شبكة المعلومات العربية التربوية

The main objective of this study was to examine the impact of an educational program, based on the Montessori curriculum, on developing personal and environmental care skills among kindergarten children in Jordan. The sample consisted of 80 children from private sector kindergartens located in the south of the capital, Amman. The study was conducted in two kindergartens; the first was used for the exploratory stage while the study was applied in the second kindergarten. To meet the study’s objectives, an educational program was developed and consisted of nine skills with related sub skills. A teacher training program was also developed and applied over a nine-day period. A pre-test/post-test was developed and applied to both groups. The life skills measure consisted of three dimensions; life, environmental, and personal for a total of 29 items. The main results of this study showed statistically significant differences, with regards to skills attainment, between the kindergarten children in the experimental and control groups which can be attributed to the educational program. As a result of the positive impact of this program, the researcher made several recommendations including: encouraging ministry of education officials to implement life-skills programs in Jordan’s kindergartens, in addition to carrying out specialized studies on the impact of life-skills programs on children’s attainment of those skills. (Author's abstract)