Journal of Montessori Research
type: channel
description: The Journal of Montessori Research advances knowledge of Montessori education through empirical research studies, critical reviews of the literature, theoretical essays, and scholarly book reviews available in an open access forum.
publisher: American Montessori Society
language: en
publication name: Journal of Montessori Research
issn: 2378-3923
items: From the Editor
items: Rediscovering the Child: Review of Montessori Educator Research Projects 2024–2025
items: Early Childhood Classroom Design
items: Mortarboard Review: Montessori-Related Dissertations, 2024
items: Use of Case Studies in Montessori Leadership Preparation Programs
items: Examining Racial Segregation in Montessori Schools
items: Reading Achievement in Arizona Public Montessori Schools
items: Rediscovering the Child
items: BOOK REVIEW The Montessori Movement in Interwar Europe: New Perspectives
items: Variation Theory and Montessori Education
items: The "Cosmic" Task of the Youngest Children
items: The Challenges and Opportunities of Implementing Montessori Education in the Public Sector
items: The Spread of Montessori Education in Mainland China
items: Acknowledging Montessori Education — a Research Perspective of Montessori's Legacy for the Future
items: Implementing the Ages and Stages Questionnaires in a Montessori Setting
items: Mortarboard Review
items: Maria Montessori and the Mystery of Language Acquisition
items: Validation of the Teacher Questionnaire of Montessori Practice for Early Childhood in the Dutch Context
items: The Critical Montessori Model
items: Educational Pacifism and Montessori
items: Beliefs about Autonomy Support and Control in the Classroom
items: Book Review
items: Reframing and Recontextualizing Maria Montessori’s 1915 California Visit
items: Understanding Circle Time Practices in Montessori Early Childhood Settings

From the Editor
type: item
subject: From the Editor
  topic: section
subject: Montessori
  topic: keywords
subject: letter
  topic: keywords
subject: editor
  topic: keywords
creator: Angela Murray
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Angela K. Murray, PhD https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-12-03
publication date: 2025-12-03
doi: 10.17161/jomr.v11i2.24815

Rediscovering the Child: Review of Montessori Educator Research Projects 2024–2025
type: item
description: This article is part of our annual series “Rediscovering the Child” which began as an effort to disseminate high quality practitioner and classroom-based action research (CBAR) that does not typically have a widely accessible forum. CBAR is powerful because it is conducted in real classrooms with real children by practitioners with real-world problems they wish to address. We highlight several studies each year that we hope will inspire other practitioners to formalize their classroom inquiry to share with the wider community. We also hope that practitioners in the field can reflect on their own practice by learning about how other educators are addressing the challenges they face. First, we include with studies that focus on the whole child by exploring the impact of outdoor play and engagement with nature through papers by two authors: Speakmanova and Lederer. We also consider work by Dinkler that looks at the role of music in holistic development and prosocial behavior. Next, we examine papers addressing the academic subjects of reading and math. The first of the academic focused papers is by Allred and Johnson who explore reading development for early childhood students who did not have 3-year-old Montessori experiences while in the second Thompson investigates the use of goal-setting strategies on math fluency for elementary students. We conclude this year’s review with a practitioner inquiry paper by Sadrnafisi who develops a supportive teacher community to address the causes of teacher turnover.
subject: Action Research Review
  topic: section
subject: Montessori
  topic: keywords
subject: action research
  topic: keywords
subject: practitioner research
  topic: keywords
creator: Angela Murray
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Angela K. Murray, PhD https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-12-03
publication date: 2025-12-03
doi: 10.17161/jomr.v11i2.24789

Early Childhood Classroom Design
type: item
description: This critical literature review explores how classroom design influences attentional development in early childhood education (ECE). Although attention and self-regulation are frequently cited as barriers to school readiness, emerging research suggests that attention is not a fixed trait but one shaped by environmental conditions. Integrating insights from neuroeducation, embodied cognition, and biopsychosocial models, this review highlights how sensory-conscious and biophilic design elements, such as natural lighting, reduced visual clutter, and organic materials, can lower allostatic load, support attentional focus, and enhance encoding for content retention. By conceptualizing the classroom as both a physical and cognitive space, this review underscores the foundational role of environmental design in promoting developmental alignment, reducing educational disparities, and improving learning outcomes. This critical synthesis offers a compelling rationale for optimizing ECE environments through a neurodevelopmental lens, with implications for educational policy, teacher preparation, and future empirical research.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: allostatic load
  topic: keywords
subject: attention
  topic: keywords
subject: biophilic design
  topic: keywords
subject: classroom design
  topic: keywords
subject: content retention
  topic: keywords
subject: early childhood education
  topic: keywords
subject: embodied cognition
  topic: keywords
subject: encoding
  topic: keywords
subject: Montessori
  topic: keywords
subject: neuroeducation
  topic: keywords
subject: regulation
  topic: keywords
creator: Laura Karin Foster
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Laura Karin Foster https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-12-03
publication date: 2025-12-03
doi: 10.17161/jomr.v11i2.24130

