Study and research courses as an epistemological model for didactics

The aim of this paper is explain how the notion of “study and research course”, a recent construct in the anthropological theory of didactics, provides a general tool to model mathematical knowledge from a didactical perspective. We do this from two points of view. First, the notion itself arose as a tool for didactic design, particularly in mathematics teaching involving modelling type subjects, and we introduce a new diagrammatic representation in order to present and analyse a selection of such designs. Secondly, we demonstrate how the same representational tool can be used to analyse other didactic processes as study and research courses. In both cases, our examination of cases reveals that designers and teachers are often more explicit about their intention to enable students to do “research” (e.g. exploring a challenging problem) than to enable students to engage in autonomous “study”; moreover, the role for students is mostly confined to search for answers to questions raised, essentially, by the teacher. These observations point to directions which deserve more attention in design research related to the notion of study and research course.     

Importance of Ability Grouping in French “Collèges” and its Impact upon Pupils’ Academic Achievement

This article tries to assess the prevalence and learning consequences of ability grouping in French lower secondary schools (collèges). The article shows that ability grouping is in fact relatively widespread in France and has a strong local connotation. In terms of pupil learning, the article stresses that the better the class they attend, the better students tend to perform. However, a heterogeneous context proves to be more favourable (for low achievers, a homogeneous class is the worst case). The results also stress the existence of a potential conflict of interest between the policy-maker and the actors of the system. Résumé L’article vise à évaluer l’importance de l’organisation des études en groupes de niveau dans le premoier cycle secondaire en France ainsi que ses conséquences en termes d’acquisitions des élèves. L’article montre en premier lieu que cette pratique est en fait relativement fréquente dans les établissements français tout en ayant une dimension locale assez accentuée. En termes d’acquisitions, l’article souligne que les progressions des élèves ont tendance à être d’autant meilleures que le niveau moyen des élèves de la classe est élève; cependant, un contexte hétérogène s’avère aussi le plus favorable (un contexte homogène étant la pire des choses pour les élèves faibles). Les résultats soulignent aussi l’existence d’un conflit potentiel d’intérêt entre le décideur du système qui vise des onjectifs généraux et les différents acteurs (enseignants, parents d’élèves) qui visent leurs intérêts particuliers.     

A Round-Up of French Language Media Publications

François Archambault & Jean François Lemoine, Quatre milliards de journaux: La presse de province (Paris: A. Moreau, 1977—55 FF, 484 pp.)

Alain Besson, La Presse locale en liberté surveillée (Paris: Editions Ouvrières, 1978—38 FF, 256 pp.)

Jean Cluzel, Télé-Violence (Paris: Plon, 1978—35 FF, 251 pp.)

Jean Egen, Le Canard Enchainé (Paris: Seghers, 1978—19.50 FF, 187 pp.)

Francis Hamon, Liberté et responsabilité de la presse en Grande-Bretagne: le Press Council; and Claude-Jean Bertrand, Les Conseils de presse dans la monde (Paris: Notes et etudes documentaires, La Documentation francaise, December 26, 1977—10.50 FF, 79 pp.)

Denis Perier-Daville, La Liberté de la presse nest pas à vendre (Paris: Le Seuil, 1978—42 FF, 254 pp.)

Jean Bruno Renard, Clefs pour la bande dessineé (Paris: Seghers, 1978— 25 FF, 256 pp.)

Pierre Schaeffer, Les Antennes de Jéricho (Paris: Stock, 1978—49 FF, 333 pp.)     

THE ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION OF 80% OF YOUTH IN THE YEAR 2000

This article explores some of the probable consequences of the objective, elaborated throughout the French political spectrum, in favour of expanding French higher education enrollments such that by the year 2000, 80 percent of each age cohort will hold the baccalauriat and 90 percent of the latter will enroll in higher education. So far, the consequences of this objective have not been faced, particularly the tremendous changes required so as to make higher education in France universal. Certainly they will bring an end to the traditional elite nature of the French university with its emphasis on research and on the imparting of theoretical knowledge. Ineluctably, the emphasis will have to shift to practical courses and to career preparation. The author therefore suggests that the move to universality might best be accomplished by the development of numerous short‐term and vocationally oriented courses to be offered in distinct institutions to provide training to the bulk of the new entrants who will, for the most part, have completed high school in technical baccalaur éat sections. A traditionally oriented core within the university system will continue to offer long‐‐cycle courses admitting only the cream of the traditional general education baccalauriat holders and the best graduates of the new short‐cycle institutions. All the enrollees in the latter institutions should be encouraged to avoid over‐specialization so as to guarantee their professional flexibility with respect to future employment.

