De effectiviteit van daltononderwijs
In this dissertation the effectiveness of Dalton education is being researched. The first question that was addressed, is why Dalton education focuses on effectiveness. The main reason for this is the concerns in society about the effectiveness of alternative education. Next, the identity of Dalton education was studied. Characteristic for Dalton education are the principles freedom, independence, and collaboration, together with the assignments. However, the principles and the assignments are not distinctive, because they are commonplace in primary education. To study the effectiveness of Dalton education, the scores of pupils in kindergarten, grade three and six at Dalton schools were compared with those of pupils at traditional schools.
Results from the multilevel analyses of the first and second measurement of research project called ‘Cohort-Onderzoek-Onderwijsloopbanen5-18’indicate that there are no differences between the scores of pupils on Dalton schools and those at traditional schools on language, math, self-efficacy, task-motivation, wellbeing in relation with the teacher, wellbeing in relation with other pupils, and citizenship competencies. Because the research on the effectiveness provides no insights on how to improve the effectiveness, a review of the research on one of the three principles of Dalton education, namely collaboration, was undertaken. Collaborative learning is an evidence based educational approach, but the effectiveness is influenced by a large number of factors. Therefore, it is of importance that teachers use collaborative learning in a thoughtful manner. The most important conclusion of this dissertation is that concerns about the effectiveness of alternative education do not apply to Dalton education.