Abstract:

The presented paper deals with the progress in the pupils attending schools implementing elements of the Dalton Plan (pedocentric alternative education concept) at the level of reading comprehension and metacognitive monitoring. The Dalton Plan stems from Helen Parkhurst's ideas accentuating independence, responsibility and freedom. There are legitimate concerns that the current educational curriculum does not stimulate pupils' educational potential (no statistical differences between grades - for metacognitive monitoring see e.g. Lanková, 2019; for logical thinking see e.g. Chytrý, 2018). The Dalton Plan accentuates the didactic approaches for which there is a real presumption encouraging pupils’ reading comprehension and their metacognitive monitoring (e.g. deferred attention method; pupils’ autonomous task sorting time management; pupils’ monthly planning in terms of quantity, quality, and order of activities). The identical cohort of pupils was followed over one year. Pupils (N = 89) were tested first in the 4th and then in the 5th grade. The hypothesis was tested whether or not there is a difference in the level of reading comprehension and metacognitive monitoring in the pupils attending the Dalton School in a one-year interval. Statistically significant differences indicating progress were demonstrated through Wilcox test in both above mentioned areas: reading comprehension (p = 0.01151) and metacognitive monitoring (p = 0.000215). The conclusion part of the study suggests possible outcome explanations based on specific curriculum of Dalton Plan in relation to the reading comprehension and metacognitive monitoring and also suggestions for future research in this specific area, limits of this study and suggestions for theory and clinical practice.

Keywords:

Dalton Plan, reading comprehension, metacognitive monitoring, longitudinal study.