     

Higher education and employment markets in France

The theory of human capital has been used to account for the link between educational investment and individual earnings. The authors argue that any investigation of the relationship between these two elements must take into account the choice model used by the individual student as he enters higher education. His academic and social background influence his choice as do his estimate of the returns likely to come from investing in the study of particular disciplines and the extent to which he is prepared to risk failure, especially in highly competitive programmes of study with high rates of return. Evidence from a study made in Dijon in 1974 is summarised and offers support for the suggested choice model.     

Réformes Des Programmes Scolaires Et Acquisitions á L’école Primaire En Afrique: Mythes Et Réalités

SCHOOL CURRICULA REFORMS IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN AFRICA: MYTH VS. REALITY - This paper proposes a critical analysis of the introduction and implementation of new school curricula in Africa based on the example of the skills based approach (SBA). In many countries, the SBA has been chosen as the most appropriate and relevant method to change their school curriculum and improve education quality. We analyse the implementation of those new curricula based on the SBA in primary schools in Mauritania. The results show that the main problems affecting pupils’ achievement lie rather in the effective implementation of curricula in the classrooms than in their contents. Additional analyses show that this result is confirmed in other African countries. As a background analysis, we present the origins of SBA, define its purposes and assess its limits from a pedagogical point of view. The weaknesses of this approach in taking into account the needs and the realities of African educational systems are stressed. These various elements lead to the conclusion that if curriculum reforms are often necessary in African countries, this can not be a cure for education quality issues.     

Financing public higher education in developing countries

The financing of education has emerged as a major topic of discussion among policy makers in recent years. There is evidence that in many developing countries, governments can no longer continue to increase spending on education at the high rates characteristic in the 1960s and 1970s. The macroeconomic environment has worsened, and there is keen intersectoral competition for public funds. Thus unless educational development moves away from its present heavy dependence on public funds, the expansion of education would be frustrated. One policy option is to increase the private financing of education. In this paper, we evaluate the potential effectiveness of loans schemes as a cost recovery instrument in higher education. Essentially, loans permit students to finance the cost of their education from future income. So the effectiveness of loans would depend on the relation between costs and students' future income. It also depends on the incidence of repetition, dropout, and default, as well as on whether or not a grace period is incorporated in the loan scheme. Our simulations show that in Asia and Latin America, the potential rate of cost recovery is substantial under what appears to be bearable terms of repayment. In Francophone Africa and Anglophone Africa, however, loans schemes are unlikely to perform as well, but they would still permit a shift toward greater private financing of higher education.     

WHAT FURTHER EDUCATION AFTER THE “BACCALAUREAT”

The results of a survey made in 1986 of French students and former students who had received their baccalauréat's at the end of 1982‐1983 academic year are presented below. They give a breakdown of which students enrolled in which post‐secondary course programmes and which type of baccalauréat augured best for success in university studies.

     

Imitation and performance in confrontations between competent peers: The role of the representation of the task

This study (N=75) examined the influence dynamics that take place between two competent individuals presenting divergent solutions for a cognitive task. The hypothesis was that such settings (i.e., conflict of competencies) are unlikely to have a positive effect on intellectual performance because of the representation of the task, and that an increase in performance may be found if such a representation is modified. Three conditions were examined: a control condition in which participants completed the task by themselves, a conflict of competencies condition in which participants declared to be highly competent where confronted with a equally highly competent (bogus) partner who offered diverging solutions (standard conflict of competencies condition), and a conflict of competencies condition in which a decentring procedure was induced to modify the representation of the task. The results showed that participants in the decentring condition solved the task better compared to the standard conflict of competencies condition and the control condition. However, the results unexpectedly revealed imitation in the two conflict of competencies conditions compared to the control condition. Complementary analyses suggest that in the standard conflict of competencies condition imitation corresponds to a defensive motivation.