Vygotsky and Montessori:
A Research Study
on Independence
Brianna Arias
Child Growth and Development:
Spring 2010
Lev Semenovich Vygotsky
Background
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Born in year 1896 raised in Gomel, Russia.
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In 1917 he graduated with a law degree from University of Moscow, from
1917-24 he taught literature in a secondary school as well as psychology at a
local college and prepared his doctoral
dissertation on the psychology of art.
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Recognized and received a position with
the Moscow Institute of Psychology.

Frequently his theory the zone of proximal
development is used in the field of education.
Maria Montessori Background
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Born in the year 1870 in Ancona, Italy.
Worked with children with mental retardation; fostered her later
interest in the education of under cared for children.
Opened the Casa de Bambini
where her methods were
implemented.
Montessori methods have
received increased recognition
and esteem in the past decades.
Research Study Hypothesis
Those children taught in the Vygotsky group will be more
influenced by their teacher and display less independent
thinking skills than those in the Montessori group.
Vygotsky as compared to Montessori

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Zone of Proximal
Development
Internalization
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Concentration
Independence
Sensitive Periods
Why the Zone of Proximal
Development is effective:
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Builds from the experience of the “more capable peer”
and the readiness of the student
Permits instructors to know not only a child’s “actual
level of development” but also the child’s potential
development
We learn culturally, hence inter-person interaction
fosters learning
“Learning awakens a variety of internal developmental processes that are able to
operate only when the child is interacting with people in his environment and in
cooperation with his peers. Once these processes are internalized, they become part
of the child’s independent developmental achievement.” (90, Mind and Society)
Montessori and Independence
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Children need to be carefully raised to ensure
their innate abilities stay intact
Wants children to develop to become “master of
his own actions” (337, The Montessori Method)
“To stimulate life,–leaving it then free to develop, to unfold,–herein lies the first task of
the educator. In such a delicate task, a great art must suggest the moment, and limit
the intervention, in order that we shall arouse no perturbation, cause no deviation, but
rather that we shall help the soul which is coming into the fullness of
life, and which shall live from its own forces.” (115, The Montessori Method)
The Study
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Two groups of three first graders; a
total of six children
Prior to drawing each group the
children viewed photographs of
farms and farm animals
One group was told to recall the
purpose of wind vanes and where
they belong; to the second group
no mention of them were made
After viewing the photographs
each child was then asked to draw a
picture of a farm scene using
anything they wished from what
they had seen or heard about
during our picture viewing and
conversation
Research Study Results
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Julia
6 yrs
Yes
7 yrs
Yes
7 yrs
No
Louis
7 yrs
No
Mike
6 yrs
No
James
7 yrs
No
In the first group:
two of the three children Rachel
included wind vanes in
their illustrations
Clara
In the second group:
none of the children in
the second group
included a wind vane in
their illustrations
Conclusions

In the context of his zone of proximal development,
Vygotsky was nurture!
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In the context of her views regarding the need to
preserve the child’s innate capacities, Montessori was
nature!
Nature
Nature ----------Montessori ------------------Vygotsky --------Nurture
Nurture
Limitations of the Study
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Montessori aspect not adequately tested.
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Too few children were tested.
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Improvement: Test actual Montessori educated children.
Since Montessori education is designed to have effects in the
long term, its effects are not necessarily immediately seen and
so it is difficult to compare results in short duration
experiments.
Improvement: Test more children.
Test seemed to more adequately study the influence of
visual over auditory stimuli.
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Improvement: Construct a more precise study.
A Further Question for a Future Study

What are the differences between Vygotsky’s
and Montessori’s views of language in child
development?