Human capital background and the educational attainment of second-generation immigrants in France

In this paper, we study the impact of parental human capital background on ethnic educational gaps between second-generation immigrants using a large data set conducted in France in 2003. Estimates from censored random effect ordered Probit regressions show that the skills of immigrants explain in the most part, the ethnic educational gap between their children. Fluency in French and the length of their parents’ stay in France also matter. The impact of the immigrants’ education on the educational attainment of their children further depends on their country of origin, their place of schooling, and their proficiency in French.     

社会问题、教育问题、抑或种族问题?--法国2005年城市骚乱简析

2005年10月始于巴黎后蔓延数省的法国城市暴力事件有着深刻的历史原因和社会背景,大部分参与者是身处弱势的移民子女.移民,在法国有时被纳入广义的"外国人"之列,后者约占法国总人口的十分之一,绝对不容忽视.法国教育政策的制定和实施中没有充分体现应有的平等、非功利和多元的性质,以及公民道德教育效果欠佳,这些都是身处弱势的青年,特别是移民青年反社会心理和行为形成的重要原因.     

Understanding attributional processes in cross-cultural counselling

Attribution is especially important from a cultural perspective in understanding how change occurs in cross-cultural counselling. In this paper a framework adapted from Brickman et al. (1982) is proposed in which attributions are classified along two dimensions: the extent to which the individual believes in personal responsibility for the cause of a problem and the extent to which he or she believes in personal responsibility for its solution. This framework provides a convenient means for understanding the differences in attributions about these behaviours across cultures. Four types of client problems in cross-cultural counselling are reviewed in light of client attributions and corresponding helping strategies.Cross-cultural counselling is a complex endeavour. A number of factors have been identified which address some of the difficulties experienced by both clients and counsellors (Ahia, 1984; Dillard, 1983; Pedersen, Draguns, Lonner & Trimble, 1981). Included among these are the inherently Western nature of counselling, different communication patterns among individuals of different cultures, and the needs and values of the client and counsellor who are from different cultures. In addition, differences in perception and cognitive style across cultures have been demonstrated to affect cross-cultural counselling (Oddou & Mendenhall, 1984). An important cognitive variable is the attribution or explanation that the counsellor and client use regarding the problem, its causes, solution, and treatment.The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between attribution processes and cross-cultural counselling. After a brief overview of attribution theory, Brickman's model of attributions of responsibility (Brickman, Rabinowitz, Karuza, Coates, Cohn, & Kidder, 1982) is adapted for use cross-cultural counselling. This model is then applied to four types of cross-cultural problems. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications and advantages of focusing on attribution as a major theme in cross-cultural counselling.     

RELIGION AND SCHOOL‐EDUCATION IN A SECULAR STATE: THE FRENCH SITUATION

A major nation building concept in France is that of laïcité(secularism). Arising during the French Revolution, it gathered force in the nineteenth century, resulting in the complete separation of Church and State in France in 1905. A major goal of laïcitéwas the creation of a free, state‐supported public school system in which the teachers became the high priests of the secular state. Although certain religious minorities, the Jews and the Protestants, in particular, did quite well in France following their emancipation, making massive use of the secular schools for their own promotion in French society, their assimilation weakened their religious and community ties. Indeed, a negative result of secularism is that it has resulted in widespread ignorance on the part of many French people of all persuasions of the religious roots of their culture. This ignorance has made them intolerant of religion in general and of the religious differences manifested by an increasingly large and vocal Muslim minority, the presence of which is the confirmation that France is now a de facto plural society. The author suggests that one solution to that intolerance in France which seems to have its roots in that very laïcitéwhich at its inception had been intended to eliminate religious intolerance would be the teaching of courses in religious appreciation in the schools. Of course, this proposition raises the question of whether or not such courses should be taught by clerics or by secular teachers.     

