Spring 2025 Research Digest

AMS Supports Research

Join our Montessori Research Facebook Group, a place to share research studies that impact Montessori education and other related news. 

Highlights from The Montessori Event

The AMS Montessori Event 2025 in Denver brought together thousands of Montessori educators, researchers, and supporters in an atmosphere that teemed with innovation, new ideas, and core Montessori practices and philosophy.  

Our AMS  Montessori research community showcased new findings on topics as diverse as brain science, school choice, reading achievement, the impact of Montessori pedagogy on students of color and from low socioeconomic communities, and how educators can impact policies that in turn impact students in their classrooms.  

What’s New in Montessori Research

Facilitated by Elizabeth Park, Co-director of the AMS Research Committee, our annual “What’s New in Montessori Research” session featured 33 new papers and studies.  Of note were the following:

• Zanchi, P., Mullier, E., Fornari, E., Guerrier de Dumast, P., Alemán-Gómez, Y., Ledoux, J., Beaty, R., Hagmann, P., & Denervaud, S. (2024). Differences in spatiotemporal brain network dynamics of Montessori and traditionally schooled students. npj Science of Learning, 9(45), 1-10.
  
  • The study by Zanchi and fellow researchers compared brain network dynamics between Montessori and traditionally schooled students using resting-state fMRI and diffusion-weighted imaging. 
  • The major Findings in this study were that Montessori students exhibited higher functional integration and neural stability compared to traditionally schooled students.  Montessori pedagogy enhances brain network stability, particularly in attention control, executive functioning, and motor learning systems.
    
    
• Kaplan Toren, N., & Schwartz, M. (2025). Professional Development of Preschool Teacher Assistants in Multilingual and Multicultural Contexts. Early Childhood Education Journal, 53(3), 903–915.

Poster Sessions

• Montessori’s Appeal Across Communities: Racial and Socioeconomic Factors in School Choice. 
  Fleming D. & Culclasure B.
• Ideal Learning for All: Examining the Experiences of Children of Color in Ideal Learning Settings
  Brown K. & Iruka I.
• The Cultivation of the Cardinal Virtues: A Mixed Method Study of Montessori Elementary Students 
  VanFleet S.
• Inspiring Personal Progress through Practice: A Model Illustrating Montessori Pedagogy in the Primary Classroom 
  Weasler S.
• Public Montessori Teachers' Experiences with Teacher Evaluation and Professional Growth: A Pilot Study 
  Robbins C.
• The Presence of Infant Agency in the Montessori Infant Environment Korngold, K.T.

Research You Can Use

Eși, M.C. (2024). The impact of the Montessori education on pupils diagnosed with ADHD: The analysis of the perceived level of academic performance, behaviour, reactivity, self-efficacy [sic], and social integration by reference to traditional education programs. Journal of Education Society and Multiculturalism., 5(1), 72-86. DOI:10.2478/jesm-2024-0005

Montessori’s influence on students with ADHD

This study investigated the effects of Montessori-based motor activities on the fine and gross motor skills of children with ADHD. Results showed statistically significant improvements in multiple motor skills, and the findings support the use of motor training as an effective intervention for children with ADHD, enhancing executive function, fine motor skills, and sensory integration. The study highlights new potential for inclusive education and early intervention strategies for neurodivergent children. By focusing on motor development, Montessori-based activities may offer a valuable tool for addressing the unique needs of children with ADHD, fostering overall skill development and academic success.

Grants & Awards

Graduate Student Free Memberships - Up to 20 awarded - Click here to review the requirements and to apply by the May 15, 2025 deadline.

AMS Research Mini-Grants - Looking to fund Montessori-related research or costs associated with presenting your completed research?  Click here to review the requirements and apply by the May 1, 2025 deadline.

AMS Research News

Congratulations to our AMS Research Dissertation Award Recipients!

Have research to share with the world?  The 2026 AMS Dissertation Awards are now open for graduate-level work completed November 2, 2025 – November 1, 2026.

Click here to review the requirements and apply by November 30, 2026.

AMS Research Library Accepting Submissions

The American Montessori Society is passionate about providing Montessori researchers of all backgrounds and experience levels with the opportunity to promote and share high-quality research on Montessori Education and pedagogy. For this reason, we host the AMS Research Library on our website featuring dissertations, theses, peer-reviewed articles, action research projects, conference handouts, posters, and white papers.

We are actively seeking new submissions for our research library, so please consider sharing your work!