Children attending alternative schools (Montessori, Steiner) outperform mainstream-school children on figural divergent and convergent thinking measures¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r3 · q2
Currency · newest study 2024 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Children attending alternative schools such as Montessori and Steiner outperform those attending mainstream schools on figural (and to a lesser extent verbal) divergent thinking measures. → Bruce S. Rawlings & Sarah J. Cutting 2024

Evidence¶

Bruce S. Rawlings & Sarah J. Cutting 2024¶

Bruce S. Rawlings & Sarah J. Cutting. (2024). Linking Disparate Strands: A Critical Review of the Relationship Between Creativity and Education. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09973-z

q2 · i? · review · r3

The review reports growing evidence that "children who attend alternative schools (e.g. Montessori, Steiner) outperform those attending mainstream ones on figural (and to a lesser extent verbal) DT measures", citing multiple studies including Swiss 4–12-year-olds controlling for intelligence.

"There is growing evidence that children who attend alternative schools (e.g. Montessori, Steiner) outperform those attending mainstream ones on figural (and to a lesser extent verbal) DT measures (Denervaud et al., 2021; Eon Duval et al., 2022)."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Creativity — outcome: instruction changes it

Related Claims¶

• Cross-cultural studies show Eastern children can outperform Western ones on creativity measures, and children with little schooling can show high divergent thinking — related
• Tools of the Mind and Montessori curricula improve children's EFs, with Tools children outperforming controls especially on more EF-demanding conditions — related
• Children admitted by random lottery to high-fidelity Montessori schools performed better or the same as waitlisted controls on academic, executive function, and social measures, never worse — related