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Early Childhood Education Commons

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Full-Text Articles in Early Childhood Education

The Effects Of Family Education On Supporting Toddler Independence At Home And School, Karen Mitu Dec 2019

The Effects Of Family Education On Supporting Toddler Independence At Home And School, Karen Mitu

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The purpose of this paper is to bridge the gap between school and home environments through family education about Montessori philosophy and the importance of fostering independence. The study was conducted with eight families in the researcher’s Toddler class in Shanghai, China. The researcher derived data from observational records, logs, surveys, questionnaires, home visits, workshop evaluation forms and a semi-structured interview with parents. Families integrated the Montessori philosophy in their home by establishing a daily routine involving their child in simple tasks. An improvement in their child’s behavior, helpfulness and independence was noted by families. The accumulated evidence supports the …


"Parent Education: The Effects Of Educating Montessori Parents On The First Plane Of Development In The Kindergarten Year In A Mixed-Age Classroom", Marie Evelyn Pickard Dec 2019

"Parent Education: The Effects Of Educating Montessori Parents On The First Plane Of Development In The Kindergarten Year In A Mixed-Age Classroom", Marie Evelyn Pickard

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This study sought the effects of educating parents on Dr. Maria Montessori's first plane of development in a mixed-age kindergarten classroom in Southern California, USA. Students withdrawing before completing the Montessori kindergarten year formed the basis for tailoring an action research project that informs parents about the importance of Montessori's first plane of development through the lens of Parent Development Theory. The researcher first explored past action research on relevant Montessori parent education studies. Next, twenty-five parents from a mixed-age Montessori kindergarten class participated in a six-week study. The research concluded that parents' understanding and valuing of the Montessori kindergarten …


The Effects Of Character Education Literature Of Bucket Filling Strategies On The Ability Of 5-Year-Old Students To Self-Regulate In A Montessori Classroom, Margaret R. Kennedy Dec 2019

The Effects Of Character Education Literature Of Bucket Filling Strategies On The Ability Of 5-Year-Old Students To Self-Regulate In A Montessori Classroom, Margaret R. Kennedy

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The purpose of this action research project was to explore how the implementation of bucket filling could affect self-regulation in 5-year-olds in a Montessori classroom. The bucket filling theme is character education children’s literature. The collection of data for this action research utilized a mixed method of quantitative and qualitative, including the pre- and post-Preschool Self-Regulation Assessment, daily observation reflections, and tally sheets of behaviors. The data collected and analyzed in this study use of bucket filling can have some effect on self-regulation skills in 5-year-olds in a Montessori classroom. Self-regulation is essential to success in the classroom and in …


The Effects Of Peace Education On Children’S Prosocial Behavior In An Early Childhood Classroom, Masako N. Brauneis Dec 2019

The Effects Of Peace Education On Children’S Prosocial Behavior In An Early Childhood Classroom, Masako N. Brauneis

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The purpose of this paper is to describe the effects of peace education on children’s prosocial behavior. This action research implemented peace education for six weeks in an early childhood classroom of 19 children, in the U.S., ages three to six. Qualitative data including interviews, observational logs, field notes, and a journal were collected. Quantitative data included a tally sheet of incidents and surveys of the children. The research concluded that peace education affected children’s prosocial behavior, increasing the number of prosocial behavior incidents, raising children’s awareness, knowledge, and skills for prosocial behavior, while positively impacting children’s prosocial behavior in …


The Effect Of Songs On Social-Emotional Literacy In An Early Childhood Classroom, Amy Feaver Dec 2019

The Effect Of Songs On Social-Emotional Literacy In An Early Childhood Classroom, Amy Feaver

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

Children in an early childhood Montessori classroom were taught songs that included words to label emotions and phrases for solving social conflicts. The purpose of this research was to find out if children’s emotional vocabulary and problem-solving strategies would be affected by learning words and phrases from songs about feelings and communication for six weeks. Data was collected through comparing words known to describe emotions on faces of an emotion chart, phrases known to communicate feelings, and records of children’s behaviors and conflict resolution strategies both pre and post-intervention. The results showed an increase in both the amount of words …


Physical Activity Improving Executive Functioning Behaviors In Montessori Children Ages 3-12, Melissa Patten, Amanda Bodden May 2019

Physical Activity Improving Executive Functioning Behaviors In Montessori Children Ages 3-12, Melissa Patten, Amanda Bodden

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

Executive function refers to the intellectual processes necessary for goal-directed cognition and behavior, which develop across childhood and adolescence. This study focused on the effects of physical activity on concentration and focus, prior to academic lessons, in urban Montessori classrooms ages 3-12. This study was administered for six weeks utilizing a thematic calendar of physical activities. The tools used for data collection were: a pre-dialogue with teachers, pre and post-assessments, control tallies, on and off-task observation counts and a post-satisfaction survey. Movement interventions improved focus and concentration by an average of 27%. The data collected supported our hypothesis that purposeful …


