French Primary Schools Research Articles

Co-construct, implement and evaluate a multi-level intervention to prevent a sedentary lifestyle in children-Study protocol of the CIPRES study.

A sedentary lifestyle is commonly associated with a higher risk of chronic disease development. Among school-aged children from European countries, screen-time represents a significant portion of sedentary time with 39.8% of children spending more than 2h/day in front of a screen on average. Therefore, effective solutions to reduce sedentary behavior (SB) must be found. Multilevel interventions based on the socio-ecological model (SEM) are particularly relevant to take into account influences of the social environment on individuals' SB. Moreover, the trans-contextual model (TCM) can offer complementary levers for individuals' behavior change. The CIPRES study is a theory-based multilevel intervention designed to decrease the SB in French primary school children aged 8-10 years. The present paper describes the protocol of a randomized controlled study to evaluate the effectiveness of the CIPRES multilevel intervention on SB. The CIPRES study is a cluster-randomized controlled trial comparing intervention vs control groups. A total of 700 children are targeted for inclusion, distributed in four municipalities considered as clusters. The study consists of two successive phases: 1) co-building of a SB prevention intervention by using a participatory approach involving representatives of each level of the SEM (e.g., children, parents, staff from municipalities, teachers) and 2) implementation and evaluation of the intervention. The intervention will last for 6 weeks in each involved class. Primary outcome will be the sedentary time of children per week, assessed by accelerometry. In addition, children and their parents will be asked to fill out questionnaires concerning children's physical activity level, screen time, quality-of-life and variables of the TCM. This study will give information on the effectiveness of a theory-based intervention, involving multiple levels of actors in the co-construction and the implementation of the intervention, that may interest schools and public health officers looking for innovative sedentary prevention programs.

On the learning trajectory of directional biases in reading: Evidence from the flankers task

AbstractPrior research with adult participants reported a rightward bias in the reading version of the flankers task. Here, we investigated how this bias evolves as a function of reading expertise. We tested two groups of French primary school children from Cycle 2 (grades 1 and 2) and Cycle 3 (grades 4 and 5) and one group of adult participants. In the related flanker conditions, the central target word was flanked by the same word either on the left (park park ####), the right (#### park park), or on both sides (park park park). In the unrelated conditions, the repeated flanker words were replaced by a different unrelated word. In the analysis of standardized reaction times (RTs), there was a three-way interaction between the three groups of participants and the impact of flanker relatedness as a function of the position of the related flankers. This three-way interaction reflected the significantly greater increase in effects of flanker relatedness between Cycle 2 and Cycle 3 for the bilateral flanker and the right flanker conditions compared with the left flanker condition. This suggests that the rightward bias is driven by attentional asymmetries that develop during the process of learning to read.

A Comparative Study of Music Curriculum in Chinese and French Primary Schools

A Comparative Study of Music Curriculum in Chinese and French Primary Schools

Factor’s influencing primary teacher practices in health education, life skills, health literacy

Abstract Background A health-promoting school (HPS) approach was introduced over 25 years ago and has been promoted globally since; however, the aspiration of a fully embedded, sustainable HPS system has not yet been achieved, and very few countries have implemented and sustained the approach at scale. The Alliance for health aims to enact and assess the impact of a comprehensive approach to health promotion at the school and community levels. This is an intersectoral project involving regional education authorities, regional public health agency, local policy makers, researchers, and local health promotion operators. The question arises as to how to identify factors influencing teachers’ activity in wellness (WB), health education (HE), life skills (LS) and health literacy (HL)? Methods This project involves 101 French primary schools and 97 associated municipalities in the AURA region randomly selected in an intervention and control groups. Primary school teachers were provided training, support, and resources to develop a health-promoting environment in school according to the Health-Promoting Schools framework. Primary school teachers were provided training, support, and resources to develop a health-promoting environment in school according to the Health-Promoting Schools framework. Each year, a questionnaire is distributed to teachers in order to monitor the development of their activity in the areas of WB, HE, LS and HL. 243 questionnaires are analyzed, collected from october 19 to March 20, 12 opening questions were analyzed (1591 items) in order to characterize their practices in the areas aboved. Based on this classification, factors contributing to activities were seeked by doing univariate, multivariate and exploratory factor analysis. Results: The descriptive analysis showed that factors are linked to institutional, contextual, individual and collective dimensions. The results are preliminary and the complex analysis are actually in process. Key messages • A better understanding linked to their practices in health education, health literacy, like skills and well-being is needed to develop appropriate training and support. • To develop adequate training and support in health promoting school, it's necessary to identify factors most linked to primary teacher practices in health education, like skills and health literacy.

