THE ACTIVITY OF YOUNG CHILDREN: A COMPARISON OF THE IDEAS OF MONTESSORI AND PIAGET

• Main Author: KUSCHNER, DAVID STEPHEN
• Language: ENG
• Published: ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst 1981
• Subjects: Preschool education
• Online Access: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI8118011

This study examined the theories of Maria Montessori and Jean Piaget in relation to their views of the importance of young children's activity. The purpose of the study was to demonstrate that there are significant differences between the two theories regarding this issue, and that these differences suggest important implications for early childhood education. It was concluded that Piaget's emphasis on self-regulated activity and transformations is significantly different from Montessori's emphasis on channeled activity and perceptual configurations. Relevant research was then reviewed in order to determine if these theoretical distinctions could be supported with empirical data. Support for these distinctions was found in the results of program evaluation studies, Piagetian training research and microanalytical studies of children's activity. Based upon the examination of the two theories and the review of relevant research, a number of implications for early childhood education were discussed. These implications included: the importance of differentiating among various conceptions of activity; the need for teachers of young children to take a descriptive rather than a prescriptive approach to children's activity; the importance of emphasizing part to whole relationships; the importance of understanding the distinction between figurative and operative activity; and the possibility the different types of activity produce different outcomes in terms of learning and behavior.