Analyse dynamique de la motivation des élèves en début de scolarité obligatoire en fonction de la nature de leurs interactions avec l’enseignant

National audienceL’objectif général de cette recherche est de mieux comprendre l’évolution de la motivation des élèves en début de scolarité obligatoire (cours préparatoire) tout en interrogeant les facteurs sur lesquels il est possible d’intervenir afin d’influencer le niveau de motivation et son évolution au cours de l’année, tels que la qualité de la relation élèves-enseignant. En début, milieu et fin d’année de cours préparatoire, 270 élèves de 45 classes ont été interrogés. Des observations collectées individuellement auprès des élèves, ainsi que 4 cycles d’observation des pratiques enseignantes sur une échelle standardisée, ont permis de mettre en relation ces pratiques avec l’évolution de leur motivation pour la lecture durant une année. Les résultats montrent que les élèves présentent majoritairement une motivation pour la lecture stable et élevée tout au long de l’année, mais que cette tendance moyenne masque des évolutions spécifiques plus variables, notamment décroissantes. Il apparait que la qualité du soutien à l’apprentissage fourni aux élèves par l’enseignant augmente la probabilité des élèves d’appartenir au groupe motivationnel stable et élevé

The impact of significant others’ actual appraisals on children’s self-perceptions: What about Cooley’s assumption for children?

International audienceThe aim of this paper was to study the construction of children’s self-perception relying on Cooley’s hypothesis. More precisely, we were interested in the mediation effect of significant others’ actual appraisal on self-perception by the perception of others’ actual appraisal (i.e., reflected appraisal). First, we argued that this mediation effect would occur in the domains where children have feedback from significant others (here teacher or parents). Second, we took into account two measures of reflected appraisal: reflected appraisal assessed in a classic fashion and appraisal social support assessed with Harter’s scale (1985b). We argued that reflected appraisal assessed in a classic fashion would be a better mediator of the effect of actual appraisal on self-perception by reflected appraisal in comparison to appraisal social support. In order to test these hypotheses, we conducted a study with 126 children (age 8–9), 106 parents and six teachers. The results, taken as a whole, support these hypotheses

From future self to current action: An identity-based motivation perspective

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Feelings of connection between present self and future self and action toward the future self: A reciprocal effect

International audienceMany well-meaning adults ask even quite young children what they want to be when they ”grow up” and then admonish them to work hard and stay in school so they can attain their ”grown up” or adult self. Adults might think that if children just bring their ”grown up” adult future self to mind, this will remind children to more engaged with their schoolwork. However, children’s adult future self is far away and this does not always work. But why? Following the logic of social cognition (e.g. Bargh, 2016; Higgins, 1998; Strack & Schwarz, 2016), something that is on the mind or ”accessible” will be used in making judgments only if it is experienced as relevant to the task at hand. A social cognition perspective on self-concept predicts that people include as self- relevant accessible information, unless that information appears irrelevant to making these judgments (Oyserman, Elmore, & Smith, 2012; Oyserman, 2015). This implies that an adult future self will influence judgment only if it is on the mind and experienced as relevant for current choice. Relevance is not to be taken for granted, after all, adulthood is in the distal future, a future so far away that it simply may not be relevant to right now. In line with Identity-Based motivation Theory (Oyserman, 2015), we hypothesized that the feeling of connection between the present self and the future self will primed the feeling of relevance. First, we primed a lay theory about the future self (it is near, connected, overlapping with the current self or it is far, disconnected, and separate from the current self) and tested consequences. We show that experienced connection is consequential (Studies 1, N = 116; and Study 2, N = 173, in Nurra & Oyserman, 2018). We do so by showing that students led to experience high connection between current ‘me’ and adult future ‘me’ subsequently have better academic performance (school grades) than students led to experience low connection between current ‘me’ and adult future ‘me.’ We assess short term (Study 1) and long term (Study 2) effects. Second, we questioned directionality of the link. In fact, in everyday life, the direction of effect may be reversed. That is, children who are guided to act in future oriented ways may come to see their adult future selves as near and connected to their current self. Moreover, the process might be iterative and reciprocal rather than unfolding primarily in either direction. That is, considering the future self as connected to one’s current self might activate school engagement and working on school might active the idea that the future is connected. We tested this hypothesis with a longitudinal study with 6 measurements times from the beginning of 10th grade to the end of 11th grade (Study 3, N = 1956). Behavior was measured through actual grade and absenteeism. As predicted, we showed that there is a reciprocal effect between the feeling of connection and actual grade and absenteeism

Le jugement scolaire, un déterminant des croyances sur soi des élèves

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Social comparison in the classroom: Priming approach/avoidance changes the impact of social comparison on self‐evaluation and performance

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Measuring Stressors Among Children and Adolescents: A Scoping Review 1956–2020

International audienceChildren and adolescents are confronted with a variety of stressful experiences that may impact their developmental and learning processes. Yet, little is known about the way stressors actually are measured in research. To bridge this gap, this study conducted a scoping review of measures indexing child and adolescent stressors (N = 56). The results shed light on key fundamental dimensions that undergird the definition of stressors (space and time, quantification of stressfulness) and on the qualities of existing measures (content validity, composite reliability, convergent validity, and criterion validity), but also on their limitations for conducting quantitative research on youth stress processes (e.g., overreliance on long checklists or interviews, lack of demonstrated measurement invariance). Implications are drawn for the development of more integrative and efficient measures of stressors

« DESCOL » : Analyse multiniveau et dynamique des processus de décrochage scolaire au lycée

International audienceDe nombreux travaux ont étudié les facteurs de décrochage en début de scolarité (e.g., difficultés scolaires précoces liées à une origine sociale défavorisée). En complément, un besoin de recherche existe pour mieux comprendre le décrochage au lycée et le « processus de stress » qui le sous-tend (Dupéré et al., 2015). Le projet DESCOL vise à combler ce besoin en analysant des données longitudinales (N = 1956 lycéens, 80 classes). Les résultats suggèrent que le décrochage au lycée est un phénomène hétérogène sur le plan développemental (i.e., trajectoires scolaires multiples) qui est favorisé par une orientation scolaire dans une formation peu porteuse en termes d’emploi ou dénotant de la relégation socio-scolaire. Des implications sont tirées sur la manière de prévenir le décrochage en intégrant ces dimensions multiniveaux (i.e., l’orientation scolaire et le développement individuel)

Measuring Stressors Among Adolescents: Validation of the Positive and Negative Adolescent Life Experiences Scale

International audienceThis article develops and validates the Positive and Negative Adolescent Life Experiences (PANALE) scale, a 11-item tool that enables researchers to measure adolescent stressors in a more valid and efficient manner than existing adolescent stressors scales. The PANALE presents good psychometric qualities, in terms of construct validity (factorial structure, measurement invariance, and composite reliability) and concurrent validity with regard to eustress and distress symptoms in a French sample of high school adolescents ( N = 1513). Overall, the PANALE provides a viable alternative to existing methods for conducting quantitative research on adolescent stress processes, notably those related to school disengagement and dropout processes