themselves, others, and the environment, along with teacher-made materials that illustrated acts of kindness and emotional awareness. Implementation of the intervention lasted six weeks with 20 days of data collected during two 15-20 minute observations per day. Positive and negative behaviors were recorded using tally sheets and an observation journal. Use of teacher-made materials was tracked …
The Effects Of Montessori’S “Walking On The Line” Activity On Student Engagement And Concentration, Emily S. Leutgeb
The Effects Of Montessori’S “Walking On The Line” Activity On Student Engagement And Concentration, Emily S. Leutgeb
Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers
This paper investigates whether and to what degree Montessori’s “Walking on the Line” activity affected student engagement and concentration. This study took place in a private Montessori classroom serving twenty students, aged 33 months through five years. Data was collected using four tools on line usage, engagement, and concentration: a tally of how many times students walked the line, a tally measuring how engaged students appeared while working in the classroom, how long students concentrated following a lesson, and a professional journal. All but the line usage tool gathered baseline data five days before the intervention. Results were inconclusive. While …
Effects Of Grading On Student Learning And Alternative Assessment Strategies, Roxanna M. Krawczyk
Effects Of Grading On Student Learning And Alternative Assessment Strategies, Roxanna M. Krawczyk
Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers
The purpose of this study was to investigate what effect an alternative assessment strategy would have on students’ engagement, motivation, and overall learning in an urban, private Montessori middle school program located in the Midwest. Two teachers and 13 students participated in two phases (one social studies and one science unit) over the course of six weeks. Teacher-assigned grades on class and homework were removed and replaced with student-determined final grades based on self-assessment using collaboratively created rubrics and individual portfolios. Students kept daily learning logs and completed a pre- and post-unit survey designed to measure their level of engagement, …
Does Storytelling Affect Story Writing In A Lower Elementary Classroom?, Jennifer N. Johnson
Does Storytelling Affect Story Writing In A Lower Elementary Classroom?, Jennifer N. Johnson
Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers
This study investigated the impact an oral storytelling component had on students’ story writing. The study took place over six weeks in an Elementary classroom at a small independent Montessori school. Eight Lower Elementary students (ages 6-9) listened to stories told by the teacher, or orally told ideas for their stories, prior to thirty minutes of story writing. Also, approximately halfway through the study, the students participated in a storytelling workshop conducted by a professional storyteller. Data sources included pre-intervention and weekly writing samples, engagement observations, a writing rubric to code the writing samples and a student writing attitude scale …
Storytelling And Emotional Response To Conflict, Angela K. Boris
Storytelling And Emotional Response To Conflict, Angela K. Boris
Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers
This research was conducted to assess the impact of daily oral storytelling and emotional response to conflict in preschool aged children. Research was done in a Montessori primary classroom with 23 students between the ages of two-and a-half and six years old. Quantitative data included tallies and averages of the total number of conflicts per week and per child and a conflict checklist to monitor any changes in language and behavior used in times of conflict. Qualitative data included observational field notes to evaluate children’s responses to and repetition of oral storytelling and a reflective journal to record any changes …
Grace And Courtesy In Living With Conflict In The Montessori Children’S House, Katie J. Gregoire
Grace And Courtesy In Living With Conflict In The Montessori Children’S House, Katie J. Gregoire
Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers
The purpose of this research was to determine in what ways increased role-play lessons of grace and courtesy affected conflict resolution in an early childhood classroom. This research study was conducted at a private Montessori school in a midwestern metropolitan area. The sixweek study was completed in a classroom with 29 children, ranging in age from thirty-three months to six years old. During the study, data was collected on the number of conflicts and grace and courtesy lessons. Data was also collected on levels of cooperation and use of respectful language among children, as observed and reflected on, by the …
Supporting Conflict Resolution In An Early Childhood Montessori Environment, Megan C. Andrews
Supporting Conflict Resolution In An Early Childhood Montessori Environment, Megan C. Andrews
Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers
The study aimed to determine in what way daily grace and courtesy lessons and more thoughtful, consistent adult intervention would affect children’s responses to conflict in an early childhood Montessori environment. There were 17 participants between the ages of three and six in an independent Montessori school in Northern Michigan. The researcher gave the children daily lessons on aspects of conflict resolution, used a scripted intervention strategy during conflict, and implemented three guided discussions throughout the course of the study. The researcher collected data by tallying number of conflicts, recording responses during guided discussions, recording details and language of each …
Montessori Parent Education: An Action Research Report, Sarah C. Irving
Montessori Parent Education: An Action Research Report, Sarah C. Irving
Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers
This study sought to improve parent knowledge about the Montessori curriculum at a public Montessori school in British Columbia, Canada. Nineteen parents from a grade 1/2/3 class participated. Prior to six weeks of interventions, a parent question log was kept, and baseline data was collected from students and their parents. The teacher hosted one parent evening, three in-class observations for parents, started a Montessori magazine library, and featured a section on Montessori in the home and material use on the class blog. Data collection tools were used throughout the research to gain feedback from parents. Research concluded that parent knowledge …
The Affects Of Nature Based Learning On Children’S Eco-Centric Attitudes, Nicolette A. Bidell
The Affects Of Nature Based Learning On Children’S Eco-Centric Attitudes, Nicolette A. Bidell
Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers
The purpose of this action research study was to discover if exposure to nature-based education would increase student’s eco-centric views of the environment. The intervention took place over a four week period at a private Montessori school in France. 11 students and their parents participated in the study. Students ranged in age from 2 to 3 years. Qualitative and quantitative data were both collected via a parent questionnaire, pre and post student surveys, daily observations, and a teacher reflection journal. Analysis of the data revealed that the more days a child participated in the nature-based lessons and activities, the more …
Goal Setting And Choice On Student Motivation, Donna K. Dodge
Goal Setting And Choice On Student Motivation, Donna K. Dodge
Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers
The purpose of this research is to determine what effect weekly conferences and goal setting opportunities have on the motivation of kindergarten children, in a multi-age (3-6 year-old) Montessori early childhood classroom in the Midwest. The goal was for children to become selfmotivated to choose and practice independent work that is developmentally appropriate. Data was collected before, during, and after the project using an observational checklist to determine the effectiveness of implementing goal setting and conferences with students. The research showed that writing goals in a journal was helpful for the majority of students. The students involved in the study …