A Critical Review of Evidence-Based Literacy Instruction in Montessori Classrooms
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17161/jomr.v12i1.24162Schlagwörter:
Montessori, early literacy, science of reading, structured instruction, foundational skills, developmental pedagogyAbstract
Persistent national declines in early reading outcomes demand rigorously evidence-based literacy instruction. Although Montessori education is dismissed as purely constructivist and child-led, its literacy practices incorporate explicit, systematic, sequential, and multisensory methods that align closely with contemporary science-of-reading frameworks. This critical review synthesizes existing literature to examine how Montessori classrooms cultivate foundational reading skills—including phonological awareness, decoding, vocabulary, and comprehension—through developmentally responsive, hands-on, and sequential experiences. Key elements such as control of error, child autonomy, and structured teacher guidance are clarified, demonstrating how Montessori education integrates learner independence with systematic skill development. Empirical evidence from randomized controlled trials, large-scale analyses, meta-analyses, and teacher perspectives consistently shows that high-fidelity Montessori literacy instruction supports reading growth, executive function, and social-emotional development, with gains amplified by sustained program exposure. These findings suggest Montessori education effectively bridges the perceived divide between child-centered pedagogy and evidence-based literacy instruction, offering a model that is developmentally responsive and academically robust. Ensuring teacher expertise, instructional fidelity, and multiyear engagement is essential to translating Montessori pedagogy’s evidence-based practices into meaningful literacy outcomes for diverse and at-risk learners.
Literaturhinweise
Archer, A. L., & Hughes, C. A. (2011). Explicit instruction: Effective and efficient teaching. The Guilford Press.
Awes, A. (n.d.). Four important ways the Montessori school supports learners with dyslexia. Association Montessori Internationale. https://montessori-ami.org/trainingvoices/four-important-ways-montessori-school-supports-learners-dyslexia
Awes, A. (2014). Supporting the dyslexic child in the Montessori environment. The NAMTA Journal, 39(3), 171–207. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1183180.pdf
Beach, P. (2026). Literacy in Montessori schools: Perspectives from Canada, Mexico, and Italy. Early Childhood Education Journal, 54, 285–296. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-024-01821-7
Beck, I. L., McKeown, M. G., & Kucan, L. (2013). Bringing words to life: Robust vocabulary instruction (2nd ed.). The Guilford Press.
Bennetts, K., & Bone, J. (2019). Adult leadership and the development of children’s spirituality: Exploring Montessori’s concept of the prepared environment. International Journal of Children’s Spirituality, 24(4), 356–370. https://doi.org/10.1080/1364436X.2019.1685949
Birsh, J. R., Schedler, J., & Singer, R. A. (2018). Designing the learning environment and planning multisensory structured literacy lessons. In J. R. Birsh & S. Carreker (Eds.), Multisensory teaching of basic language skills (4th ed., pp. 679–715). Paul H. Brookes Publishing.
Brown, K., Powell, K., & Woodford, L. (2024). Montessori: Evidence based reading curricula [Data review]. Arizona Department of Education. https://www.azed.gov/sites/default/files/2024/07/Montessori%20an%20Evidence%20Based%20Reading%20Curricula.pdf
Brown, K. E., Woodford, L., & Powell, K. (2025). Reading achievement in Arizona public Montessori schools. Journal of Montessori Research, 11(2), 1–15. https://journals.ku.edu/jmr/article/view/23414/22077
The Children of the Code Project. (2010, June 6). Dr. Keith Stanovich: Matthew effects: Does reading make you smarter? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF6VKmMVWEc
Clark, C. A. (n.d.). Experience, exploration, expression. Association Montessori Internationale. https://montessori-ami.org/trainingvoices/experience-exploration-expression
Courtier, P., Gardes, M.-L., Van der Henst, J.-B., Noveck, I. A., Croset, M.-C., Epinat‐Cuclos, J., Léone, J., & Prado, J. (2021). Effects of Montessori education on the academic, cognitive, and social development of disadvantaged preschoolers: A randomized controlled study in the French public‐school system. Child Development, 92(5), 2069– 2088. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13575
Curatola, A. (2016). The contribution of Maria Montessori’s pedagogy and her educational action to modern inclusive policies. International Journal of Digital Literacy and Digital Competence, 7(4), 37–51. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJDLDC.2016100103
Demangeon, A., Claudel-Valentin, S., Aubry, A., & Tazouti, Y. (2023). A meta-analysis of the effects of Montessori education on five fields of development and learning in preschool and school-age children. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 73, Article 102182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2023.102182
Farrell, M. L., & White, N. C. (2018). Structured literacy instruction. In J. R. Birsh & S. Carreker (Eds.), Multisensory teaching of basic language skills (4th ed., pp. 35–80). Paul H. Brookes Publishing.