From the Editor
type: item
subject: From the Editor
  topic: section
subject: letter
  topic: keywords
subject: editor
  topic: keywords
creator: Angela Murray
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-05-19
publication date: 2025-05-19
doi: 10.17161/jomr.v11i1.23993

Mortarboard Review: Montessori-Related Dissertations, 2024
type: item
description: This is the third article in an ongoing series, published annually, highlighting a selection of English-language dissertations from the previous calendar year related to Montessori philosophy and education. Twenty-one doctoral dissertations completed and approved during the 2024 calendar year were identified. The authors selected three dissertations to spotlight because they represent research that is novel, timely, and relevant to the current educational landscape.
subject: Mortarboard Review
  topic: section
subject: Montessori-related dissertations
  topic: keywords
subject: doctoral students
  topic: keywords
subject: higher education
  topic: keywords
creator: Joel Parham
creator: Katie Keller Wood
creator: Claudine Campanelli
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Joel Parham, Katie Keller Wood, Claudine Campanelli https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-05-19
publication date: 2025-05-19
doi: 10.17161/jomr.v11i1.23736

Use of Case Studies in Montessori Leadership Preparation Programs
type: item
description: This paper examines the impact and relevance of the use of case studies as a teaching and learning tool in Montessori leadership programs. Frequently used as learning tools in educational leadership preparation programs, selected case studies were limited to those in Montessori leadership and language. Surveys and interviews with graduate students and program faculty were conducted to understand the relevance of case studies in coursework and to provide implications for further refinement of their use. Results suggest certain elements of case studies can enhance learning theory and serve as springboards to practice. Maria Montessori advocated for reflective practice; therefore, we are extrapolating that case studies may be a powerful and effective connection of scholarly study of theory to classroom practice. However, these benefits may not be well-clarified or highly valued in Montessori leadership coursework. With use of case studies in Montessori leadership coursework, an opportunity exists for faculty to reflect on strategies for using case studies and best practices. Content specific to Montessori settings may further support the usefulness and effectiveness of case studies and their impacts on student learning in Montessori leadership programs.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: school leadership
  topic: keywords
subject: Montessori leadership
  topic: keywords
subject: reflective practice
  topic: keywords
creator: Sharon Damore
creator: Barbara Barbara Rieckhoff
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Sharon Damore, Barbara Rieckhoff https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-05-19
publication date: 2025-05-19
doi: 10.17161/jomr.v11i1.23043

Examining Racial Segregation in Montessori Schools
type: item
description: This study examines racial enrollment patterns in Montessori schools across the United States and evaluates how these schools relate to broader patterns of school segregation. Using a national dataset of public and private Montessori and non-Montessori schools, we analyze Montessori programs’ racial composition, demographic alignment with surrounding districts and neighborhoods, and contribution to within-district segregation. We estimate 37 percent of Montessori students are Black or Hispanic, with notable variation across school sectors. Further, we find Black or Hispanic students are underrepresented in many Montessori schools as compared to school district averages. Our multivariate analyses suggest Montessori schools contribute slightly more to within-district segregation than do non-Montessori schools, primarily due to enrollment patterns in private Montessori schools. Though Montessori education emphasizes inclusivity and cultural responsiveness, variation in enrollment patterns suggests access remains uneven across school sectors. This study examines the relationship between school choice, segregation, and the Montessori model, providing a baseline for evaluating current efforts to improve accessibility and inclusivity in Montessori schools nationwide.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: racial segregation
  topic: keywords
subject: Montessori schools
  topic: keywords
subject: enrollment patterns
  topic: keywords
creator: David John Fleming
creator: TJ Robertson
creator: Josebell Rivadeneira Cevallos
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 David J. Fleming, TJ Robertson, Josebell Rivadeneira Cevallos https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-05-19
publication date: 2025-05-19
doi: 10.17161/jomr.v11i1.23638

