La relation entre les comportements extériorisés et l’engagement scolaire : l’effet modérateur de l’implication parentale dans le suivi scolaire

L'engagement scolaire est un aspect déterminant de la réussite des élèves. Toutefois, une portion d’élèves suit une trajectoire d’engagement moins optimiste, notamment ceux présentant des comportements perturbateurs en classe (Wang & Fredricks, 2014). Le but de la présente étude est donc de vérifier si l’implication parentale dans le suivi scolaire modère la relation entre les comportements extériorisés de ces élèves du primaire et leur engagement scolaire. Les données ont été recueillies en début et en fin d’année scolaire à partir de questionnaires validés auprès de 731 élèves de troisième à la sixième année, issus de milieux défavorisés. Des régressions multiples hiérarchiques ont été effectuées afin de vérifier la contribution unique et partagée des quatre dimensions de l’implication parentale sur l’engagement cognitif et comportemental. Les résultats montrent que le soutien aux devoirs est associé positivement à l’engagement scolaire, alors que le lien école-parent y est négativement associé. Ils montrent également que l’importance accordée à la scolarisation modère à la baisse le lien négatif entre les comportements extériorisés et l’engagement comportemental, alors que le soutien aux devoirs et la communication parent-enfant protègent l’engagement cognitif de ces élèves. Dans l’ensemble, ces résultats suggèrent l’importance de promouvoir l’implication du parent dans le suivi scolaire de leur enfant afin de prévenir un éventuel désengagement scolaire, particulièrement auprès des élèves qui présentent des comportements extériorisés.School engagement is a critical aspect of student success. However, a portion of students follow a less optimistic path of engagement, especially those with disruptive behaviors (Wang & Fredricks, 2014). The aim of this study is therefore to verify whether parental involvement in education moderates the relationship between externalized behaviors of these elementary students and their school engagement. Data of 731 grade three to grade six students from disadvantaged backgrounds was collected at the beginning and at the end of the school year threw validated questionnaires. Multiple hierarchical regressions were performed to verify the unique and shared contribution of four dimensions of parental involvement to cognitive and behavioral engagement. The results show that homework support is positively associated with school engagement, while parent-school relationship is negatively associated to it. Results also show that parental aspiration for their child’s education moderates the negative link between externalized behaviors and behavioral engagement, whereas homework support and parent-child communication protect cognitive engagement of these students. Overall, these findings suggest the importance of promoting parent involvement in their child's education to prevent future disengagement, especially with students who exhibit externalized behaviors

Les interventions efficaces pour soutenir la réussite éducative des élèves de la population générale et des jeunes en situation de placement : résultats de méta-analyses

