An exploration of parental perceptions surrounding the influence of the Montessori ethos towards education on aspects of children's development

ABSTRACT

This piece of practitioner research explored parents’ perceptions of Montessori education in the early years in the UK. Ten qualitative interviews were conducted online using Microsoft Teams and OneNote with parents whose children were aged between 2 and 5 years old (N = 10). Braun and Clarke's Reflexive Thematic Analysis was used to identify three themes: Positive attitudes towards the influence of Montessori on holistic development; Shared understanding of the Montessori ethos, and Influence of parents’ educational experiences on Montessori school choice. Parents valued Montessori's emphasis on independence and adapted their parenting style accordingly. However, financial constraints and limited availability of Montessori schools for primary and secondary education were identified as challenges. The study's limitations included recruitment challenges and a lengthy data analysis process. Future research could investigate how Montessori education supports children with special needs or in mathematical areas of learning.

KEYWORDS:

• Montessori ethos
• parental perspectives
• self-regulation
• parenting challenges
• school choice

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).