Reading Achievement in Arizona Public Montessori Schools
type: item
description: In recent years, many state legislatures in the United States have implemented legislation and regulations requiring public schools to use evidence-based reading curricula. This study of reading achievement in public Montessori schools in Arizona was conducted to comply with one such piece of legislation. It compares public Montessori students’ standardized state reading test scores to those of traditional public school students statewide. Through descriptive statistics and t-tests on aggregate measures, as well as simple regression, we demonstrate that students receiving Montessori reading instruction perform as well as or better than the comparison group in absolute terms. The longer students remain in the Montessori setting, the better they perform. This is also true for special education students, whose reading test scores after three or more years in a public Montessori program were indistinguishable from the general population. These results suggest Montessori instruction works as well or better than other reading curricula in use throughout the state to produce favorable results on Arizona’s reading assessment, with noteworthy outcomes for students receiving special education services.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: reading
  topic: keywords
subject: Montessori
  topic: keywords
subject: literacy
  topic: keywords
subject: reading achievement
  topic: keywords
subject: science of reading
  topic: keywords
creator: Katie E. Brown
creator: Leslie Woodford
creator: Kelly Powell
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Katie E. Brown, Leslie Woodford, Kelly Powell https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-12-03
publication date: 2025-12-03
doi: 10.17161/jomr.v11i2.23414

From the Editor
type: item
subject: From the Editor
  topic: section
subject: editor's note
  topic: keywords
creator: Angela Murray
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2024-11-30
publication date: 2024-11-30
doi: 10.17161/jomr.v10i2.23135

Rediscovering the Child
type: item
description: Maria Montessori’s early emphasis on systematic observation and experimentation to understand children’s learning predates the formal recognition of the “teacher as researcher” role, which emerged in the 1950s. This article explores the use of action research today in Montessori education, focusing on classroom-based action research (CBAR) and practitioner inquiry as key methodologies for enhancing teaching practices. We begin by defining classroom-based action research and its application in Montessori teacher education, highlighting its role in fostering reflective, evidence-based investigations that improve classroom practices. Two CBAR studies from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls are presented: (1) Kaul’s exploration of student choice in math practice and (2) Thompson’s investigation of structured literacy in a Montessori Children’s House. The article also discusses practitioner inquiry projects from Loyola University Maryland, which examine the inclusion of students with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the effectiveness of Montessori Math materials in promoting math fluency.
subject: Action Research Review
  topic: section
subject: teacher research
  topic: keywords
creator: Heather Gerker
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Heather Gerker https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2024-11-30
publication date: 2024-11-30
doi: 10.17161/jomr.v10i2.23052

BOOK REVIEW The Montessori Movement in Interwar Europe: New Perspectives
type: item
description: In recent years, biographical studies of Maria Montessori have increasingly moved away presenting Montessori as a singular pedagogical genius, to considering Montessori as a movement builder immersed in a complicated, dense and changing international network of theorists, practitioners and policymakers. Scholars have highlighted the wide-ranging intellectual networks of feminists, doctors, anthropologists, philosophers, theosophists, Catholics, fascists and pacifists whose work Montessori was reading and actively engaging with, even after leaving academic research. In addition, new research presents how all of these thinkers were actively debating Montessori education, grappling with a wide range of pedagogical, theological and philosophical issues, and defying the representation of Montessori education as a single ideological monolith. Christine Quarfood, a professor of the History of Ideas at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, makes a vital contribution to this conversation. Thanks to a translation from Swedish into English, Christine Quarfood’s 2017 study Montessoris pedagogiska imperium: kulturkritik och politik i mellankrigstidens Montessorirörelse (Dansk Band: 2017) is now available to English-speaking readers as The Montessori Movement in Interwar Europe: New Perspectives (Palgrave Macmillan: 2022).
subject: Book Reviews
  topic: section
subject: interwar Europe
  topic: keywords
subject: Montessori movement
  topic: keywords
subject: Maria Montessori
  topic: keywords
creator: Mira Catherine Debs
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Mira Catherine Debs https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2024-11-30
publication date: 2024-11-30
doi: 10.17161/jomr.v10i2.22887

From the Editor
type: item
subject: From the Editor
  topic: section
subject: Montessori
  topic: keywords
creator: Eva-Maria Tebano Ahlquist
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2024-09-17
publication date: 2024-09-17
doi: 10.17161/jomr.v10i2.22746