Frierson, P. R. (2016). Making room for children’s autonomy: Maria Montessori’s case for seeing children’s incapacity for autonomy as an external failing. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 50(3), 332– 350. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9752.12134
Gough, P. B., & Tunmer, W. E. (1986). Decoding, reading, and reading disability. Remedial and Special Education, 7(1), 6–10. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/074193258600700104
Grazzini, C. (2004). The four planes of development. The NAMTA Journal, 29(1), 27–61. https://keysoftheuniverse.com/4planesofdevelopment.pdf
Gutek, G. L., & Gutek, P. (2016). Bringing Montessori to America: S.S. McClure, Maria Montessori, and the campaign to publicize Montessori education. The University of Alabama Press.
Hennessy, N. E. (2018). Working with word meaning. In J. R. Birsh & S. Carreker (Eds.), Multisensory teaching of basic language skills (4th ed., pp. 558–595). Paul H. Brookes Publishing.
Joosten, A. M. (2013). Exercises of practical life: Introduction and list. The NAMTA Journal, 38(2), 5–34. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1077077.pdf
Joosten, A. M. (2016). Helping the child in the conquest of the written language. The NAMTA Journal, 41(1), 81–89. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1094700.pdf
Kamil, M. L., & Hiebert, E. H. (2005). The teaching and learning of vocabulary. In E. H. Hiebert & M. L. Kamil (Eds.), Teaching and learning vocabulary: Bringing research to practice (pp. 1–26). Routledge.
Klauda, S. L., & Guthrie, J. T. (2015). Comparing relations of motivation, engagement, and achievement among struggling and advanced adolescent readers. Reading & Writing, 28(2), 239– 269. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-014-9523-2
Knudsen, E. I. (2004). Sensitive periods in the development of the brain and behavior. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 16(8), 1412–1425. https://doi.org/10.1162/0898929042304796
Leonard, G. (2020). Designing environments that support the developing child. AMI Journal, 254–267. https://montessori-ami.org/sites/default/files/downloads/AMIJournal2020.pdf
Lexia. (2024, November 18). What is Scarborough’s Reading Rope? https://www.lexialearning.com/blog/what-is-scarboroughs-reading-rope
Lexia. (2025a, January 1). Orthographic mapping: Connections lead to literacy success. https://www.lexialearning.com/blog/orthographic-mapping-connections-lead-to-literacy-success
Lexia. (2025b, June 23). What is Structured Literacy? Understanding the 3 principles of Structured Literacy instruction. https://www.lexialearning.com/blog/the-3-principles-of-structured-literacy-instruction
Lillard, A., & Else-Quest, N. (2006). Evaluating Montessori education. Science, 313(5795), 1893– 1894. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED622858.pdf
Lillard, A. S. (2007). Montessori: The science behind the genius. Oxford University Press.
Lillard, A. S. (2021). Montessori as an alternative early childhood education. Early Child Development and Care, 191(7–8), 1196–1206. https://amshq.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/lillard-montessori-as-an-alternative-ja.pdf
Lillard, A. S., Jiang, R. H., & Tong, X. (2025). Perfect timing: Sensitive periods for Montessori education and long-term wellbeing. Frontiers in Developmental Psychology, 3, Article 1546451. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/developmental-psychology/articles/10.3389/fdpys.2025.1546451/full
Lyon, G. R. (1998, March 1). Why reading is not a natural process. Educational Leadership, 55(6). ISTE+ASCD. https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/why-reading-is-not-a-natural-process
Mavrič, M. (2020). The Montessori approach as a model of personalized instruction. Journal of Montessori Research, 6(2), 13–25. https://doi.org/10.17161/jomr.v6i2.13882
Moats, L. C. (2020a). Speech to print: Language essentials for teachers (3rd ed.). Paul H. Brookes Publishing.
