Early Childhood Education Commons^™

The Effects Of Earth-Conscious Art Materials On Early Childhood Montessori Students’ Environmental Awareness, Danni Wei

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This action research project investigates the effect of providing earth-conscious materials in the art curriculum on early childhood Montessori students' environmental awareness. The participants for this study were seven preschool students at a private, home-based Montessori school in the urban Western United States. The research design was qualitative and quantitative, utilizing field notes, observational notes, behavioral tally sheets, and group conversational questionnaires to gather information on students' environmental awareness. The students' mean eco-affinity responses increased by 16%, while their mean environmental awareness responses increased by 23%. The frequency of material usage positively correlated with the frequency of environmental actions. The …