Variation Theory and Montessori Education
type: item
description: In this article we examine the relation between variation theory and Maria Montessori’s didactic theory. Montessori believed that training and sharpening of the child’s senses are crucial for their continued learning; she therefore developed specific sensorial materials to be used in Montessori preschools for such a purpose. As noted by interpreters of Montessori education, a key principle in this material, as well as in variation theory, is the use of variation and invariance. However, in this article, lessons in two different areas than the training of the senses are analysed from a variation-theoretical perspective on learning; these lessons originate from Montessori’s own writings and from extracts from Montessori training courses. The result shows that a systematic use of variation and invariance can be seen as a more fundamental part of Montessori’s didactic theory and is not only applied in the sensorial training. The article will offer theoretical concepts useful when explaining why lessons in various areas should be presented in the way they are described.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: arithmetic
  topic: keywords
subject: didactics
  topic: keywords
subject: geometry
  topic: keywords
subject: isolation of qualities
  topic: keywords
subject: Montessori education
  topic: keywords
subject: Montessori material
  topic: keywords
subject: variation
  topic: keywords
subject: invariance
  topic: keywords
subject: variation theory
  topic: keywords
creator: Eva-Maria Tebano Ahlquist
creator: Per Gynther
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Eva-Maria Tebano Ahlquist, Per Gynther https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2024-09-17
publication date: 2024-09-17
doi: 10.17161/jomr.v10i2.22606

The "Cosmic" Task of the Youngest Children
type: item
description: The article derived from Grazia Honegger Fresco’s years in close cooperation with Maria Montessori and Adele Costa Gnocchi. The author illustrates how small children from the moment they start using their hands and are standing unassisted on their own legs must act in their own way. The teacher must observe before acting and intervene as little as possible. Honegger Fresco follows the work of Montessori and Costa Gnocchi and she compares the findings with different fields of science, such as ethnology and neurology. As a result of her observations and experiences she points toward the relationship between a good childhood, and in the long term, human responsibility on Earth, using the concept “the Cosmic Task”. The method in this article is based on autoethnography, as the author shares her personal experience and reflections, both as a teacher and as an educator. The aim is to shed light on aspects regarding the needs of small children and to point at the essential role of adults, educators as well as parents. As Schiedi explains, autoethnography “extends its narrative horizon to a social, professional, organizational dimension of the self ” (2016). During Honegger Fresco’s career, she was primarily inspired by Maria Montessori’s research about child development and children’s needs and rights, and she had continuously deepened her understanding by studying other researchers in this field. Thus, the article will share her conviction that by serving the creative spirit of the youngest children we will build a better future for our planet.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Maria Montessori
  topic: keywords
subject: Adele Costa Gnocchi
  topic: keywords
subject: day care
  topic: keywords
subject: small children
  topic: keywords
subject: Montessori materials
  topic: keywords
subject: teachers role
  topic: keywords
subject: Cosmic task
  topic: keywords
subject: neuroscience
  topic: keywords
creator: Grazia Honegger Fresco
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Grazia Honegger Fresco https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2024-09-17
publication date: 2024-09-17
doi: 10.17161/jomr.v10i2.22575

The Challenges and Opportunities of Implementing Montessori Education in the Public Sector
type: item
description: Over the past two decades, Montessori education in the United States has rapidly expanded from the private to the public sector. This expansion has created important questions about whether or not the Montessori approach can thrive alongside the education standards and accountability movement in the public sector. Questions also exist as to precisely who is benefiting from this expansion of and investment in public Montessori. To examine these topics, this study focused on South Carolina, the state with the highest number of public programs in the United States. We used implementation surveys, classroom observations, and teacher interview data collected by the research team and student record data collected by the state of South Carolina to conduct the analysis, which consisted of three parts. First, we investigated to what extent public programs in South Carolina are able to implement Montessori education with fidelity to the model. Second, we considered what program characteristics were related to higher levels of Montessori implementation fidelity. Third, we analyzed which children had access to higher-fidelity Montessori programs. Generally, findings indicated that, despite challenges created by the education standards and accountability movement and concerns expressed by educators about authenticity, most programs in South Carolina were implementing Montessori with fidelity. Several characteristics were associated with higher levels of fidelity, including the age of the program. Findings also indicated that Black, Hispanic, and students from low-income families were disproportionately participating in lower fidelity programs. Our study provides an in-depth analysis of the challenges and opportunities associated with government trying to implement successful private-sector education models in the public sector.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Montessori fidelity
  topic: keywords
subject: public Montessori
  topic: keywords
subject: Montessori student demographics
  topic: keywords
creator: David J. Fleming
creator: Brooke Taylor Culclasure
creator: Hannah Warren
creator: Ginny Riga
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 David J. Fleming, Brooke Taylor Culclasure, Hannah Warren, Ginny Riga https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2024-09-17
publication date: 2024-09-17
doi: 10.17161/jomr.v10i2.22574

