Abstract
This study examines the influence of Montessori-based literacy curriculum and instruction on student achievement in Grades 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. I studied 71 matched pairs of urban charter school students (n=142) to determine if there was a statistically significant difference in reading achievement, as measured by the Maryland School Assessment (MSA), between students who were instructed by their teachers in Montessori literacy methods and curriculum and students from a nearby charter school who were instructed by their teachers using a basal reading method. T-tests were used to compare the mean scores of the combined grade levels from each cohort on the 2011-2012 Maryland School Assessment (Reading section). The results of this study suggest that there was no significant difference in reading achievement between the two groups of students. There is very limited empirical research available examining reading achievement in Montessori public charter schools. Further research is recommended with similar groups of students from public Montessori school settings, or in this same setting with a different comparison group or a different evaluation tool.
","abstract_html":"<p><strong><br /></strong></p> <p>Abstract</p> <p>This study examines the influence of Montessori-based literacy curriculum and instruction on student achievement in Grades 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. I studied 71 matched pairs of urban charter school students (n=142) to determine if there was a statistically significant difference in reading achievement, as measured by the <em>Maryland School Assessment (MSA)</em>, between students who were instructed by their teachers in Montessori literacy methods and curriculum and students from a nearby charter school who were instructed by their teachers using a basal reading method. T-tests were used to compare the mean scores of the combined grade levels from each cohort on the 2011-2012 <em>Maryland School Assessment</em> (Reading section). The results of this study suggest that there was no significant difference in reading achievement between the two groups of students. There is very limited empirical research available examining reading achievement in Montessori public charter schools. Further research is recommended with similar groups of students from public Montessori school settings, or in this same setting with a different comparison group or a different evaluation tool.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Bowman, Frances"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Executive Ed.D. in Education Leadership Management and Policy","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Education Leadership, Management and Policy","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Christopher Tienken, Ed.D.","Barbara Strobert, Ed.D.","Vincent Culotta, Ph.D.","Marta P. Flaum, Ph.D.","James Caldwell, Ed.D."],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2013,"date_issued":"2013-12-12T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2013-12-12T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:32:52Z","subjects":["Reading","Special Education","Montessori","Educational Leadership","Curriculum and Instruction","Learning Disabilities","Education"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarship.shu.edu/dissertations/1933","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Christopher Tienken, Ed.D.","Barbara Strobert, Ed.D.","Vincent Culotta, Ph.D.","Marta P. Flaum, Ph.D.","James Caldwell, Ed.D."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Bowman, Frances"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2014-03-14T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Education Leadership, Management and Policy"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Executive Ed.D. in Education Leadership Management and Policy"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Reading","Special Education","Montessori","Educational Leadership","Curriculum and Instruction","Learning Disabilities","Education"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarship.shu.edu/dissertations/1933"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Abstract
This study examines the influence of Montessori-based literacy curriculum and instruction on student achievement in Grades 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. I studied 71 matched pairs of urban charter school students (n=142) to determine if there was a statistically significant difference in reading achievement, as measured by the Maryland School Assessment (MSA), between students who were instructed by their teachers in Montessori literacy methods and curriculum and students from a nearby charter school who were instructed by their teachers using a basal reading method. T-tests were used to compare the mean scores of the combined grade levels from each cohort on the 2011-2012 Maryland School Assessment (Reading section). The results of this study suggest that there was no significant difference in reading achievement between the two groups of students. There is very limited empirical research available examining reading achievement in Montessori public charter schools. Further research is recommended with similar groups of students from public Montessori school settings, or in this same setting with a different comparison group or a different evaluation tool.
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This study examines the influence of Montessori-based literacy curriculum and instruction on student achievement in Grades 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. I studied 71 matched pairs of urban charter school students (n=142) to determine if there was a statistically significant difference in reading achievement, as measured by the Maryland School Assessment (MSA), between students who were instructed by their teachers in Montessori literacy methods and curriculum and students from a nearby charter school who were instructed by their teachers using a basal reading method. T-tests were used to compare the mean scores of the combined grade levels from each cohort on the 2011-2012 Maryland School Assessment (Reading section). The results of this study suggest that there was no significant difference in reading achievement between the two groups of students. There is very limited empirical research available examining reading achievement in Montessori public charter schools. Further research is recommended with similar groups of students from public Montessori school settings, or in this same setting with a different comparison group or a different evaluation tool.
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