Networking and the use of information technologies in the French education system

Conclusion It may be pointed out in conclusion that the two connotations of the word ‘network’— the fact of working together coupled with that of the new information and communication media—finally come together and situate the French education system in a real context of change, for both connotations are obviously complementary. Communication, co-operative work, the pooling of resources and skills, with a view to improving the quality and effectiveness of education and promoting equality of opportunity through access to knowledge, are central to these various projects. Thanks to the greater flexibility made possible by these tools, a new public—those who are isolated or those who find it impossible to move—are and will be taken into account. The purpose of these projects is to increase the performance of the education system and adapt it to the social and economic realities of the community. This shows how important it is to facilitate their implementation, in association with all partners concerned. Original language: French Fran?ois Louis (France) University degrees in public law and labour law and a graduate of the French école nationale d'administration (ENA) (1979). Since 1989, he has been head of the Planning and Resources Management Unit of the French Direction des lycées et collèges, after having held the post of Secretary-General of educational administration for the Paris region. In 1994, he published a book entitledDécentralisation et autonomie des établissements [Decentralization and school autonomy], as well as a report published by OECD in 1995 entitledL'enseignement secondaire en France, la mutation des dix dernières années [Secondary education in France, a decade of change].     

Master and student in French higher education: Academic language and pedagogical distance

Academic Discourse is a contemporary study of the language of teaching in the Arts faculties of France in the mid-1960s. It was originally published asRapport pédagogique et communication (1965). Carried out during a time of mounting tension, it captures the breakdown in the social assumptions governing teaching practice in French universities. This empirical study of how students use academic language in their essays and exams brings out the implicit cultural expectations underlying scholastic success and the social functions served by the traditional pedagogical regime of the French university.     

Vocational and Technical Education in France

French education has been dominated by the cultural and academic training of the lycée. It was little known outside of France that the majority of schoolchildren were presented with inadequate educational offerings beyond the first five years of elementary education. The nonacademically oriented children-indeed the majority-usually had only the fin d'étude (terminal) classes of primary school to attend until they reached the school-leaving age.     

Entanglement and transnational transfer in the history of infant schools in Great Britain and salles d’asile in France, 1816–1881

The historical developments of infant schools in Great Britain and salles d’asile in France – both precursors of present-day preschools – were interconnected. However, historians have not yet analysed specifically how transnational exchange influenced the growth and nature of these institutions. Drawing on archival data and secondary sources, and using a combined comparative and transnational approach, this study aims to remedy this omission. It traces the evolution of British infant schools and French salles d’asile from their beginnings to their affiliation with the education systems in their respective countries – i.e. from 1816, when Robert Owen founded the first infant school in Britain, to 1881, when the salle d’asile was incorporated as an integral part of the French education system (renamed école maternelle). The study also shows how ideas about infant education and the motives and experiences of educators and social reformers spread across British borders and influenced the development of salles d’asile.     

Counselling the Gifted and Talented in France: Minimizing Gift and Maximizing Talent

After a presentation of the French school system, we describe how the three principal practices—acceleration, enrichment, and special classes—for the education of the gifted are functioning in France. Then, we deal with the counselling of the gifted through 1) the presentation of the professional involved in these tasks, 2) the role played by the parent associations of gifted children, and 3) the identification practices. For the talented, there are many practices, from primary education onwards, which allow schooling to be reconciled with sports studies or artistic tuition. The concept of “dual project” is introduced: the need for sportsmen/women to elaborate their career plan at the same time as their sporting project. The conclusion stresses that in France, measures for the gifted are not clearly laid out; whereas, provisions benefiting from clear and explicit information have been made for the talented and are encouraged by various institutions.     

Informatique Pour Tous: a case study of information technology in teacher education in France

ABSTRACT

The national program Informatique Pour Tous was announced in France in 1985. This paper describes a resulting training program conducted in French secondary schools, the assessment of this program, and conclusions that can be drawn from it in terms of contents for pre‐service and in‐service teacher training in the educational use of computers. In this article, after a short background on the French policy of computer equipment in schools, the objectives of the training program are presented. Then the activities of the teachers who were trained in this program are analyzed, on the one hand through information gathered during their annual meetings and on another hand through interviews with the heads of some of the teachers' schools. Requirements for training contents and practices in teacher education are developed.     

Adult learners in France in the 1960s: a socio‐historical approach to ‘the relationship to knowledge’

This paper uses a socio‐historical approach to explore the emergence in French theoretical literature in the mid‐1960s of a new notion, the ‘relationship to knowledge’ (rapport au savoir), and its success in the emerging field of professional adult education within the Complex of Nancy, France. The increasing use of this notion, first, in the research on adult pedagogy, and then, more generally, in educational research, will be used as a starting point in this paper to question the effects in France of the said research on the shift from teaching to learning from the late 1960s onward. Finally, this paper will present an attempt to compare ‘relationship to knowledge’ with ‘way of knowing’.     