The Spread of Montessori Education in Mainland China
type: item
description: This paper is a historical account of the spread of Montessori education in mainland China. It surveys the general picture of early childhood education (ECE) in China and discusses the factors leading to the popularity of Montessori education in the 1990s. Although first introduced into China in the early 1900s, for reasons explained, Montessori education was unsuccessful in catching on as an education method in the early part of the 20th century. Following policy changes and growing interest in western education methods, Montessori education reemerged in the 1990s and has remained a sought-out education method since. In this paper, localization is also discussed as a prominent concern expressed in the Chinese research is ensuring Montessori education promotes and instills values consistent with Chinese society. As is shown, elements of the Montessori method are consistent with Chinese culture, creating a cooperative relationship between these two systems. Of equal importance, Montessori education emphasizes the cultivation of collective identity and societal relationships similar to Chinese culture, the slight difference between them being that Montessori also emphasized the construction of the individual as well.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Montessori
  topic: keywords
subject: China
  topic: keywords
subject: localization
  topic: keywords
subject: early childhood education
  topic: keywords
subject: Chinese Montessori
  topic: keywords
creator: Amber Chen
creator: Shu Lin Guo
rights: Copyright (c) 2021 Amber Chen, Shu Lin Guo https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2024-09-17
publication date: 2024-09-17
doi: 10.17161/jomr.v10i2.22573

Acknowledging Montessori Education — a Research Perspective of Montessori's Legacy for the Future
type: item
description: On 6 May 2022, 70 years after Maria Montessori’s death, Stockholm University and the Department of Education and Didactics organized an international Montessori symposium. The idea was to present a breadth of research on Maria Montessori. The symposium dealt with Maria Montessori in the interwar period, an analysis of the history of ideas. Another presentation suggested possible research models to study this large field. The symposium also presented interpretations of Montessori’s writings that point her out as a visionary and pioneer in education for a sustainable world. An additional research area addressed was the potential of neuroscience to examine the effects of teaching theory and learning in Montessori education. Finally, this report describes a study on whether Montessori-inspired education compared to traditional education stands up in areas of socio-economic disadvantage.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: cognition
  topic: keywords
subject: education for sustainability and global citizenship
  topic: keywords
subject: inter-war era
  topic: keywords
subject: learning to learn
  topic: keywords
subject: Maria Montessori
  topic: keywords
subject: Montessori Education
  topic: keywords
subject: Preschool children
  topic: keywords
subject: research methodology
  topic: keywords
subject: disadvantaged preschoolers
  topic: keywords
creator: Eva-Maria Tebano Ahlquist
creator: Philippine Courtier
creator: Solange Denervaud
creator: Per Wilhelm Gynther
creator: Jaroslaw Jendza
creator: Christine Quarfood
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Eva-Maria Tebano Ahlquist, Philippine Courtier, Solange Denervaud, Per Wilhelm Gynther, Jaroslaw Jendza, Christine Quarfood https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2024-09-17
publication date: 2024-09-17
doi: 10.17161/jomr.v10i2.22572

Implementing the Ages and Stages Questionnaires in a Montessori Setting
type: item
description: Montessori educators face increasing demands to support growing numbers of students who have developmental delays or disabilities, and early detection and support are essential. Yet, detecting developmental delays is a complex task, and early childhood educators do not typically receive specialized training. The Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) is a set of valid and reliable developmental screening tools widely used in education and health settings, but ASQ use has not been assessed in Montessori settings. In a pre/post, multimethod design, this study examined the perceptions and impact of an ASQ training—adapted for Montessori settings—for guides and administrators. The results suggest the ASQ training and implementation of its tools were perceived as beneficial and valuable. The training positively influenced participants’ attitudes and beliefs, skills and knowledge, confidence and self-efficacy, and access to resources. Alumni of the training had similar attitudes and beliefs, as well as confidence and self-efficacy, compared to recent trainees, although alumni’s skills and knowledge, as well as access to resources, were more advanced than the recent trainees. Qualitative findings also point to the benefits of the training while highlighting the realities, needs, and challenges Montessori educators face. This study provides evidence that Montessori educators benefit from ASQ developmental screening training. Through ASQ training and implementation, Montessori educators can gain a better understanding of students’ developmental milestones, more effectively observe their students’ behaviors, and more confidently advocate for students’ support needs.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Montessori
  topic: keywords
subject: disabilities
  topic: keywords
subject: Ages and Stages Questionnaires
  topic: keywords
creator: Elyse Postlewaite
creator: Dalia Avello
creator: Catherine Massie
creator: Ayize Sabater
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Elyse Postlewaite, Dalia Avello, Catherine Massie, Ayize Sabater https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2024-11-30
publication date: 2024-11-30
doi: 10.17161/jomr.v10i2.22478

