A meta-analysis of the effects of Montessori education on five fields of development and learning in preschool and school-age children

This meta-analysis examines the effects of Montessori Education (ME) on five dimensions of development and learning in preschool and school-age children. It includes data from 33 experimental or quasi-experimental studies comparing ME with other pedagogical approaches (268 effect sizes; n = 21,67). These studies were conducted in North-America, Asia and Europe, and published between 1991 and 2021. Effect size estimated using Hedges’ unbiased g, and a 3-level multilevel meta-analytic approach applied due to the dependency among the effect sizes obtained from the same study. Results showed that ME’s effects on development and learning are positive and vary from moderate to high, depending on the dimension considered: cognitive abilities (g = 0.17), social skills (g = 0.22), creativity (g = 0.25), motor skills (g = 0.27), and academic achievement (g = 1.10). Analyses of different moderators did not reveal differences by school level, type of publication and continent.     

Conflicts and resistance: potentials for democracy learning in preschool

The study aims to develop knowledge about learning for democracy in ECEC, through investigating acts of resistance in conflicts and examine these as potentials for democracy learning. The study is informed by Mouffe's theoretical ideas about conflicts as a prerequisite for democracy. The research questions are: What kind of conflicts can be identified in everyday interactions in preschool? How do children and teachers express and maintain resistance in conflicts? What potentials for democracy learning are there in such acts? Data consist of video observations of interactions in four Swedish preschools. The analyses of the interactions comprised various readings to identify expressions of conflicts and ways to communicate resistance. Ethical considerations were paramount to ensure that the studies met the ethical requirements. Identified conflicts are described in terms of qualities of space: (a) Space for diversity illustrates openness for different opinions to be articulated and heard: (b) Space for unity illustrates how alliance-building and authority create conditions and restrictions for opinions to be articulated, heard and/or neglected. Playfulness, courage and emotions are important traits for resistance and both agonism and antagonism appear to be at play. The conflicts identified offer both possibilities and obstacles in learning for democracy.     

我国学龄人口变动及其对农村中小学布局的影响

学龄人口变动影响基础教育的发展,是制订义务教育及师范教育发展规划的首要依据与出发点。本文以当前人口状况为背景探讨学龄人口与农村基础教育的关系及学龄人口变动对农村中小学布局的影响。     

Validity of the K-ABC for a black preschool population

The validity of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) was investigated with a sample of Black low SES preschool children. The sample consisted of 38 Black children who were enrolled in a Head Start program. The Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (SB-LM) was used as a criterion against which to compare K-ABC scores. While some support was obtained for the convergent and construct validity of the K-ABC, the results of this study suggest it may be no more culture fair for Black preschool children than is the SB-LM.     

Development and validation of the preschool learning behaviors scale

This article presents the design, national standardization, and validation of the Preschool Learning Behaviors Scale (McDermott, Green, Francis, & Stott, 2000). A normative sample (N = 100) of 3‐ to 5–1/2‐year‐olds was configured to the U.S. Census, wherewith factor analyses yielded distinct and reliable dimensions of Competence Motivation, Attention/Persistence, and Attitude Toward Learning. The solution was invariant in an independent national sample (N = 170) and generalizable across child sex, age, ethnicity, and parent education level. Three‐week stability and interobserver agreement were supported with a local Head Start sample (N = 52). Bivariate and canonical correlations demonstrated validity convergence with indices of social skills, divergence from behavior problems, and substantial independence from cognitive ability. Implications and future research are considered. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Use of the WISC-R with a learning disabled population: Some diagnostic implications

A group of 41 learning disabled children in Hawaii, aged 6 to 151/2, were tested on the WISC-R. Two main questions were explored: (a) Do the separate WISC-R tests assess “g” for learning disabled children to the same degree that they do for normal children? (b) Is there significantly more scatter among the tests for learning disabled than for normal youngsters? The answers to these questions were interpreted in terms of their diagnostic significance.     

Exploring a pluralist understanding of learning for sustainability and its implications for outdoor education practice

This article explores a pluralist understanding of learning for sustainability in educational theory and relates it to outdoor education practice. In brief, this kind of learning can be described as a deep engagement with an individual’s multiple identities and the personal location in diverse geo-physical and socio-cultural surroundings. I identify the intersection of learning for sustainability and pluralism in three themes: learning as transformation, learning as participation and learning about identities and spaces. The reflections on what kind of learning outdoor education could seek to promote potentially help the field to clarify its role as a sustainable education approach. A programme designed to be responsive to both sustainability and pluralism would enable learners to explore the multifacetedness of a location and provide space for them to share and exchange individual experiences, perceptions and worldviews.     

高职高专学生词汇学习策略探讨及对教学的启示

词汇学习是语言学习的基础,良好的词汇学习策略是提高英语词汇学习的关键。高职高专学生个体差异明显,总体英语水平不高。本文以笔者所在校的部分学生为调查对象,以问卷调查的形式抽样调查了高职高专学生的词汇学习策略,用SPSS软件对调查结果进行分析,并以调查结果结果为基础,总结出一些对词汇教学的启示和建议。     

Integrating failure in case-based learning: a conceptual framework for failure classification and its instructional implications

Employing authentic cases experienced by practitioners in educational contexts is critical to expanding students’ experience and engaging students in authentic problems to promote their real-world problem-solving skills. Although in real life, practitioners experience both success and failure and learn from both, little research has been done so far to conceptualize why and how failure should be employed in case-based learning (CBL) as a way to develop students’ abilities to solve ill-structured problems. The goal of this paper is to theoretically justify the need for integrating failure cases in CBL to help students become better problem solvers. To achieve this, this paper attempted to approach failure from the perspective of human error and proposed a classification of failure based on the degree of explicitness of human error involved in problem solving. Based on discussions of potential benefits and challenges of integrating different types of failure cases in education, this paper also proposed instructional design strategies that can help facilitate better use of failure cases.