The Nausicaa experience: Teaching Ancient Greek in French preschools and primary schools

AbstractIn the Marseille region in France, ancient Greek has been taught in pre-school and primary school for more than 20 years. The ‘Nausicaa’ Association was created in 1996 with an express purpose in mind. As Nausicaa was Odysseus' guide and helped him regain his dignity as a man and a king, so our association supports children in becoming more complete and richer humans, or so we hope. Nausicaa has grown enormously in the past 20 years, and currently operates in various schools in the South of France, in particular in Marseille and Aix-en-Provence. Around ten volunteers (teachers working in middle school, high school or retired) teach ancient Greek to pupils from pre-school to the end of primary school. All activities are done at school during class teaching time and in the school setting. This paper presents an outline of the activities of the Nausicaa Association and how it benefits pupils of all abilities in learning about the ancient Greeks and their language.

Fostering teacher language awareness in a primary English-language immersion school in France: supporting teachers on the road to engaging students’ bilingual competencies

Many educators in immersion contexts support a policy of strict separation of languages in the classroom as the ideal model for second language acquisition and are reluctant to make connections between the dominant language, the target language and pupils’ home languages. This can result in missed opportunities for drawing on pupils’ entire linguistic repertoires to foster their learning The present study considers teachers’ discourses surrounding the place and role of the dominant language (French), the target language (English) and home languages from the perspective of classroom teachers at one French primary school with a school-wide English immersion program participating in a collaborative research project. Since the program’s inception in 2011, the one teacher/one language model has been adopted and approximately half the day is spent in each language. The analysis of the data comprising semi-structured interviews, filmed observations, stimulated video recall and focus group sessions revealed a shift in teachers’ language awareness concerning the use of students’ L1 as resources and their willingness to experiment with new pedagogies drawing on students’ entire linguistic repertoires. The data highlighted challenges which emerged during the implementation of more flexible multilingual pedagogies as well as teachers’ need for learning and long-term continued professional development.

Continuous real-time monitoring of formaldehyde over 5 weeks in two French primary schools: identification of the relevant time resolution and the most appropriate ventilation scenario

Continuous real-time monitoring of formaldehyde over 5 weeks in two French primary schools: identification of the relevant time resolution and the most appropriate ventilation scenario

The Effects of Using a Cycling Desk at School on Executive Function, Physical Fitness, and Body Composition in Primary School Children: Impact of Socioeconomic Status.

Physical inactivity and sedentary behaviors are associated with adverse health outcomes in both adults and children. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a 9-week program using a Cycle Desk during school time in French primary school children from high or low socioeconomic status (SES) on body composition, physical fitness (PF), and executive function. Seventy-five (n = 75) children completed a test battery before and after 9weeks of use of Cycle Desk to evaluate anthropometric characteristics, body composition, PF, and executive function. Body mass index increased significantly (P = .0095), while body fat decreased after the use of Cycle Desks (P < .0001). Specifically, lean mass increased in the high-SES group while it decreased in the low-SES group (P < .0001). After 9weeks, there was an improvement in motor skills (P < .0001), upper and lower limbs' strength (P < .0001), and executive function performance (P < .0001). More specifically, the low-SES group had a greater improvement in motor skills and maximal aerobic speed between T0 and T1, compared to the high-SES group (P = .001, P = .023, respectively). In contrast, the high-SES group had a greater improvement in executive function at 9weeks of use of Cycle Desk compared with the low-SES group (P = .0084). The promotion of low-intensity physical activity with the use of a Cycle Desk at school may help offset some adverse effects of excess sedentary behavior among children. Moreover, this strategy appears to be particularly effective in children from low-SES backgrounds. What's New: The use of a Cycle Desk during school time has no deleterious effects on PF as well as cognitive executive functions in primary children. Modifications are more beneficial in children from low SES.

A Comparative Study of Chinese and French Primary School Music Education Curriculum Concepts

Music education is essential for children's intellectual, social, and emotional development. The primary school music education curricula in China and France are two of the most significant music education systems in the world. This study attempts to compare the principles and objectives of these two curricula and uncover parallels and contrasts. The primary goals of this research are to conduct an analysis of the music education curriculum concepts taught in primary schools in both China and France, to identify the similarities and differences between these curricula, and to evaluate the potential impact that these differences may have on the musical development of young children. In this study, a comparative analysis methodology is utilized to investigate the music education curriculum of elementary schools located in both China and France. The process of doing the analysis entails conducting interviews with music instructors in both nations, reviewing the pertinent literature, and examining the curriculum materials. According to the findings of the study, the primary school music education curricula in China and France have some goals in common, including the promotion of cultural awareness, the development of students' musical skills, and the encouragement of creativity. Yet, there are also major discrepancies in the conceptual frameworks of the curriculum, the instructional strategies, and the evaluation strategies. The study emphasizes the significance of comprehending the cultural and historical settings of music education systems in various countries.

Integration of ESD in French primary schools: for what purpose, with what form of integration and with what content?