From the Editor
type: item
subject: From the Editor
  topic: section
subject: Montessori
  topic: keywords
creator: Angela Murray
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Angela K. Murray https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2024-05-15
publication date: 2024-05-15
doi: 10.17161/jomr.v10i1.22363

Mortarboard Review
type: item
description: This is the second article in an ongoing series, published annually, highlighting a selection of English-language dissertations from the previous calendar year related to Montessori philosophy and education. Thirteen doctoral dissertations completed and approved during the 2023 calendar year were identified. The authors selected three dissertations to spotlight because they represent high-quality research in an area that is relevant to the current educational landscape: antibias and anti-racist (ABAR) educational practices.
subject: Mortarboard Review
  topic: section
subject: Montessori research
  topic: keywords
subject: Montessori dissertations
  topic: keywords
subject: antibias and anti-racist
  topic: keywords
subject: ABAR
  topic: keywords
subject: teaching practices
  topic: keywords
subject: equity in education
  topic: keywords
subject: public Montessori education
  topic: keywords
subject: learning environments
  topic: keywords
subject: teacher training
  topic: keywords
creator: Joel Parham
creator: Jennifer Moss
creator: Katie Keller Wood
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Joel Parham, Jennifer Moss, Katie Keller Wood https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2024-05-15
publication date: 2024-05-15
doi: 10.17161/jomr.v10i1.21851

Maria Montessori and the Mystery of Language Acquisition
type: item
description: Maria Montessori’s work remains popular and influential around the world. She provided fascinating descriptions of her observations of children’s learning. Yet at the heart of her work is a lacuna: the issue of how children learn their first language. For Montessori, it was a marvel, a miracle—but a mystery. We argue that the later philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein offers a way forward. With the clearer view offered by Wittgenstein’s reminders, we propose that Montessori’s work can be reevaluated to better understand Montessori’s contribution, child development and, in particular, how children acquire a first language.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Montessori
  topic: keywords
subject: Wittgenstein
  topic: keywords
subject: first language acquisition
  topic: keywords
creator: Stephen Newman
creator: Nathan Archer
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Stephen Newman, Nathan Archer https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2024-05-15
publication date: 2024-05-15
doi: 10.17161/jomr.v10i1.21686

Validation of the Teacher Questionnaire of Montessori Practice for Early Childhood in the Dutch Context
type: item
description: Montessori education has existed for more than 100 years and counts almost 16,000 schools worldwide (Debs et al., 2022). Still, little is known about the implementation and fidelity of Montessori principles. Measuring implementations holds significant importance as it provides insight into current Montessori practices and because it is assumed that implementation might influence its effectiveness. In the Netherlands, it is especially important to measure fidelity because of the country’s history of flexible implementation of Montessori principles. No instruments currently exist that are specifically designed to measure Montessori implementation in the Dutch context. This study aims to validate a translated version of the Teacher Questionnaire for Montessori Practices, developed by Murray et al. (2019), within the Dutch early childhood education context. Additionally, it seeks to investigate the extent to which Montessori principles are implemented in Dutch early childhood schools. Data were collected from 131 early childhood Montessori teachers. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the Dutch dataset did not align with the factor structure proposed by Murray et al. (2019). Subsequent exploratory factor analysis led to the identification of a 3-factor solution, encompassing dimensions related to Children’s Freedom, Teacher Guidance, and Curriculum, which shows some similarities with Murray et al.’s (2019) factors. Implementation levels in the Netherlands varied, with the highest level of implementation observed in Children’s Freedom and the lowest in Curriculum.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: progressive education
  topic: keywords
subject: Montessori education
  topic: keywords
subject: implementation measurement
  topic: keywords
subject: validation
  topic: keywords
subject: early childhood
  topic: keywords
creator: Jaap de Brouwer
creator: Vivian Morssink-Santing
creator: Symen van der Zee
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Jaap de Brouwer, Vivian Morssink-Santing, Symen van der Zee https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2024-05-15
publication date: 2024-05-15
doi: 10.17161/jomr.v10i1.21543

