Beliefs about Autonomy Support and Control in the Classroom

Montessori education is characterized by autonomous learning, whereas traditional education is often depicted by high structure and fewer choice opportunities. This study examined differences in beliefs of Montessori and traditional teachers in regard to effectiveness, normality, and ease of autono...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jennifer Moss, Theodore Wheeler
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Kansas 2024-11-01
Series:Journal of Montessori Research
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.ku.edu/jmr/article/view/20260
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1846148432995024896
author Jennifer Moss
Theodore Wheeler
author_facet Jennifer Moss
Theodore Wheeler
author_sort Jennifer Moss
collection DOAJ
description Montessori education is characterized by autonomous learning, whereas traditional education is often depicted by high structure and fewer choice opportunities. This study examined differences in beliefs of Montessori and traditional teachers in regard to effectiveness, normality, and ease of autonomy-supportive and controlling teaching, as well as differences in motivating styles. We analyzed the U.S. subset from an international study examining self-described motivation styles and beliefs. Our secondary analysis revealed both groups felt autonomy-supportive teaching was easy and effective, and that they found controlling teaching also to be easy, but ineffective. Montessori teachers were more likely to believe autonomy-supportive teaching was normal, whereas traditional teachers believed controlling teaching was more normal. Both groups described their teaching style as autonomy-supportive, but traditional teachers more often rated controlling scenarios as similar to their own practices. These differences, supported by large effect sizes, demonstrate more potential for controlling behavior in traditional classrooms and suggest the possibility of a cultural difference between Montessori and traditional teachers.
format Article
id doaj-art-f9c6ccba964c493e9d76a00b1c27636d
institution Kabale University
issn 2378-3923
language English
publishDate 2024-11-01
publisher University of Kansas
record_format Article
series Journal of Montessori Research
spelling doaj-art-f9c6ccba964c493e9d76a00b1c27636d2024-12-01T06:00:07ZengUniversity of KansasJournal of Montessori Research2378-39232024-11-0110210.17161/jomr.v10i2.20260Beliefs about Autonomy Support and Control in the ClassroomJennifer Moss0Theodore Wheeler1Emporia State UniversityKansas State University Montessori education is characterized by autonomous learning, whereas traditional education is often depicted by high structure and fewer choice opportunities. This study examined differences in beliefs of Montessori and traditional teachers in regard to effectiveness, normality, and ease of autonomy-supportive and controlling teaching, as well as differences in motivating styles. We analyzed the U.S. subset from an international study examining self-described motivation styles and beliefs. Our secondary analysis revealed both groups felt autonomy-supportive teaching was easy and effective, and that they found controlling teaching also to be easy, but ineffective. Montessori teachers were more likely to believe autonomy-supportive teaching was normal, whereas traditional teachers believed controlling teaching was more normal. Both groups described their teaching style as autonomy-supportive, but traditional teachers more often rated controlling scenarios as similar to their own practices. These differences, supported by large effect sizes, demonstrate more potential for controlling behavior in traditional classrooms and suggest the possibility of a cultural difference between Montessori and traditional teachers. https://journals.ku.edu/jmr/article/view/20260Montessori teachersself-determination theoryautonomy supportcontrolling teachingtraditional teachers
spellingShingle Jennifer Moss
Theodore Wheeler
Beliefs about Autonomy Support and Control in the Classroom
Journal of Montessori Research
Montessori teachers
self-determination theory
autonomy support
controlling teaching
traditional teachers
title Beliefs about Autonomy Support and Control in the Classroom
title_full Beliefs about Autonomy Support and Control in the Classroom
title_fullStr Beliefs about Autonomy Support and Control in the Classroom
title_full_unstemmed Beliefs about Autonomy Support and Control in the Classroom
title_short Beliefs about Autonomy Support and Control in the Classroom
title_sort beliefs about autonomy support and control in the classroom
topic Montessori teachers
self-determination theory
autonomy support
controlling teaching
traditional teachers
url https://journals.ku.edu/jmr/article/view/20260
work_keys_str_mv AT jennifermoss beliefsaboutautonomysupportandcontrolintheclassroom
AT theodorewheeler beliefsaboutautonomysupportandcontrolintheclassroom