This article examines the integration of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in the French educational system and more especially in primary schooling. The research question concerns the purposes, the form of integration and the definition of the content of ESD. To answer these questions, I present and analyse the main features of these three questions as presented in the official texts of the Ministry of Education. I also draw on a case study focusing on the integration of ESD at primary level. Thirty-four semi-directive interviews were carried out with local ESD actors working in two communes in southern France. In this study, the interviews were subjected to thematic analysis using NVivo 12 software. The results show that, both in the official texts and in the discourse of the interviewees, the purposes of ESD tend to be civic and emancipatory. Furthermore, while the choice of content is left to the actors on the ground, the incoherence and lack of clarity of the official texts complicates their task. They thus have difficulty in setting ESD projects within an interdisciplinary approach.

Multilingual picture books as learning resources in French primary schools. What kind of support should be provided for trainee teachers during their initial training?

Le plurilinguisme a aujourd’hui sa place dans les programmes de l’école primaire en France. On constate cependant des difficultés à faire une place réelle aux « autres langues » dans la classe. Cela tient en partie au fait que les enseignant.es n’ont qu’une vue partielle du répertoire linguistique de leurs élèves. Comment répondre à ces difficultés ? Nous postulons que l’album plurilingue peut être un support privilégié pour franchir ces obstacles et que ce support doit être abordé dès la formation initiale des enseignant.es. Nous avons travaillé avec un groupe de stagiaires professeures des écoles à l’INSPÉ de Toulouse sur des projets didactiques exploitant ce type d’albums dans les classes (dont certaines sont bilingues français-occitan). Nous montrons qu’au-delà de la thématique du plurilinguisme, différentes compétences sont développées tant au niveau de la langue de scolarisation, qu’au niveau du vivre ensemble.

Picture books for teaching reading in French primary school classrooms. An analysis of teachers’ choices

Picture books for teaching reading in French primary school classrooms. An analysis of teachers’ choices

Picture books for teaching reading in French primary school classrooms. An analysis of teachers’ choices

Une enquête a été réalisée auprès de 131 enseignants de cours préparatoire sur les livres lus par les élèves ou aux élèves en classe dans le cadre de la recherche Lire-écrire au CP conduite en 2013-2014. Elle permet d’établir le répertoire des lectures – titres, auteurs, éditeurs – et de donner les caractéristiques de celui-ci – types, genres, caractère patrimonial, appartenance éventuelle aux listes de prescriptions, à un manuel. Est posée ensuite la question des logiques qui président à sa constitution, en mobilisant les notions de culture scolaire et de littératie. Sont ainsi mises en évidence des influences multiples (listes officielles, éditeurs et, de manière plus diffuse, conception de ce qu’est une littérature de jeunesse légitime), mais surtout le poids des exigences liées aux objectifs de l’apprentissage de la lecture au cours préparatoire : apprendre à déchiffrer et apprendre à comprendre les textes.

French Teachers of English: Are They Trained to Teach English Pronunciation and Oral Comprehension Properly?

Many researchers agree to say that English teachers generally lack adequate skills to teach pronunciation properly (Macdonald, 2002; Chen &amp; Goh, 2010), and that "there is a definite need for more courses for ESL teachers" (Derwing, 2010, p.27). We propose to present a survey that was conducted with 60 French primary school teachers and 71 secondary school teachers of English. The study was conducted in several private and public primary schools and high schools. Through a questionnaire, it focused on teachers’ self-efficacy (i.e their "individual beliefs about their own abilities to perform [the teaching of English pronunciation] (…) and achieve specific results" (Chen &amp; Goh, 2010, p.333), on how the teachers working in these schools were trained (or not) to teach English pronunciation, and how they are used to working on pronunciation and oral comprehension in their classes. An analysis of the responses will make it possible to answer the following questions: what is the profile of primary school teachers and secondary school teachers in France? What are their needs and objectives? Are they capable of teaching English pronunciation efficiently and what can we objectively expect from them?

Links between organized visual search and reading ability in French primary school children.

Visual search skills develop substantially during the primary school years, and in parallel with children's reading achievement. Reading requires an efficient visual search and exposure to reading from the left to the right could also influence the way we explore space. No study, however, made links between visual search strategies and reading ability. In this study, 70 primary school children performed a cancellation task (Bells test) and reading tests. Our results showed that reading was closely linked to visual search accuracy but also to visual search organization, even after controlling for age for some measures. Along with the development of reading abilities, children made fewer revisitation, moved more to the nearest unmarked targets than to the farthest ones and explored more in lines. It appears, therefore, essential to take more into account the visual search organization of children with reading impairments such as dyslexia.

