Preschool Educational Approaches: A Comparative Study

The aim of research was a comparative study of preschool educational approaches. In this research, the components of goals, content, teaching method, educational atmosphere and evaluation in romantic, humanistic, Montessori, Waldorf and Reggio Emilia approaches have been compared. The method of data collection and analysis were documentary and Bereday’s four-step approach respectively. In dimension of goals, all approaches emphasize the enrichment of the child’s imagination through the senses. In the activities dimension, all approaches emphasize the learning process. Montessori and Reggio Emilia’s approach, more than other approaches, design activities in a more problem-oriented manner. In the Montessori, Reggio Emilia and Waldorf approaches emphasized the question-and-answer method and indirect transmission of material to the child. In particular, the Reggio Emilia and Waldorf approaches have made the learning method the basis of child-teacher interaction, and teaching means the process of helping children learn research. In the dimension of educational atmosphere, human interaction with the environment - through the senses - is the basis of education in all approaches. In the evaluation dimension - with the exception of the Montessori approach which focuses on the extent to which predetermined goals are achieved-, other approaches do not emphasize learning standards and the evaluation is not done in the traditional way. Iranian curriculum planners are encouraged to use the findings of the present study to develop a suitable approach for early childhood education