La réussite éducative est une priorité au cœur des politiques québécoises en matière d’éducation. Malgré les efforts déployés, certains indicateurs de réussite demeurent préoccupants. Ceci est encore plus vrai pour certaines populations qui vivent dans un contexte de vulnérabilité, notamment, les jeunes en situation de placement pour qui les données sont les plus inquiétantes. Il est donc impératif d’identifier les meilleures stratégies pour soutenir la réussite des jeunes de la population générale, mais également ceux qui sont les plus à risque de vivre des échecs. La présente thèse a ainsi pour but d’identifier ces stratégies en s’attardant à deux cibles importantes, l’engagement et le rendement scolaires. Plus précisément, deux revues systématiques ont été réalisées : l’une portant sur les interventions ayant pour but de favoriser l’engagement comportemental, cognitif et affectif des élèves du primaire (étude 1) et une seconde portant sur les interventions favorables au rendement des jeunes en situation de placement (étude 2). Les résultats des interventions identifiées ont été synthétisés via des méta-analyses afin d’identifier les stratégies d’intervention les plus efficaces. Le premier chapitre de la thèse permet de bien positionner les concepts à l’étude et les objectifs de la thèse. Quant au second chapitre, il présente les étapes d’une recension systématique, l’approche méthodologique au cœur de cette thèse. La première étude est présentée au chapitre III. Cette étude a permis d’identifier 38 interventions visant à soutenir l’engagement scolaire des élèves du primaire. Parmi les différentes stratégies, le soutien offert à l’enseignant est parmi les plus prometteuses; aider les enseignants à mettre en place des pratiques efficaces en matière de gestion des comportements et à établir des relations positives est hautement favorable à l’engagement des élèves. Parmi les interventions directement mises en place auprès des élèves, il semble particulièrement efficace de les aider à développer des stratégies pour mieux planifier et organiser leurs apprentissages, ainsi que d’intégrer des activités physiques durant les activités d’apprentissage. Toutefois, les ateliers d’habiletés sociales adressés aux élèves ne semblent pas contribuer à leur engagement. Finalement, pour les jeunes qui rencontrent davantage de difficultés, les interventions multimodales visant à soutenir directement l’élève ainsi que ses différents environnements, scolaire et/ou familial, se sont également révélées efficaces pour favoriser l’engagement. Le deuxième article de la thèse (Chapitre IV) a permis de répertorier 21 interventions soutenant le rendement scolaire des jeunes en situation de placement. Parmi les différentes interventions recensées, le tutorat s’impose comme la stratégie la plus efficace et la plus rigoureusement évaluée. Les interventions qui reposent sur la collaboration entre le parent, biologique ou d’accueil, les services sociaux et l’école montrent également des effets bénéfiques. Toutefois, devant d’importants biais méthodologiques, les résultats des études sur le sujet doivent être interprétés avec prudence. En somme, cette thèse souligne la variété de stratégies pour soutenir l’engagement et le rendement scolaires. Tel qu’abordé dans la discussion générale (Chapitre V), auprès des jeunes de la population générale, il semble particulièrement important de mettre en place un environnement scolaire positif. Pour les jeunes confrontés à des difficultés plus importantes, il semble nécessaire d’offrir un soutien ciblé sur les difficultés. Malgré les limites de la thèse, ces résultats ont des implications importantes pour la recherche, mais particulièrement pour les intervenants qui œuvrent dans les milieux scolaires et des services sociaux. Ces dernières sont abordées en conclusion.School success is a priority at the heart of Quebec’s education policies. Despite the efforts made, some success indicators remain concerning. This is even more true for certain populations living in a context of vulnerability, notably children in out-of-home care, for whom the data is most concerning. It is therefore imperative to identify the best strategies to support student success in the general population, as well as for those who are most at risk of failure. Thus, the purpose of this thesis is to identify these strategies by focusing on two important targets: student engagement and academic achievement. To this end, two systematic reviews were conducted: one focusing on interventions aimed at promoting behavioral, cognitive, and affective engagement of elementary school students (study 1), and the other targeting interventions to improve the academic achievement of children in out-of-home care (study 2). The results of the identified interventions were synthesized through meta-analyses to determine the most effective strategies. The first chapter of the thesis provides an overview of the concepts under study and the thesis objectives. The second chapter presents the steps of a systematic review, the methodological approach at the core of this thesis. The first study is presented in Chapter III. This study identified 38 interventions aimed at supporting elementary students’ engagement. Among the various strategies, indirect support provided to teachers is among the most promising. Assisting teachers in implementing effective behavior management practices and establishing positive relationships is highly conducive to student engagement. Among the student-directed interventions, it appears particularly effective to help students develop strategies to better plan and organize their learning, as well as to integrate physical activities during learning activities. However, social skills workshops do not seem to contribute their engagement. Finally, for young people facing more difficulties, multimodal interventions aiming to support the student directly as well as their different environments, both school and/or family, have also proven effective in promoting engagement. The second article of the thesis (Chapter IV) allowed the identification of 21 interventions aimed at supporting the academic achievement of children in out-of-home. Among the various interventions identified, tutoring stands out as the most effective and rigorously evaluated strategy. Interventions based on collaboration between the natural or foster parent, social services, and the school also show beneficial effects. However, given significant methodological biases, the results of these studies should be interpreted with caution. In summary, this thesis emphasizes the variety of strategies to support engagement and academic achievement. As discussed in the general discussion (Chapter V), it seems particularly important to create a positive school environment for students in the general population. On the other hand, for those facing more significant difficulties, targeted support for their specific challenges seems necessary. Despite certain limitations, these results have important implications for research and particularly for practitioners working in school and for social services. These are addressed in the conclusion

