The Effects of Mild but Chronic Stress at School on Brain Development:
A Comparative Morphometric Study Between Traditionally and Montessori-schooled Children
Patricia Schwery,
David Romascano,
Yasser Alemán Gómez
et al.
Abstract:While many children suffer from stress due to school-related factors, some alternative schooling systems, such as the Montessori pedagogy, emphasize stress-free learning environments (e.g., no grades, no tests, peer-peer learning). This study compared brain markers of stress, i.e., hippocampus, amygdala, and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) volumes, as a function of school experience. A cross-sectional comparative morphometric study was run between 45 traditionally schooled children and 44 Montessori-schooled … Show more
“…Furthermore, if the school context is perceived as stressful because of grades, exams and competitive settings, it influences learning and memory as well [ 62 ]. While no differences in prefrontal cortical thickness was observed [ 63 ], it is possible that stress induces more fixed than flexible memory [ 64 ]. Future studies should investigate the relation between stress- and memory-related brain structures.…”
Brain hemispheres develop rather symmetrically, except in the case of pathology or intense training. As school experience is a form of training, the current study tested the influence of pedagogy on morphological development through the cortical thickness (CTh) asymmetry index (AI). First, we compared the CTh AI of 111 students aged 4 to 18 with 77 adults aged > 20. Second, we investigated the CTh AI of the students as a function of schooling background (Montessori or traditional). At the whole-brain level, CTh AI was not different between the adult and student groups, even when controlling for age. However, pedagogical experience was found to impact CTh AI in the temporal lobe, within the parahippocampal (PHC) region. The PHC region has a functional lateralization, with the right PHC region having a stronger involvement in spatiotemporal context encoding, while the left PHC region is involved in semantic encoding. We observed CTh asymmetry toward the left PHC region for participants enrolled in Montessori schools and toward the right for participants enrolled in traditional schools. As these participants were matched on age, intelligence, home-life and socioeconomic conditions, we interpret this effect found in memory-related brain regions to reflect differences in learning strategies. Pedagogy modulates how new concepts are encoded, with possible long-term effects on knowledge transfer.
“…Furthermore, if the school context is perceived as stressful because of grades, exams and competitive settings, it influences learning and memory as well [ 62 ]. While no differences in prefrontal cortical thickness was observed [ 63 ], it is possible that stress induces more fixed than flexible memory [ 64 ]. Future studies should investigate the relation between stress- and memory-related brain structures.…”
Brain hemispheres develop rather symmetrically, except in the case of pathology or intense training. As school experience is a form of training, the current study tested the influence of pedagogy on morphological development through the cortical thickness (CTh) asymmetry index (AI). First, we compared the CTh AI of 111 students aged 4 to 18 with 77 adults aged > 20. Second, we investigated the CTh AI of the students as a function of schooling background (Montessori or traditional). At the whole-brain level, CTh AI was not different between the adult and student groups, even when controlling for age. However, pedagogical experience was found to impact CTh AI in the temporal lobe, within the parahippocampal (PHC) region. The PHC region has a functional lateralization, with the right PHC region having a stronger involvement in spatiotemporal context encoding, while the left PHC region is involved in semantic encoding. We observed CTh asymmetry toward the left PHC region for participants enrolled in Montessori schools and toward the right for participants enrolled in traditional schools. As these participants were matched on age, intelligence, home-life and socioeconomic conditions, we interpret this effect found in memory-related brain regions to reflect differences in learning strategies. Pedagogy modulates how new concepts are encoded, with possible long-term effects on knowledge transfer.
Brain hemispheres develop rather symmetrically except in the case of pathology or intense training.
As school experience is a form of training, the current study tested the influence of pedagogy on morphological development through the cortical thickness (CTh) asymmetry index (AI).
First, we compared CTh AI of 111 students aged 4 to 18 with 77 adults aged > 20. Second, we investigated CTh AI in the students, as a function of schooling background (Montessori or traditional). At the whole-brain level, CTh AI was not different between the adult and student groups, even when controlling for age. However, the pedagogical experience was found to impact CTh AI in the temporal lobe, within the parahippocampal (PHC) region. The PHC has a functional lateralization, with the right PHC having a stronger involvement in spatiotemporal context encoding, while the left PHC is involved in semantic encoding. We observed CTh asymmetry toward the left PHC for participants enrolled in Montessori schools and toward the right for participants enrolled in traditional schools. As these participants were matched on age, intelligence, home life, and socioeconomic conditions, we interpret this effect found in memory-related brain regions to reflect differences in learning strategies.
Pedagogy modulates how new concepts are encoded, with possible long-term effects on knowledge transfer.
The research investigates the impact that Montessori alternative education programs have on alleviating the effects of the ADHD symptomatology in the classroom and globally.As a cross-sectional study aimed at the comparative analysis of the academic performance, behavior, reactivity, self-efficacy and social integration, the research intends to provide a deep understanding of how this pedagogical method can contribute to the academic and social development of these pupils, while emphasizing their specific needs. The detailed analysis of the results brings to light the practical implications and the theoretical implications of using the Montessori method in the context of education for children with ADHD nationwide. Data were collected from a group of parents (N=104) who have children enrolled in eithe Montessori or traditional education programs and the analysis was aimed at assessing the significant differences between the two groups, as they were perceived by the respondents.
The overall results indicated that in the Montessori reference classroom, parents reported children’s better academic performance, a satisfactory classroom behavior, positive social interactions and greater overall improvement compared to respondents associated with the traditional type of educational program. However, no significant differences were identified in terms of emotional self-regulation and reported self-efficacy between the two types of programs. The interpretation of these results suggests that the Montessori programs can provide a beneficial educational environment for the children’s global development, improving important matters of their school and social life.
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