Assessment and Practice in Educational Sciences 3092-717X 4 Serial Number 16 2026 07 01 Embodiment and Empathy: Linking Merleau-Ponty’s Phenomenology and Montessori Education in Fostering Emotional Understanding in Preschool Children Embodiment and Empathy: Linking Merleau-Ponty’s Phenomenology and Montessori Education in Fostering Emotional Understanding in Preschool Children 1 11 10.61838/japes.227 EN Journal Article 2025 11 04 <p>This study was conducted with the aim of elucidating the role of embodiment in fostering empathy and emotional understanding among preschool children and clarifying the potential of Montessori education to strengthen these skills. The research was designed as a systematic review using a thematic synthesis approach based on the model proposed by Thomas and Harden (2008). Searches were carried out in the Google Scholar, ERIC, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Scopus databases, along with manual searches of the reference lists of key articles, up to the year 2024. After removing duplicates and screening titles, abstracts, and full texts according to inclusion and exclusion criteria, 15 eligible sources were included in the synthesis. Conceptual data were extracted through line-by-line coding and organized into 12 descriptive themes and 3 analytical themes. The three principal analytical themes were: (1) embodiment in Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology and the mechanisms of emotional understanding; (2) components of Montessori education in emotional development; and (3) the linkage between embodiment and empathy in sensory–social activities. Based on these themes, structured sensory experiences and shared bodily interactions (such as movement imitation, group games, and practical life activities) enhance emotional self-awareness, emotion regulation, and bodily simulation/co-feeling, thereby facilitating the emergence of empathic behaviors. The integration of Merleau-Ponty’s embodiment framework with the Montessori pedagogical method opens new horizons for designing bodily–sensory environments and activities in preschool classrooms; activities such as working with tactile materials, practical life exercises, the silence game, and collaborative role-playing can systematically cultivate emotional understanding and empathy. Given the limitations of causal evidence and the absence of indigenous studies in Iran, intervention-based and context-sensitive research is recommended to evaluate the effectiveness of these activities.</p> https://journalapes.com/index.php/apes/article/download/227/271