The Critical Montessori Model
type: item
description: Despite an increase in race-related Montessori research over the past decade, the Montessori community lacks a unified framework to examine the Montessori Method and its philosophy through a critical racial lens. Without explicit discussions or universal training about race and whiteness, the Montessori Method can be interpreted through a color-blind lens unless scholars and practitioners explicitly use a critical racial perspective. This paper proposes the Critical Montessori Model (CMM), which centers high-fidelity Montessori practice—including the Montessori materials, child development, respect for and relationships with children, and observation as a learning tool—encompassed by critical race theory, as a way for researchers and practitioners to interpret the Montessori Method. This theoretical model critiques systems of whiteness and instead proposes centering the lived experiences and knowledge of the BIPOC community, drawing from theories such as culturally relevant/sustaining pedagogy and community cultural wealth (CCW). The hope is that this model will be the start of calibration among critical Montessori research to unify Montessori practitioners in their interpretations of Montessori education and the possibilities it provides for anti-racist education that centers Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC). The paper ends with recommendations for future research using the CMM as a framework and calls for more BIPOC voices to be highlighted in the Montessori research community.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: BIPOC teachers
  topic: keywords
subject: BIPOC students
  topic: keywords
subject: Montessori education
  topic: keywords
subject: critical race theory
  topic: keywords
creator: Genevieve D'Cruz Ramos
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Genevieve D'Cruz Ramos https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2024-11-30
publication date: 2024-11-30
doi: 10.17161/jomr.v10i2.21633

Educational Pacifism and Montessori
type: item
description: Educational theory and practice is dominated by mass formal schooling systems, which routinely and unjustly harm many students. I call this stance “educational pacifism,” and in this paper argue that Montessorians ought to be educational pacifists. That is, they ought to recognize, understand, and reject systemic educational harm and ensure that it does not occur in their own practice, so that Montessori students are not harmed during their education and so that Montessori education might provide a nonharmful educational alternative to mass formal schooling. I suggest that Maria Montessori was, broadly speaking, herself an educational pacifist, and that not only is educational pacifism the morally right position for a Montessorian, but also that it is naturally a Montessorian position.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: schooling
  topic: keywords
subject: harm
  topic: keywords
subject: Montessori
  topic: keywords
subject: pacifism
  topic: keywords
subject: nonviolence
  topic: keywords
creator: Nicholas Parkin
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Nicholas Parkin https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2024-05-15
publication date: 2024-05-15
doi: 10.17161/jomr.v10i1.21012

Beliefs about Autonomy Support and Control in the Classroom
type: item
description: Montessori education is characterized by autonomous learning, whereas traditional education is often depicted by high structure and fewer choice opportunities. This study examined differences in beliefs of Montessori and traditional teachers in regard to effectiveness, normality, and ease of autonomy-supportive and controlling teaching, as well as differences in motivating styles. We analyzed the U.S. subset from an international study examining self-described motivation styles and beliefs. Our secondary analysis revealed both groups felt autonomy-supportive teaching was easy and effective, and that they found controlling teaching also to be easy, but ineffective. Montessori teachers were more likely to believe autonomy-supportive teaching was normal, whereas traditional teachers believed controlling teaching was more normal. Both groups described their teaching style as autonomy-supportive, but traditional teachers more often rated controlling scenarios as similar to their own practices. These differences, supported by large effect sizes, demonstrate more potential for controlling behavior in traditional classrooms and suggest the possibility of a cultural difference between Montessori and traditional teachers.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Montessori teachers
  topic: keywords
subject: self-determination theory
  topic: keywords
subject: autonomy support
  topic: keywords
subject: controlling teaching
  topic: keywords
subject: traditional teachers
  topic: keywords
creator: Jennifer Moss
creator: Theodore Wheeler
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 Jennifer Moss, Theodore Wheeler https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2024-11-30
publication date: 2024-11-30
doi: 10.17161/jomr.v10i2.20260

From the Editor
type: item
subject: From the Editor
  topic: section
subject: Montessori
  topic: keywords
creator: Angela K. Murray, PhD
rights: Copyright (c) 2023 Angela K. Murray, PhD http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2023-11-14
publication date: 2023-11-14
doi: 10.17161/jomr.v9i2.21410

Rediscovering the Child
type: item
description: Action research is the term used for investigations done in the field, often by practitioners, and typically with a pragmatic rather than theoretical purpose (Willis & Edwards, 2014). This type of research is a key part of many Montessori teacher education programs, but the value of this important work is often lost to the field because the papers reside in separate institutional repositories with limited indexing. The Journal of Montessori Research is introducing a new annual review article series which features selected graduate student action research studies. The authors of this recurring series of articles represent Montessori teacher preparation programs and other university-based research roles. They will select studies that they believe are particularly high quality and relevant to the journal’s readers. We are calling this series of articles “Rediscovering the Child” to honor Maria Montessori’s seminal work and to acknowledge that all Montessori teachers engage in an ongoing process of rediscovering the children in their classrooms. When this process is formalized, action research is the result. This article is the first in the series and highlights six studies from University of Wisconsin-River Falls and St. Catherine University. In the coming issues, we will likely refine some aspects of our selection and review processes and expand the programs represented.
subject: Action Research Review
  topic: section
subject: Montessori research
  topic: keywords
subject: action research
  topic: keywords
subject: graduate education
  topic: keywords
creator: Kateri Carver
creator: Sarah Hassebroek
rights: Copyright (c) 2023 Kateri Carver , Sarah Hassebroek http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2023-11-14
publication date: 2023-11-14
doi: 10.17161/jomr.v9i2.21357