Breaking Gender Barriers Through Literature In The Elementary And Pre-School Classroom, Bonnie J. Frieden, Jenna G. Laffin May 2019

Breaking Gender Barriers Through Literature In The Elementary And Pre-School Classroom, Bonnie J. Frieden, Jenna G. Laffin

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The following research assesses how reading and discussing stories that counter gender stereotypes can increase cooperation and decrease conflict between primary- and elementary-aged students of different genders, as well as to expand students’ conceptions of self and others beyond traditional gender expectations. The six-week study involved 50 participants total, 21 between the ages of 3 and 6 and 29 between the ages of 6 and 9 at two separate Montessori public charter schools in Minnesota. Each participant completed an activity pre- and post-intervention concerning the feminine and masculine traits that they would choose to describe themselves and those that could …


The Effects Of Implementing Montessori At Home On Children’S Independence And Self-Regulation In A Montessori Classroom, Betty Namuddu, Emily Vance, Victoria Litton May 2019

The Effects Of Implementing Montessori At Home On Children’S Independence And Self-Regulation In A Montessori Classroom, Betty Namuddu, Emily Vance, Victoria Litton

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The ultimate goal of Montessori educators is to prepare the child, the whole child. One who is not only excelling academically, but also is independent, a critical thinker, and can collaborate with people from all different walks of life. The role of the Montessori educators is to prepare and guide children to independence, this is an increasingly difficult goal to achieve independence and self-regulation especially in the three to six, and six to nine age group. The Montessori guides have grappled with the disconnect between the home environment and school environment, citing it as the major obstacle to children’s independence. …


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 …


The Relationship Between Parent Education Of Sleep And Routine & Classroom Behavior Of Students At A Pee Dee Region Elementary School, Kristina Chandler, Jessica Webb May 2019

The Relationship Between Parent Education Of Sleep And Routine & Classroom Behavior Of Students At A Pee Dee Region Elementary School, Kristina Chandler, Jessica Webb

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This action research was carried out to determine if parent education of sleep and routine had an effect on classroom behavior (physical contact and defiance). The research was completed in two full day 4K (four-year-old) Montessori classrooms in a Pee Dee Region elementary school. Students and parents were included in the research. Data from parents was gathered using assessments and sleep diaries. Teacher data was gathered using reflection journals and tallying charts. Parents were provided weekly education on sleep and routine importance. There was no conclusive data to show that parent education directly affected classroom behavior. The researchers believe the …


Anti-Bias Multicultural Education Using Children’S Literature, Rebecca Yates May 2019

Anti-Bias Multicultural Education Using Children’S Literature, Rebecca Yates

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This action research project was completed to test the effects of reading and discussing multicultural children’s literature on young children’s positive self-concept and appreciation of human differences. The setting was a Montessori primary (preK-K) classroom of 18 children, ages two years 10 months to five years 10 months. Ten children were White, four were biracial, three were Asian American, and one was Latin American. Data was collected using a tally sheet, picture test, self-concept test, discussion log, and self-assessment journal. Readings took place each day and books centered on topics such as individuality, race, skin color, diversity, inclusion, and activism. …


The Effects Of Songs On Hmong Vocabulary Acquisition, Julie Thao May 2019

The Effects Of Songs On Hmong Vocabulary Acquisition, Julie Thao

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This action research assessed the effects of singing a song to learn language in a bilingual classroom. The research took place at a bilingual Hmong-English Montessori preschool program. 28 preschool-aged children participated in the research which was conducted over five weeks. Data sources included a parent questionnaire, vocabulary pre-test, vocabulary post-test with a follow-up conversation, daily observation logs, and tally sheet. The children were taught 16 Hmong vocabulary words with half the words sung to the tune of a common children’s song and the other half by simple reciting. The results from the vocabulary post-test showed that there was an …


The Effects Of Outdoor Activity On Concentration, Rebecca Hyatt May 2019

The Effects Of Outdoor Activity On Concentration, Rebecca Hyatt

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This action research project examined how the incorporation of outdoor activities impacted the concentration of children in a primary Montessori classroom. Twenty-one children, between the ages of three and six years old, participated in the research for six weeks. The researcher facilitated daily morning nature walks for the whole group, as well as, invited children to participate in individual and small group presentations on outdoor work. The researcher collected data using daily observational notes and observational tally sheets, a self-reflection journal, and a post-implementation student survey. The data numbers reflect an increase in concentration during the study. Pre-intervention, 72% of …


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 …