From Classroom Order to Self-Regulation: The Role of School and Family Socialization in Early Childhood Education

The high dependence of young children on adults in daily routines highlights the urgency of designing learning environments that facilitate independence. This study aims to analyze the role of the prepared environment in Montessori Practical Life learning in stimulating autonomy and behavioral regularity in early childhood. A qualitative study employed a qualitative, descriptive-analytical approach in an early childhood education (ECE) institution implementing the Montessori curriculum. Data were collected through direct observation, in-depth interviews with the principal, teachers, institutional managers, and parents, and a review of lesson plan documents and children’s developmental portfolios. Triangulation was applied to strengthen data credibility. The prepared environment stimulated children’s development through three mechanisms: (1) the arrangement of materials on open, child-height shelves, sequenced from simple to complex and equipped with a control of error; (2) the application of freedom within limits, which habituated children to completing the full work cycle, from retrieving to returning materials; and (3) the limited number of material sets, which trained impulse control, patience in waiting for turns, and care for the environment. The findings indicate that order in the physical environment directly shapes children’s mental order and internal discipline without adult coercion. As a qualitative descriptive-analytical study conducted in ECE settings that implement the Montessori curriculum, the findings are context-bound and not statistically generalizable. Future research may use comparative or longitudinal designs to examine the effects of the prepared environment across different institutional contexts. ECE institutions should align their learning environments with home space arrangements that support children’s independence, so that the habits formed in school are reinforced at home. This study provides an empirically grounded account of how specific design features of the prepared environment operate to foster independence and behavioral regularity in young children, drawing on the perspectives of school leaders, teachers, managers, and parents.