Education and Muslim Identity: The case of France

The French republican principles upon which public education is based include strict separation of religion from schooling. At the same time, public funds subsidise a large number of private schools, over 90% Catholic. Virtually no recognition or public support is provided for Muslim or Jewish schools, nor is there any public or group demand that it do so. This article examines the complex and changing context in which Muslim identity has evolved in France for and by second and third generation immigrants of Muslim origin from the Maghreb (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia) or to a lesser degree from ex-Yugoslavia, Turkey or sub Saharan Africa. The latest phase is the most confrontational as the Muslim origin population, regardless of its actual heterogeneity or length of stay in France, is affected by the waves of terrorism and fundamentalism flowing from the Algerian civil war. Ill-informed French public opinion frequently amalgamates all Maghreb or Machrek individuals and communities when faced with the threat of violence. This article situates the official discourse which proclaims that the state and its schools promote a secular and equal opportunity for all and at the same time makes no allowance for cultural, linguistic, religious or socio-economic diversity. It examines more recent attempts by French governments to address the longer term needs and aspirations (especially religious) of immigrant populations of Muslim origin as it becomes clear that these populations are massively becoming French citizens and have no further plans to return to countries of origin. The article concludes with reflections on the specificity of the French approach to religious and cultural diversity. Above all, it emphasises a certain unity of view across political parties and communities that this specificity, although in crisis, does not require major change of the traditional republican approach.     

Noteworthy Events and Reforms

After our recent issue on vocational and technical education was published (WEE, Vol. III, No. 1), an important reform in this area took place in France. The new plans, adopted by the French government in June, give vocational and technical education an important place in the total educational system. Vocational training and technical education not only will be fully integrated with academic and general education, but also will receive strong financial support, both for the school level and for continued education for adults.     

Assessment of subjective resilience: cross-cultural validity and educational implications / Evaluación de la resiliencia subjetiva: validez transcultural e implicaciones educativas del ‘Cuestionario de Resiliencia Subjetiva’ (SRQ)

Abstract

The objective of this study was to obtain evidence about the cross-cultural validity of the ‘Subjective Resilience Questionnaire’ (SRQ), comparing French and Spanish Secondary and High School students’ results. A total of 750 French students formed the sample. To validate the SRQ, confirmatory factor analyses, reliability and correlation and regression analyses were made. The validation process included the analysis of the generalizability of factor structure, and of relationships of resilience scores with different kinds of protective and vulnerability factors — success expectancies and learning-oriented classroom motivational climate (CMC). French results were similar to Spanish results, underlying the importance of considering variations in resilience as a function of the kinds of adversity experienced. Nevertheless, some differences between French and Spanish students were found in the degree they recognize to act in a resilient way in some of the situations covered by SRQ, differences whose theoretical and practical implications for education are discussed.     

Increasing tolerance and respect of clients through the use of solution-focused counselling

The values and goals of two counselling approaches, planned brief counselling, and more particularly solution-focused counselling, are discussed in relation to the conference theme,Counselling and Tolerance. The promotion of tolerance in clients, it is argued, can be enhanced by using counselling approaches that arepolitically centered in the client, that is, approaches that are tolerant and respectful of an individual client's values, capabilities, circumstances and culture.Because all of the terms, counselling and counsellors, therapy and therapists, have been used by authors cited, all of them appear in this paper as well. Although the terms counselling and counsellors are preferred and have been used whenever possible, all the terms are intended to refer to the same activity.     

