Investigation of Montessori science education in the secondary school according to the perspective of Montessori science teachers

The purposes of this study are to determine the views of teachers about Montessori science education, to discuss the Montessori approach in detail and make suggestions in this regard. The study was designed as a case study which is a qualitative research method. The participants were selected based on the criterion sampling method that is a purposive sampling method. In this regard, 7 upper elementary teachers and 8 middle school science teachers who are trained in Montessori teacher education programs participate in the study. Data is collected through a semi-structured interview. The collected data is analyzed with content analysis and descriptive analysis techniques from qualitative data analysis techniques. Findings suggest that the Montessori approach encourages children to work freely throughout the entire education but expects them to be responsible for their education. To achieve this, the learning environment, the teaching methods and techniques, and the assessment and evaluation methods take a highly flexible structure. This flexible structure of the approach allows individualization for each child. From the teachers' point of view, it is understood that the Montessori approach focuses on providing a nurturing environment where each child is respected and encouraged, where social interaction is intense, rather than focusing on academic education. In light of these findings, some suggestions for the implementation of the approach are presented.