Abstract:

The presented paper analyses pre-literacy of pre-primary pupils educated in alternative systems. Czech pre-school education underwent a substantial change in 2017, introducing a compulsory year of pre-school education for children aged five. Regarding the fact that the education of this age group is based exclusively on playing and the development of cognitive and psychomotor skills, mainstream pre-school establishments in the Czech Republic largely use elements of alternative education. The research was conducted using a qualitative survey with direct participant observation and detailed recording of the course of education in nursery schools with a focus on the development of pre-literacy. The research involved a mainstream nursery school that used alternative elements of education and a pre-school establishment of a Montessori and Waldorf type. The purpose was also to record the different procedures and methods used in the systems aimed at promoting the development of children’s reading and writing. Subsequently, the systems were compared and the level of children’s preliteracy in different establishments was analysed. The aim of the research was to identify the extent to which alternative education such as Montessori and Waldorf differ from mainstream nursery schools that use alternative elements of education.

Keywords:

Pre-primary education, pre-literacy, qualitative survey, Montessori, Waldorf, alternative education, Czech Republic.