Le stress et le décrochage scolaire, un lien négligé ou négligeable? : une étude sur l'impact du stress social sur la performance scolaire, l'impulsivité et la prise de risque en fonction du niveau de risque de décrochage scolaire

Plusieurs outils mesurent le niveau de risque de décrochage scolaire grâce à l’évaluation de certains facteurs de risque connus, comme le niveau de performance scolaire et les difficultés d’ordre comportemental. De hauts niveaux d’impulsivité et de prise de risque peuvent d’ailleurs prédire des difficultés de comportement. Mais qu’en est-il du stress? Le stress comme facteur de risque a été discuté dans certaines études sur le décrochage scolaire, mais son impact sur les performances scolaires, l’impulsivité et la prise de risque n’a jamais été mesuré en lien avec le niveau de risque de décrochage scolaire. Cette étude propose d’évaluer l'impact du stress social sur la performance scolaire, l'impulsivité et la prise de risque et de le mettre en lien avec le niveau de risque de décrochage scolaire. L'hypothèse veut que plus le niveau de risque de décrochage scolaire est élevé, plus le stress social aura un impact négatif sur nos mesures. 37 adultes de 15 à 20 ans, sans diplôme, ont été rencontrés. Après la caractérisation et l'évaluation du niveau de risque de décrochage scolaire, les participants ont réalisé des tâches de performance scolaire, d’impulsivité et de prise de risque avant et après une situation de stress, le Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Des échantillons de cortisol salivaire ont montré que le TSST n'a pas provoqué un stress assez significatif pour tester notre hypothèse. Les données indiquent cependant un lien significatif entre le niveau de risque de décrochage scolaire et l'impulsivité. De plus, les données liées à la prise de risque apportent un questionnement intéressant sur ses liens avec l'impulsivité. Nous ne pouvons conclure que plus le niveau de risque de décrochage scolaire est élevé, plus le stress a un impact négatif important. Toutefois, nos données supportent le lien entre l'impulsivité cognitive et le niveau de risque de décrochage scolaire.Dropping out of school can seriously affect employment possibilities and social integration. There are tools to investigate and measure the level of risk of dropping out. Academic performances and behaviour problems are well documented risk factors. Impulsivity and risk taking can lead to problematic behaviour. Certain studies have looked into the impact of stress on the dropping out process, but its impact on academic performances, impulsivity and risk taking has never been evaluated directly with the risk level of dropping out. Objective and hypothesis : The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of stress on academic performances, impulsivity and risk taking and to measure the relation of this impact with the risk level of dropping out of school. The hypothesis is that higher the risk level, higher the negative impact stress will have on our measures of academic performance, impulsivity and risk taking. Method : 37 young adults between 15 and 20 years old with no diploma took part in the study. After measuring the risk level of dropping out, a full characterization was made followed by academic performance, impulsivity and risk taking tasks before and after a social stress condition, the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Results : Our salivary cortisol samples show that the TSST did not produce a significant change in levels of stress to adequately test our hypothesis. Our results show a significant interaction between impulsivity and the risk level of dropping out. Furthermore, the relation between risk taking and impulsivity in our results is interesting Conclusion : The objective of this project could not be adequately tested since the stress condition didn't produce a significant stress reaction, as measured by salivary cortisol. The level of risk of dropping out was significantly correlated with impulsivity, but not risk taking, nor academic performances

Effects of a dietary intervention promoting the adoption of a Mediterranean food pattern on fast-food consumption among healthy French-Canadian women

