Les pratiques d’enseignement dans l’université de masse : les premiers cycles universitaires se scolarisent-ils ?

Abstract

The practices of faculty members who teach courses during the freshman and sophomore years in universities are described at a time when the French system of higher education is becoming more dualistic and when we increasingly hear that the indicators of academic failure—especially high during these 2 years—must be brought down. After presenting the concepts of a “scholastic” and an “academic” transmission of knowledge and teacher-student relationship, a survey in the field is used to test the hypothesis of a “scholarization” of the diploma (DEUG) obtained after these 2 years. There are, indeed, trends toward this “scholarization”, which is described: both its generalized expressions (for instance, the psychologization of practices) and its variations by discipline. However, they are still superficial and not very effective. They are superposed on a strong orientation toward research and the reproduction of researchers. Ultimately, members of the faculty teach while considering that the first 2 years of higher education correspond to a phase of latency.