Educational goals and motives as possible mediators in the relationship between social support and academic achievement

Perceived social support has been widely recognized as having beneficial effects on a person’s development, and adolescence is no exception. The objective of this article is to go beyond this “stereotypical” vision of friendship by showing that social support does not always have a positive and direct effect on adolescents’ academic achievement. We sought to understand whether this relationship is mediated by the educational goals and motives that student value and pursue. If these values do not coincide with the expectations and values that the academic institution seeks to transmit, the influence of social support can become harmful, especially with regard to the students’ academic achievement. Data were collected by means of questionnaires from 676 junior high school students in 9th grade from contrasting academic institutions. We chose to observe each participant’s subjective point of view of three dimensions: social support, academic achievement, and educational goals and motives. The results showed that the relationship between social support and attention and involvement in class was negative and mediated by students’ goals. The adolescents with a high level of social support mainly pursued social goals and neglected achievement and future goals. Consequently, these students were less attentive and involved in class. The results also showed that social support was predictive of students’ investment and interest in personal work and success, but only when the students pursued achievement and future goals.     

Keys to promote good practices in open and distance learning by a TECCC Approach (Training Embedded Coached Course Construction): illustrations through a Postgraduate Degree and an Annual Competitive Call

In Europe, one of the current challenges is to reach a critical mass of quality Open and Distance Learning (ODL) courses, in order to allow for dissemination of best practices in local languages. After having proposed a definition of what we mean by quality in ODL, this article presents two parallel initiatives contributing to such an ODL deployment. It then presents the LabSET ‘Keys’ to implement a TECCC approach (Training Embedded Coached Course Construction). It underlines the commonalities between the two initiatives presented, deepening and illustrating each pedagogical principle (the ‘Keys’). Building on more than 30 courses recently developed following the TECCC approach, the article tackles some of the challenges faced by the support to trainers aiming at using the Web as an instructional tool to facilitate learner‐centred practices.Clés pour de bonnes pratiques dans l'enseignement (ODL/EOD) par une approche TECCC (Training Embedded Coached Course Construction): illustration à partir d'un diplôme post-graduate et d'une compétition annuelle. En Europe, l'un des défis actuels est le développement d'une masse critique de cours à distance de qualité qui permette la dissémination de bonnes pratiques en langues locales. Après avoir proposé une définition de ce que nous entendons par « cours à distance de qualité », cet article présente deux initiatives parallèles qui contribuent à un tel déploiement d'enseignement à distance. Il présente ensuite les « Clés » LabSET pour la mise en place d'une approche TECCC (enseignement inclus dans une construction de cours étroitement accompagnée). Il souligne les points communs entre les initiatives décrites en détaillant et illustrant chacun des principes pédagogiques sous-jacents (les « Clés »). S'appuyant sur plus de 30 cours développés jusqu'ici par cette approche TECCC, l'article tente de cerner quelques-uns des défis que représente le support aux enseignants qui souhaitent utiliser le Web comme un outil qui facilite un enseignement centré sur l'apprenant.Chiffres, um gute ODL-Praxis ('Open and Distance Learning') durch einen TECCC-Ansatz zu fördern (in Übungen eingebettete unterstützende Kurskonstruktion): Erklärungen durch einen graduierten Grad und einen jährlichen Wettbewerbsaufruf. In Europa ist eine der gegenwärtigen Herausforderungen, eine kritische Masse von qualitativ hochwertigen 'Open and Distance Learning (ODL)' Kursen zu erreichen, um beispielhafte Kurse auch in der jeweiligen lokalen Sprache verbreiten zu können. Nach einem Vorschlag zur Definition von 'Qualit¨at' in ODL werden in dem Artikel zwei entsprechende parallele ODL-Initiativen vorgestellt, anschließend die LabSET 'Schlüssel' zum Einbau eines TECCC-Ansatzes(s.o.). Er unterstreicht die Gemeinsamkeiten zwischen den zwei vorgestellten Initiativen, dabei das jedwede pädagogische Prinzip vertiefend und erläuternd. Auf der Grundlage von mittlerweile mehr als 30 Kursen, die vor kurzem entwickelt worden sind und dem TECCC Ansatz folgen, greift der Artikel einige der Herausforderungen heraus, die sich aus der Unterstützung für die Trainer ergeben, die darauf abzielen, das Web als ein Unterrichtswerkzeug zu verwenden, um lernerzentrierte übungen zu erleichtern.     

Skiing Before 1914 in France: A Means of Diffusing National Identity

This study attempts to analyse the means by which winter sports were spread in France. I look more specifically at the political factors that promoted the development of skiing, within the context of international tension that prevailed during the years prior to World War I. My analysis strives to demonstrate the importance of discourse and actions centred on patriotism, and to point out the factors that brought skiing into people's everyday lives and helped them acquire a sense of national affiliation. My approach consists of analysing the justifications given for the promotion of skiing on France's mountain ranges, particularly those aimed at its mountain populations. The forms of legitimacy used to justify the development of skiing, its close-knit relations with the army, the institutional framework selected under the influence of the French Alpine Club, the staging of practices and forms of sociability maintained for each targeted population – all of these phenomena help grasp the ways in which new norms dictating social behaviours were disseminated and internalised in the mountains of France.     