Book Review
type: item
description: A century on, as young children in Montessori classrooms around the world continue to engage with Sandpaper Letters, Metal Insets, Moveable Alphabets, and Reading Command cards, an accumulation of studies into how children learn to read from across a range of disciplines has generated an influential body of research evidence that has been dubbed the science of reading. The science of reading is currently being used to shape education policy and mandated curriculum documents, especially in the English-speaking world. For this reason, the comparative analysis of the Montessori approach and the science of reading presented in Powerful Literacy in the Montessori Classroom: Aligning Reading Research and Practice will be welcomed by many Montessori educators.
subject: Book Reviews
  topic: section
subject: Montessori education
  topic: keywords
subject: science of reading
  topic: keywords
creator: Susan Feez
rights: Copyright (c) 2023 Susan Feez http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2023-11-14
publication date: 2023-11-14
doi: 10.17161/jomr.v9i2.21350

Reframing and Recontextualizing Maria Montessori’s 1915 California Visit
type: item
description: Maria Montessori’s visit to California in 1915—her second visit to the United States—coincided with multiple events in the region: San Francisco’s Panama–Pacific International Exposition (PPIE), San Diego’s Panama–California Exposition (PCE), and the National Education Association of the United States (NEA) annual meeting in Oakland. Her visit also came at a time when the American Montessori movement was splintering, and the academic elite increasingly criticized her educational model. These circumstances made Montessori’s visit to California a potentially valuable opportunity to rekindle interest in Montessori education across the United States. Discussions of Montessori’s visit in 1915 have been framed around her training course and demonstration school at the PPIE. Based on information from primary sources (e.g., newspapers and archival materials), some of which have been overlooked, this article asserts that her visit to California had broader implications. While her eight months in California did have a positive impact on the growth of the Montessori movement, Montessori’s engagement with mainstream education had limited impact and it gave way to waning interest in Montessori education in the United States.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: Maria Montessori
  topic: keywords
subject: Montessori Method of education
  topic: keywords
subject: Pana-Pacific International Exposition (San Francisco)
  topic: keywords
subject: Panama-California Exposition (San Diego)
  topic: keywords
subject: Adelia Mcalpin Pyle
  topic: keywords
subject: Helen Parkhurst
  topic: keywords
creator: Joel Parham
rights: Copyright (c) 2023 Joel Parham http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2023-11-14
publication date: 2023-11-14
doi: 10.17161/jomr.v9i2.21042

Understanding Circle Time Practices in Montessori Early Childhood Settings
type: item
description: Circle time is commonplace in traditional preschools, yet there are few references to the practice in Montessori’s writings or in major Montessori organizations’ and teacher education standards. This article investigates whether circle time is frequent in Montessori 3–6-year-old classrooms using data from a widely distributed Qualtrics survey. The results, from 276 respondents spanning all 50 states, provide insight into the circle time practices of United States-based preschool Montessori teachers, also known in Montessori classrooms as guides. We present novel information regarding circle time duration and frequency, types of circle time activities, Montessori guides’ circle time training and planning, whether children’s circle time attendance is free choice or compulsory, and the nature of circle time in programs associated with Association Montessori Internationale versus American Montessori Society. Results revealed that 92% of survey participants have circle time every day or most days; most participants hold circle time for 20 minutes or less; the most common circle time events were show-and-tell, calendar work, vocabulary lessons, Grace and Courtesy lessons, read aloud discussions, dancing and movement, snack time, general conversation, read aloud (stories), and birthday celebrations. We found that many of the most frequent circle time activities do not align with children’s preferences, teacher preferences, or Early Childhood best practices. Our work invites Montessorians to engage in the work of reconstructing the traditional practice of circle time to better align with Montessori hallmarks of choice, development of the will, and joyfulness.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: circle time
  topic: keywords
subject: line time
  topic: keywords
subject: large group
  topic: keywords
subject: whole group
  topic: keywords
subject: Montessori education
  topic: keywords
subject: Early Childhood
  topic: keywords
subject: literacy
  topic: keywords
subject: language development
  topic: keywords
creator: Andrea Koczela
creator: Kateri Carver
rights: Copyright (c) 2023 Andrea Koczela, Kateri Carver http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2023-11-14
publication date: 2023-11-14
doi: 10.17161/jomr.v9i2.20962