     

Chafing borderlands: obstacles for science teaching and learning in preschool teacher education

Cultural Studies of Science Education - This study examines preservice preschool teachers’ university science education experience. The empirical data are from a research and intervention...     

Processing of rapid auditory stimuli in school-age children referred for evaluation of learning disorders

Tallal hypothesized that reading disabled children have a domain-general deficit in processing rapidly occurring auditory stimuli that degrades speech perception, thereby limiting phonologic awareness and thus reading acquisition. She predicted they would be disproportionately affected by rapidly presented auditory stimuli. In this study, one hundred 7- to 11-year-old children with learning impairment (LI) and 243 non-learning impaired (NLI) children were evaluated on a two-tone auditory discrimination paradigm. LI committed more errors, but effects of timing were comparable. The same result was obtained for a subsample of good and poor readers. Task performance predicted reading, spelling, and calculation. Neural processes underlying perception of speech and other auditory stimuli may be less effective in poor readers; however, contrary to Tallal's hypothesis, rate may not be specifically affected.     

The role of environment in the development of reading skills: a longitudinal study of preschool and school-age measures

The purpose of this study was to extend previous studies on the influence of environmental measures on intelligence scores by examining how proximal and distal measures of children's environments in the preschool period and in the primary-grade period are related to their performance on reading achievement tests. Reading performance was explored using two approaches. The first approach involved the identification of children within a longitudinal sample who had poor reading skills at 8 years of age. The second approach used the full range of reading scores to explore whether factors influencing poor reading were different from those influencing good reading. Participants were 113 children, including 35 children with poor reading skills, who were part of a longitudinal study of cognitive development. Socioeconomic status (SES), Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME) scores at 3 and 10 years of age, and school-administered and individually administered reading achievement scores were obtained. Both SES and HOME scores were found to be related to reading abilities, but preschool environment measures were more strongly and consistently related to and predictive of reading scores. Differences in the patterns of correlations and the results of the predictive models were found between the full sample and the poor readers. Variables other than proximal and distal measures of the environment are involved in the development of reading skills.     

学前教育专业大学生专业承诺与学习倦怠研究

采用大学生专业承诺量表和学习倦怠量表对285名学前教育专业大学生专业承诺和学习倦怠状况及关系进行测量,结果表明学前教育专业大学生的专业承诺水平一般,而学习倦怠水平较高,且存在显著的性别差异和年级差异;学前教育专业学生的专业承诺与学习倦怠有显著负相关;情感承诺是其学习倦怠的重要预测变量。可以通过赋予学生专业选择自主权、提高学生专业认同感以及制定科学合理的学前教育专业教学计划提高其专业承诺水平,消除其学习倦怠心理。     

Policy changes in post–school learning for people with disabilities and learning difficulties and the implications for practice

In this article Liz Maudslay argues that a strong infrastructure is required in the post–school sector if people with disabilities and learning difficulties are to benefit from the recent changes in post–school education. In her analysis of these legislative changes she considers the implications of issues such as transition, the place of specialist colleges, excluded groups and the role of multi–agency working.     

Mapping the digital divide in Britain: implications for learning and education

The internet presents many potential opportunities for people to learn for both formal and informal purposes. However, not everyone is able to make the most of the internet for learning. This paper utilises quantitative nationally representative survey data of internet use in Britain in order to explore the digital divide in relation to learning activities online. The results from this analysis give a detailed picture of the digital divide in Britain; illustrating those who are non‐users and users of the internet and the reasons that are important in explaining the diversity in non‐use and use of the internet for learning (e.g., age, educational background, skills, attitudes and experience). The findings may assist in the development of policies that seek to support under‐served groups to make the most effective use of the internet for formal and informal learning opportunities.     

Reception learning and self-discovery learning in histology: Students' perceptions and their implications for assessing the effectiveness of different learning modalities

Two questionnaires were used to investigate students' perceptions of their motivation to opt for reception learning (RL) or self‐discovery learning (SDL) in histology and their choices of complementary learning strategies (CLS). The results demonstrated that the motivation to attend RL sessions was higher than the motivation to attend SDL to gain new knowledge (P < 0.01) and to apply this acquired knowledge to diagnosis (P < 0.01), therapy (P < 0.01), and research (P < 0.05). Students also showed a stronger preference for RL based on motivations related to leadership (P < 0.01) and competition (P < 0.01), although the rates were very low in both cases (≤ 1.9 ± 1.1). Statistically significant differences were found between male and female students for leadership (higher in males), responsibility (higher in females), and acquiring new knowledge (higher in females only in RL). This study's findings for students' preferred CLS strategies suggested a greater need for additional complementary resources after RL than after SDL (P < 0.01). In conclusion, RL was associated with a greater need for complementary training resources such as textbooks, atlases, the internet, audiovisual media, and tutorials, whereas SDL was associated with a greater need to orient teaching and training toward medical practice. These results suggest the need to reorient both types of learning processes to enhance their effectiveness in teaching histology, especially in the case of SDL, which should place more emphasis on clinically oriented knowledge. Anat Sci Educ. © 2012 American Association of Anatomists.