Abstract:

The article informs the reader with the program of Montessori education and application of principles of Montessori education in conditions of Czech pre-schools (kindergartens). The authors focus on the formulation of the principles of this form of alternative education based on the study of works by M. Montessori and they further use them to research the level of social skills of pre-school children. Due to a fact that the educational approach at a Montessori kindergarten and a regular kindergarten differs, the authors also focus on the comparison of social skills among pre-school children of kindergartens of both abovementioned types. The quantitative design of the research was used. The questionnaires were submitted to 7 kindergartens: in 5 of them, children were educated by the principles of Montessori education, 2 of them were regular. The results linked to the pre-school children’s level of social skills were compared not only from the perspective of the type of kindergarten, but also from the perspective of children’s gender, siblings or the age when they started to attend the pre-school education.

Keywords:

Social skills, Montessori education, pre-school age.