L’invention de la dissertation littéraire dans l’enseignement secondaire français

The dissertation was originally a literary genre practised in France since the middle of the seventeenth century (Saint‐Evremond, Boileau). The genre was created in imitation of the Latin dissertatio that itself goes back to the sixteenth century, several thousand of which having been received by the Bibliothèque nationale de France before the nineteenth century. Little by little, the number of French dissertations caught up with the number of Latin dissertationes in the catalogue of the library, with equality being reached by 1800. In the second phase, in the eighteenth century, the exercise of the dissertation passed from literary or erudite circles to the academic and university world. But it was only during the nineteenth century that it spread in the French university, first to the licence and the agrégation in the humanities, in its double Latin and French form, then in philosophy classes, where it was practised in the two languages. During the first half of the century, the distribution of the French composition exercises followed a simple principle: up to the rhetoric class (the first), the students wrote narratives and discourses (French, but also Latin) that applied the principles of traditional rhetoric (imitation of the great writers, amplification, figures, pompous style); in philosophy, one moved on to the dissertation, which was based on contrasting principles (rigorous treatment of the subject, self‐determination of the plan and the general organization, adoption of a precise style devoid of useless decorations). In the second half of the nineteenth century, the dissertation gradually won ground over the discourse, which, in this period of rapid evolution, remained too much bound to the most traditional classic humanities. It began to be practised in the rhetoric class, and preference was given to French literature (but also Latin and Greek). In 1836, for the first time, a literary dissertation was given on a classical author in a public examination (it was a competition for the agrégation in humanities). After 1870, the taste for French literature, which till then was the poor relative of classical studies, invaded secondary‐school education, as a reaction to the defeat and the loss of national territory. In ten years, a decisive evolution occurred, first in minds and then in the regulations. The Latin discourse, which was the major examination for the baccalaureate, was done away with by Jules Ferry in 1880 and was replaced by a “French composition on a literary or historical subject”. The literary dissertation was henceforth on track. It remained only to find ways of teaching it to students, which would still take several decades.     

Interview and Concours: teacher appointment procedures in England and Wales and France,and what they mean

The paper compares and contrasts two methods or styles of selecting and appointing teachers. In England and Wales, teachers are invariably appointed by interview to particular posts in particular schools; in France, teachers are appointed to life‐long Civil Service positions as a result of a competitive examination or concours. Each of these procedures reflects different assumptions about the education system in general and about the work of teachers in particular. These differences flow from the very different histories of the nation‐states concerned. Recent changes, especially in the French system, are described and discussed. The author points to the tension between pressure from the European Union to integrate and harmonise national qualifications, and the deeply rooted character of distinct national cultures of schooling, teaching and learning and assessment.     

The outcomes of three models of counselling and consulting

This empirical investigation evaluated the outcomes of three models of counselling with students in the elementary school who were identified as having Learning and behavioral problems. It was hypothesized that model one, counselling with parents, teachers and students was the most effective: model two, counselling with teachers and parents was the next most effective and model three, coun selling with students only was the least effective. It was discovered after 5 months of counselling, that although the student reading scores of the combined counselling groups improved significantly in comparison to the control group, no statistically significant change occurred between the counselling models either on student reading or classroom behavior. Model one counselling, however, produced cooperative relationships between teachers, parents and students.The University of British Columbia     

Mediation methods as an adjunct to counselling couples

Couples involved in counselling frequently present situations in which the participants have assumed opposing and antagonistic positions on an issue; problem-solving has reached a deadlock. In these situations, counsellors may find it useful to employ techniques of mediation as an adjunct to traditional methods of counselling and psychotherapy. This paper describes six stages of mediation used with couples to resolve conflict. The six stages of mediation are: a) introduction; b) problem identification; c) identifying and ordering critical problems; d) generating and evaluating problem-solving options; e) evaluating and selecting mutually acceptable, problem-solving options; and f) making an agreement. The discussion also provides procedural suggestions for implementing each stage, methods for coping with commonly occurring problems, and examples of counsellor dialogue at each stage. The paper also discussed several cross-cultural considerations related to communication, counselling and mediation.     

Mediation methods as an adjunct to counselling couples

Couples involved in counselling frequently present situations in which the participants have assumed opposing and antagonistic positions on an issue; problem-solving has reached a deadlock. In these situations, counsellors may find it useful to employ techniques of mediation as an adjunct to traditional methods of counselling and psychotherapy. This paper describes six stages of mediation used with couples to resolve conflict. The six stages of mediation are: a) introduction; b) problem identification; c) identifying and ordering critical problems; d) generating and evaluating problem-solving options; e) evaluating and selecting mutually acceptable, problem-solving options; and f) making an agreement. The discussion also provides procedural suggestions for implementing each stage, methods for coping with commonly occurring problems, and examples of counsellor dialogue at each stage. The paper also discussed several cross-cultural considerations related to communication, counselling and mediation.