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Full-Text Articles in Education

I See You, I Feel Me: Journaling For Confidence, Value, And Collective Efficacy Among Partner Teachers, Laura L. Asher Dec 2021

I See You, I Feel Me: Journaling For Confidence, Value, And Collective Efficacy Among Partner Teachers, Laura L. Asher

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This action research sought to determine whether implementing a journaling practice that combined observation with self-reflection would improve the collective efficacy of an educational team. The research took place over one month in the single, early childhood classroom of a private Montessori school in the Midwest. Four partner teachers participated in the study: owner, director, and assistants. The project began with team-building exercises emphasizing open communication. The intervention required participants to record daily observations of partner teachers with corresponding reactions into personal I See You, I Feel Me journals. Data was collected through weekly attitude assessments, pre- and post-intervention focus …


Teaching Peace: The Effects Of Concentrated Interaction With Anti-Racist/Anti-Bias Media On A Montessori Guide’S Practice, Sarah Streyle Dec 2020

Teaching Peace: The Effects Of Concentrated Interaction With Anti-Racist/Anti-Bias Media On A Montessori Guide’S Practice, Sarah Streyle

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The purpose of this self-study was to examine the effects of concentrated interaction with anti-bias/anti-racist media on a Montessori guide’s practice. It was conducted over a total of six weeks. The intervention included a pre- and post- survey of understanding, nightly media interactions, daily reflection journaling, daily tallies of anti-bias/anti-racist thoughts during the school day, and a daily confidence scale to measure the participant’s confidence to integrate anti-bias/anti-racist concepts into her teaching practice. The study was completed at a private Montessori school in a medium-sized midwestern town, with an early childhood classroom of fifteen three- to five-year-old students of diverse …


Behavioral Effects Of Outdoor Learning On Primary Students, Makena Cameron, Samantha Mcgue May 2019

Behavioral Effects Of Outdoor Learning On Primary Students, Makena Cameron, Samantha Mcgue

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

Children have an innate sense of curiosity about nature. “When children come in contact with nature, they reveal their strength” (Montessori, 1967, pg. 69) and therefore, outdoor education can be a useful learning tool for students. Whether being outdoors or bringing the nature-based activities inside, children have the opportunity to work with all of their senses. A growing number of schools around the United States have begun adding outdoor learning to their curriculum (Lieberman & Hoody, 1998) to bring a positive outcome to students’ behavior. Outdoor learning provides another environment that children can thrive in and hopefully benefit from. As …


Building Self-Efficacy As A First Year Primary Montessori Teacher, Lucy Trower May 2019

Building Self-Efficacy As A First Year Primary Montessori Teacher, Lucy Trower

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The purpose of this paper is to increase the self-efficacy of a first-year teacher, with a focus on increasing the subject’s comfort with the autonomy required of the position. The subject teaches in a Montessori classroom of preschool-aged children (designed for 3-6 year olds, serving 3 year olds) at a young school in an urban environment. This was done through interventions that focused on factors of vicarious experience and social persuasion, as informed by Albert Bandura’s research. Data was collected through surveys that measured self-efficacy, satisfaction with life and job satisfaction, and through daily physical, mental, and emotional scales. Written …


Montessori Family Education, Katharina Vidojevic May 2018

Montessori Family Education, Katharina Vidojevic

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

Montessori family education is a stepping stone in forming a bridge between school and home. This action research is focused on increasing familial attendance in Montessori education classes. Using quantitative and qualitative research methods are important tools in discovering the needs of the school community. Attendance, Likert scales and feedback questionnaires were useful tools in reaching out to the familial community. Implementing the changes based on the research results showed a drastic increase in attendance. With families leading busy lives, the school meeting them half way showed positive quantitative and qualitative results. This study had a maximum of 28 families …


Practicing Freedom: Effects Of Personal Anti-Racist Engagement On A Montessori Educator's Experience, Maggie Mccaffrey Dec 2017

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 …


Effects Of Mentorship On Teacher Classroom Preparedness At The Secondary Level, Kent Janikula May 2017

Effects Of Mentorship On Teacher Classroom Preparedness At The Secondary Level, Kent Janikula

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to see what effect a teacher mentorship program would have on teacher’s classroom preparedness at a public Middle and High school in the rural Midwest. Twelve teachers participated in the six-week study; six were mentors, the other six mentees. All teachers completed a self-evaluation at the beginning of the study. In the first week, teachers were interviewed regarding aspects of the mentorship program and how it had affected their level of preparedness for the classroom. During the study, mentees filled out time sheets recording how much time they were spending outside of the school …


Parent Involvement In Kindergarten, Martine A. Reinhardt Dec 2016

Parent Involvement In Kindergarten, Martine A. Reinhardt

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This action research investigated the effects of parent engagement strategies on the level of parent involvement in kindergarten. Parents may have barriers preventing them from becoming more involved in their child’s schooling. Many parents have younger children they take care of, work full time jobs, and are unaware of how they can get more involved at home. In this study, various strategies were implemented to help increase levels of engagement. Parents were asked to track the amount of time they spent working with their child at home on school related activities. Activities and ideas were sent home to generate discussions …


Mindfulness Activities In Teacher Spiritual Preparation, Suzette Quiros Dec 2016

Mindfulness Activities In Teacher Spiritual Preparation, Suzette Quiros

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This action research project examined the effects of mindfulness activities on teacher spirituality. It was conducted during a two-month Early Childhood Montessori teacher training course with eight female teachers between the ages of 25 and 50. Data was collected with the use of attitude scales, self-reflection journals, field notes and conversations. Conclusions showed participants perceived an increase in spirituality and gained inner peace, patience, kindness, humility, self-respect. They also showed they gained the ability to let go of negative energy, achieving calmness and positivism. Further research could be conducted to see the effects of teacher spirituality on the classroom environment …


Paternal Involvement In Children’S Education Collaborative Investigation To Increase Father Interest, Nina A. Costello Aug 2014

Paternal Involvement In Children’S Education Collaborative Investigation To Increase Father Interest, Nina A. Costello

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to improve ways in which I include parents in communication and student success strategies. The participants were 15 parents of young children currently enrolled in my program at an elementary school. The family form was designed to gather ideas and suggestions for improving parent-student-teacher communication and parent involvement. Five staff members were interviewed on their perspectives of techniques of communication with parents, ways they have tried to engage families, and ideas for creating lasting relationships with parents. In this work there was a focus on the understudied population of fathers in their children’s education. …


The Effects Of Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol On Student Content Knowledge And Teacher Performance In The Art Classroom, Jennifer Welle May 2014

The Effects Of Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol On Student Content Knowledge And Teacher Performance In The Art Classroom, Jennifer Welle

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The intent of the research was to determine the effects of teaching with the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol on student content knowledge and teacher performance in the art classroom. The research study took place in one middle school art classroom of 25 7th grade students, ranging in ages from 12-13. The data showed an overall increase in student performance and participation in relation to the amount of time spent focused on explicitly taught art content and vocabulary through their projects and improved performance from pretests to posttests. The results of this research indicate that using Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol may …