Developing an Observational Measure of Montessori Implementation

• In Event: Thursday Roundtable Session 10:50 am
  In Roundtable Session: Observing Diverse Teaching Practices (Table 6)

Abstract

Montessori education is growing in the public sphere which is driving a need for high quality research which requires consideration of implementation fidelity. This paper documents efforts to develop an efficient, psychometrically sound observation tool which can ascertain the fidelity of Montessori early childhood environments, and which can be employed across multiple projects. We call the tool being developed the Measure of Montessori Implementation – Early Childhood (MMI-EC). This paper summarizes the development process, describes the tool and how it is used, outlines the observer training program, highlights preliminary feedback from observers, and details the planned psychometric analysis for the pilot study. If accepted, the final paper will provide a full analysis of results from the pilot study.

Authors

• Angela Murray, University of Kansas

• Carolyn Jean Daoust, University of Kansas

• Amelia Murray, University of Kansas

• Heather E. Gerker, University of Cincinnati