The Montessori Model and the Development of Creativity

• In Event: 66.087 - MTCC Roundtable Session 30
  In Roundtable Session: 66.087-12 - Research on Creativity, Talent Development, and Giftedness

Abstract

The development of creativity is critical for all children, from those struggling in school to those who are academically gifted. Creativity is considered to be one of the most important skills to develop in children and is thought by researchers to be impacted by educational context. Because of this, studying how different educational models impact creativity is critical. This study examined how Montessori children performed on an assessment of creativity compared to similar students attending a non-Montessori school. The sample comprised 77 third-grade students at a public Montessori program and 71 demographically similar students from a non-Montessori public school. Results showed that Montessori students performed significantly better on the EPoC assessment than similar non-Montessori students.

Authors

• Brooke Culclasure, Furman University

• David J. Fleming, Furman University