Moats, L. C. (2020b). Teaching reading is rocket science: What expert teachers of reading should know and be able to do. American Federation of Teachers. https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/moats.pdf
Montessori, M. (1964). The Montessori Method. Schocken Books.
Montessori, M. (1965a). Dr. Montessori’s own handbook: A short guide to her ideas and materials. Schocken Books.
Montessori, M. (1965b). Spontaneous activity in education: The advanced Montessori method (F. Simmonds, Trans.). Schocken Books.
Montessori, M. (1967a). The absorbent mind. (C. A. Claremont, Trans.). Dell Publishing.
Montessori, M. (1967b). The discovery of the child. (M. J. Costello, Trans.). Ballantine Books.
Montessori, M. (2007). The formation of man (A. M. Joosten, Trans.). Montessori-Pierson Publishing.
Montessori, M. M. (2001). Dr. Montessori’s approach to language in the second phase of the child’s development. The NAMTA Journal, 26(2), 73–82. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ639696
Mooney, C. (2013). Theories of childhood: An introduction to Dewey, Montessori, Erikson, Piaget, and Vygotsky (2nd ed.). Redleaf Press.
National Center on Improving Literacy. (2017). Learning to read: “The Simple View of Reading.” https://www.improvingliteracy.org/resource/learning-to-read-the-simple-view-of-reading
National Center on Improving Literacy. (2024). Features of structured literacy instruction. https://www.improvingliteracy.org/resource/features-of-structured-literacy-instruction
National Reading Panel. (2000). Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction (NIH Publication No. 00-4769). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/nrp/smallbook
Perfetti, C., & Stafura, J. (2014). Word knowledge in a theory of reading comprehension. Scientific Studies of Reading, 18(1), 22–37.
Powell, M. (2000). Can Montessorians and constructivists really be friends? Montessori Life, 44–51.
Ramani, U. (n.d.). “I write! I write!”: The spontaneous development of writing in the young child. Association Montessori Internationale. https://montessori-ami.org/trainingvoices/spontaneous-development-writing
Randolph, J. J., Bryson, A., Menon, L., Henderson, D. K., Manuel, A. K., Michaels, S., Rosenstein, D. L. W., McPherson, W., O’Grady, R., & Lillard, A. S. (2023). Montessori education’s impact on academic and nonacademic outcomes: A systematic review. Campbell Systematic Review, 19(3), e1330-n/a.
Scarborough, H. S. (2001). Connecting early language and literacy to later reading (dis)abilities: Evidence, theory, and practice. In S. B. Neuman & D. K. Dickinson (Eds.), Handbook of early literacy research (pp. 97–110). Guilford Press.
Singer, R. (2018). Glossary. In J. R. Birsh & S. Carreker (Eds.), Multisensory teaching of basic language skills (4th ed., pp. 815–847). Paul H. Brookes Publishing.
Slater, B. A. (n.d.). Voices of AMI training: A truly insatiable desire for reading. Association Montessori Internationale. https://montessori-ami.org/sites/default/files/downloads/voices/DesireForReading.pdf
Snowling, M. J., & Hulme, C. (2011). Evidence-based interventions for reading and language difficulties: Creating a virtuous circle. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 81, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8279.2010.02014.x
Soholt, P. (n.d.). Control of error: Allowing children to manage their own mistakes. Association Montessori Internationale. https://montessori-ami.org/trainingvoices/control-of-error
Spear-Swerling, L. (2019). Structured literacy and typical literacy practices: Understanding differences to create instructional opportunities. Teaching Exceptional Children, 51(3), 201–211. https://doi.org/10.1177/0040059917750160
Standing, E. M. (1957). Maria Montessori: Her life and work. A Plume Book.
Torgesen, J. K. (2004). Lessons learned from research on interventions for students who have difficulty learning to read. In P. McCardle & V. Chhabra (Eds.), The voice of evidence in reading research (pp. 355–382). Paul H. Brookes Publishing.
Zanavich, M. (2024, November 26). Montessori and the science of reading. North American Montessori Center. https://montessoritraining.blogspot.com/2024/11/montessori-and-science-of-reading.html
Downloads
Veröffentlicht
Ausgabe
Rubrik
Lizenz
Copyright (c) 2026 Shannon Manley
Dieses Werk steht unter der Lizenz Creative Commons Namensnennung - Nicht-kommerziell 4.0 International.