Mathematics Assessment Practices of Primary School Teachers in France

We investigated French primary school teachers’ assessment practice in mathematics. Using an online questionnaire on teachers’ background, teaching, and grading practice, we were able to determine assessment profiles of 604 primary school teachers. As evidenced by the teachers’ scores on the latent factors Assessment purposes, Assessment practices, and Differentiation, teachers with the profile of Enthusiastic assessors view assessment as more useful and use it more often to adapt their instruction than teachers with the profile of Unenthusiastic assessors. This can be useful for practice and sheds more light on French teachers’ assessment practices in mathematics. It is also interesting to compare the results of this survey with those from China and the Netherlands, as the differences reflect different assessment cultures and may shed light on some of the results of international large-scale assessments such as PISA.

A latent profile analysis of teachers’ causal attribution for academic success or failure

In educational contexts, interpersonal attributional theory (Weiner, 2019) posits that teachers’ beliefs about the causes underlying their students’ academic performance vary along the causal dimensions of locus of causality, stability, personal controllability, and others’ controllability. Based on this framework, this study aimed at identifying teachers’ attribution profiles based on their perceptions about the causes of their students’ achievements. Two hundred eighty-nine experienced and novice French primary school teachers reported their causal beliefs about a student’s success or failure at a reading test, as well as their emotional and behavioral reactions to their student’s outcome. The data were analyzed using latent profile analyses, which identified five teachers’ attribution profiles that varied on the four causal dimensions. The results showed that profile memberships were greatly determined by the student’s outcome valence: three teachers’ attribution profiles were especially related to failure and two additional profiles to success. Profile memberships were associated with various cognitive, emotional, and behavioral reactions in line with the interpersonal attributional theory of motivation. The powerless profile — high external and uncontrollable attributions — indicated the lowest level of helping behavior. The conscientious profile — high internal and controllable attributions — indicated the highest levels of pride and student’s responsibility. Overall, these results partially support Weiner’s interpersonal attributional theory of motivation using a person-centered approach.

The dynamics of morphological processing in developing readers: A cross-linguistic masked priming study

Empirical evidence from masked priming research shows that skilled readers can rapidly identify morphological structure in written language. However, comparatively little is known about how and when this skill is acquired in children. The current work investigated the developmental trajectory of morphological processing in a 2-year longitudinal study involving two large cohorts of German and French primary school children. The masked priming paradigm was used within an experimental design that allowed us to dissociate effects of (a) nonmorphological embedded word activation, (b) morpho-orthographic decomposition, and (c) morpho-semantics. Four priming conditions were used: affixed word (farmer–FARM), affixed nonword (farmity–FARM), nonaffixed nonword (farmald–FARM), and unrelated control (workald–FARM). The results revealed robust embedded word priming effects across both languages. However, morpho-orthographic and morpho-semantic effects were evident only in the French sample. These findings are discussed in the context of a theoretical framework that specifies the distinct roles played by embedded words and affixes, their distinct developmental trajectories, and how the intrinsic linguistic properties of a given language may affect morphological processing.

Exploring the Moderation Effect of Educational Stage on Visual Magnocellular Functioning Linked to Reading: A Study in French Primary School Children.

Many studies have investigated the visual magnocellular system functioning in dyslexia. However, very little is known on the relationship between the visual magnocellular system functioning and reading abilities in typical developing readers. In this study, we aimed at studying this relationship and more specifically the moderation effect of educational stage on this link. We thus tested 82 French typical developing readers (40 beginning readers—Grade 1 and 42 advanced readers—Grade 5) with reading tests and a coherent dot motion task measuring the visual magnocellular functioning. Results indicate positive correlations between visual magnocellular functioning and reading for beginning readers but not for advanced readers. Moreover, moderation analyses confirm that reading proficiency moderates the relationship between magnocellular system functioning and reading outcomes. We concluded that the relationship between visual magnocellular pathway functioning and reading abilities in typical developing readers could depend on reading proficiency.

Trends in prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity in a community-based programme: The VIF Programme.

Obesity in children is considered the main childhood health problem. To assess the impact of 7-year community-based interventions on the trend prevalence of overweight and obesity in French preschool children and primary school children between 2008 and 2015. Two cross-sectional studies were performed in the last grade of every pre-school and primary schools of 6 cities in 2008 and 2015. In 2008 and 2015, 3387 children and 3415 children (aged 5 and 11 years old) participated in the 2 surveys. Interventions consisted to promote physical activity, healthy diet, sleep habits and well-being. Prevalence of overweight and obesity were defined according to age- and sex-specific BMI cut-off points. Priority education area of the schools was also recorded. Prevalence of overweight and obesity decreased significantly between 2008 and 2015 in children from pre-schools (18.1% vs 13.0%) and primary schools (20.9% vs 16.9%) (P < 0.05). No effects of priority education area and sex were found related to the decrease of prevalence in overweight and obesity. Our results show that over 7 years period, the community-based intervention has a positive impact on the overweight and obesity prevalence in childhood. These results are promising and encouraging in addressing obesity and related issues in French young boys and girls.