It is expected that a dietary intervention based on the traditional Mediterranean food pattern should be associated with a reduction in fast-food consumption but this has never been tested before. We assessed the impact of a 12-week dietary intervention, promoting the adoption of a Mediterranean food pattern, on fast-food consumption among seventy-one healthy women aged between 30 and 65 years. The dietary intervention consisted of two group sessions and seven individual sessions with a dietitian. To determine the Mediterranean dietary score (MedScore) and fast-food consumption, an FFQ was administered. During the 12-week intervention, the MedScore significantly increased (from 21·1 (SD 3·6) units at baseline to 28·6 (SD 4·4) units at week 12, P,0·0001), while the fast-food consumption significantly decreased (from 51·7 (SD 46·4) g/d at baseline to 20·5 (SD 18·2) g/d at week 12, P,0·0001). Moreover, women who had a higher consumption of fast food at baseline decreased their fast-food consumption to the most (r 20·50, P,0·0001). When four subgroups were formed on the basis of median values of Medscore and fast-food consumption changes, it was found that only the subgroup of women which increased the most their MedScore and decreased the most their fast-food consumption experienced a significant decrease in BMI (P,0·01). In conclusion, a dietary intervention promoting the Mediterranean food pattern led to a decrease in fast-food consumption among healthy women even if it was not a specific target of the intervention. Dietary strategies for increasing intake of healthy foods may be a useful approach for decreasing intake of less healthy foods

La lecture des œuvres complètes en contexte scolaire au Québec

Au Québec, les récentes réformes curriculaires témoignent d’exigences élevées quant au nombre d’œuvres complètes à lire en formation pré-universitaire, mais accordent une grande liberté aux enseignants pour la sélection des titres. Les auteurs se fondent sur les résultats d’une vaste enquête pour dresser un état des lieux des exigences des enseignants en matière de lecture des œuvres, des finalités associées à cette pratique et des corpus choisis. Les enseignants du primaire et du secondaire ciblent le développement du plaisir de lire, ceux du collégial visent la constitution d’une culture littéraire de base : la première est centrée sur la littérature québécoise alors que la seconde prend en compte le patrimoine français.In Quebec, the recent curricular reforms are very demanding in terms of the number of whole works to be read in pre-university training, but give teachers free rein for choosing which books. The authors draw from the findings of an extensive study to review teachers’ requirements in terms of reading works, the aims of this practice and the texts chosen. Primary and secondary school teachers want to develop a liking for reading while high school teachers focus on fostering a basic literary culture: the first is based on Quebecker literature while the second embraces French heritage.En Quebec, las recientes reformas curriculares atestiguan unas elevadas exigencias en cuanto al número de obras completas que deben leerse durante la formación preuniversitaria, pero les conceden una gran libertad a los docentes a la hora de elegir los títulos. Los autores se basan en los resultados de una amplia encuesta para establecer un estado de la cuestión de las exigencias de los docentes en lo que toca a la lectura de las obras, finalidades asociadas a esta práctica y corpus seleccionados. Los docentes de primaria y de secundaria se proponen desarrollar el placer de la lectura, y los de postsecundaria se esmeran por cimentar una cultura literaria básica: la primera se centra en la cultura quebequesa, mientras que la segunda tiene en cuenta el patrimonio francés

Hera Cubesats Trajectory Design and ConOps for Didymos Binary Asteroid Characterization