Who is taking MOOCs for teachers’ professional development on the use of ICT? A cross-sectional study from Spain

ABSTRACT

Research on the use of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) for teacher professional development (TPD) and the characteristics of their participants is scarce. This article presents a case of a MOOC initiative supported by the Spanish Ministry of Education aiming at teachers’ professional development on the use of ICT for teaching and learning. The analysis is focused on (a) the sociodemographic and school characteristics of the teachers participating in MOOCs; (b) their experience and beliefs about lifelong learning; and (c) the relevance of MOOCs for their work. By contrasting the characteristics of the participants in this initiative with the characteristics of the whole population of teachers in Spain, and a sample of Spanish participants in MOOCs not aimed at TPD, the article sheds light on the specificities of the teachers who use this way of TPD. The results have implications for the design of programmes aimed to develop MOOCs for TPD.     

Socialisation interculturelle et dynamiques identitaires chez les jeunes adultes issus de l’immigration maghrébine en France

Cette étude analyse différentes orientations identitaires manifestées par des jeunes issus de l’immigration maghrébine en France en rapport avec leurs conditions de socialisation. L’identité est envisagée dans ses dimensions d’identification culturelle, d’estime de soi et du rapport actif ou passif à la réalité. La socialisation est étudiée du point de vue des modalités d’inter construction de l’éducation familiale et de l’expérience scolaire. Une enquête par questionnaire est réalisée auprès de 120 jeunes agés de 18-25 ans, des deux sexes, issus d’un milieu ouvrier. Une analyse multivariée (Classification Hiérarchique Descendante) permet de dégager la structure de quatre groupes en termes de différentiation ou d’assimilation, et pour chacune conformante ou individuante. Les stratégies équilibrant préoccupations ontologiques et pragmatiques paraissent s’insérer dans des dynamiques d’affirmation de soi du sujet et de son autonomie. L’enracinement dans une certaine tradition religieuse para?t dans ces cas compatible avec la modernité et constitue un facteur d’équilibre psychologique et d’intégration sociale.     

The Better Beginnings, Better Futures project: findings from grade 3 to grade 9

Although comprehensive and ecological approaches to early childhood prevention are commonly advocated, there are few examples of long-term follow-up of such programs. In this monograph, we investigate the medium- and long-term effects of an ecological, community-based prevention project for primary school children and families living in three economically disadvantaged neighborhoods in Ontario, Canada. The Better Beginnings, Better Futures (BBBF) project is one of the most ambitious Canadian research projects on the long-term impacts of early childhood prevention programming to date. Bronfenbrenner's ecological model of human development informed program planning, implementation, and evaluation. Using a quasi-experimental design, the BBBF longitudinal research study involved 601 children and their families who participated in BBBF programs when children were between 4 and 8 years old and 358 children and their families from sociodemographically matched comparison communities. We collected extensive child, parent, family, and community outcome data when children were in Grade 3 (age 8–9), Grade 6 (age 11–12), and Grade 9 (age 14–15). The BBBF mandate was to develop programs that would positively impact all areas of child's development; our findings reflect this ecological approach. We found marked positive effects in social and school functioning domains in Grades 6 and 9 and evidence of fewer emotional and behavioral problems in school across the three grades. Parents from BBBF sites reported greater feelings of social support and more positive ratings of marital satisfaction and general family functioning, especially at the Grade 9 follow-up. Positive neighborhood-level effects were also evident. Economic analyses at Grade 9 showed BBBF participation was associated with government savings of $912 per child. These findings provide evidence that an affordable, ecological, community-based prevention program can promote long-term development of children living in disadvantaged neighborhoods and produce monetary benefits to government as soon as 7 years after program completion.     

Framing ICT-enabled Innovation for Learning: the case of one-to-one learning initiatives in Europe

This article discusses 1:1 learning initiatives in Europe in the context of a mapping framework of ICT-enabled innovation for learning. The aim of the framework, visualised as a spider's web, is two-fold: (i) to provide a further understanding of the nature of ICT-enabled innovation for learning; and (ii) to depict the impact of existing and emerging innovative initiatives using ICT in the Education and Training context. We present 1:1 learning initiatives in Europe as a case of ICT-enabled innovation for learning with significant scale, scope, and impact at system level and being implemented in real settings. We identified and analysed 29 1:1 learning initiatives from 19 European countries reaching a total of approximately 620,000 schools and 16,800,000 students. The application of the framework to the case of 1:1 learning in Europe (implemented in multi-faceted educational settings) showed the current state of development and the emerging trends regarding the nature, the reach, the target groups and the impact of 1:1 innovation in learning. Regarding the nature of innovation, 1:1 learning strategies in Europe can be considered as mostly incremental. There is a need to progressively move the focus away from the devices and infrastructure to the learners and to 1:1 pedagogies. The framework can contribute (i) to policy interventions -at micro, meso and macro level- aimed at diversity and systemic implementation and (ii) to strategic planning by a multiplicity of actors such as policy makers, researchers and practitioners, increasing the impact of ICT-enabled innovation in Education and Training.     

Didactique? Is it a plaisanterie? You must be joking! A critical comment on terminology

Instructional Science -     

Editorial

A video abstract of this article can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FvyP1egxw0&feature=player_embedded