The Asteroid Impact Deflection Assessment (AIDA) mission, a collaborative effort for Planetary Defense, involves the DART and Hera spacecrafts targeting the Didymos-Dimorphos binary asteroid system. Their objectives include assessing asteroid deflection, conducting close observations, and demonstrating future mission technologies. DART, launched by NASA, impacted Dimorphos in September 2022. While Hera, an ESA spacecraft, carrying Juventas and Milani 6U-XL CubeSats, will be launch in October 2024 to reach the binary asteroid system after a two-year Cruise. Hera will arrive in December 2026 in order to characterize afterwards the result of the DART impact in terms of reshaping and deflection of Dimorphos. The French Space Agency (CNES) contributes to Hera’s mission through CubeSats preliminary trajectory design and close proximity operations for flight dynamics and payloads programming. From the mothercraft ejection to the realization of the scientific objectives of the different payloads (imager, radar, gravimeter, radio-science experiment) to landing, the proximity operations will be held in 2027 within the C-FDSOC (Cubesats Flight Dynamics and Science Operation Center, France) in support of the CMOC (Cubesat Mission Operation Center, Belgium) with direct interface with the HMOC (Hera Mission Operation Center, Germany) as all uplinks and downlinks transit through the Hera mothership. Taking into account the various constraints for each phase implies specific trajectories design with dedicated maneuver strategies and payloads acquisitions sequences through an adapted Concept of Operations shared with Hera ground segment European stakeholders and Payloads teams. This paper will therefore present the different types of trajectories and the preliminary ConOps and necessary ground segment automation elaborated to fulfill mission programming and flight dynamics objectives for the two Hera CubeSats, Milani and Juventas

The effectiveness of dance therapy as an adjunct to rehabilitation of adults with a physical disability

Background/Objective: To determine the added benefit on participants’ mobility and participation of a 12-week dance therapy (DT) intervention combined with usual physical rehabilitation for adults with varied physical disabilities. Their appreciation of DT was also explored. Methods: We conducted a quasi-experimental study pre–post test with a nonequivalent control group and repeated measurements pre, post, and at a 3-month follow-up. Results: Although participants in both groups significantly improved over time (at 12 weeks and at follow-up) compared to baseline on mobility (timed up and go, TUG) and participation (e.g., Life-H scores and number of leisure activities), treatment effect analysis using propensity score matching showed no significant treatment effect of DT. The TUG scores showed the best promise of a treatment effect. DT participants’ Flow State Scale scores significantly improved (p < 0.01) for 5/9 dimensions of flow (being in control, loss of self-consciousness), and they all recommended DT. Conclusion: This study failed to demonstrate an added benefit of the DT intervention in improving participants’ mobility and participation. Overwhelmingly, favorable participants’ opinions about the intervention support its potential impact

Concurrent functional ultrasound imaging with graphene-based DC-coupled electrophysiology as a platform to study slow brain signals and cerebral blood flow under control and pathophysiological brain states

Current methodology used to investigate how shifts in brain states associated with regional cerebral blood volume (CBV) change in deep brain areas, are limited by either the spatiotemporal resolution of the CBV techniques, and/or compatibility with electrophysiological recordings; particularly in relation to spontaneous brain activity and the study of individual events. Additionally, infraslow brain signals (<0.1 Hz), including spreading depolarisations, DC-shifts and infraslow oscillations (ISO), are poorly captured by traditional AC-coupled electrographic recordings; yet these very slow brain signals can profoundly change CBV. To gain an improved understanding of how infraslow brain signals couple to CBV we present a new method for concurrent CBV with wide bandwidth electrophysiological mapping using simultaneous functional ultrasound imaging (fUS) and graphene-based field effect transistor (gFET) DC-coupled electrophysiological acquisitions. To validate the feasibility of this methodology visually-evoked neurovascular coupling (NVC) responses were examined. gFET recordings are not affected by concurrent fUS imaging, and epidural placement of gFET arrays within the imaging window did not deteriorate fUS signal quality. To examine directly the impact of infra-slow potential shifts on CBV, cortical spreading depolarisations (CSDs) were induced. A biphasic pattern of decreased, followed by increased CBV, propagating throughout the ipsilateral cortex, and a delayed decrease in deeper subcortical brain regions was observed. In a model of acute seizures, CBV oscillations were observed prior to seizure initiation. Individual seizures occurred on the rising phase of both infraslow brain signal and CBV oscillations. When seizures co-occurred with CSDs, CBV responses were larger in amplitude, with delayed CBV decreases in subcortical structures. Overall, our data demonstrate that gFETs are highly compatible with fUS and allow concurrent examination of wide bandwidth electrophysiology and CBV. This graphene-enabled technological advance has the potential to improve our understanding of how infraslow brain signals relate to CBV changes in control and pathological brain states