Notre recherche porte sur des écrivains très peu reconnus de Rhône-Alpes (i.e. publiés chez de petits éditeurs régionaux sans légitimité littéraire, à compte d’auteur ou en autoédition). Elle s’attache à décrire et à expliquer leur investissement dans les différentes dimensions de l’activité littéraire (l’écriture, la publication, les activités publiques, etc.). Elle repose principalement sur une enquête par questionnaires auprès de 503 écrivains, répartis en plusieurs degrés de reconnaissance (les « très peu reconnus » forment une sous-population de 163 enquêtés), et sur des entretiens approfondis avec 31 auteurs très peu reconnus. À partir de l’objectivation de leurs modes d’existence littéraire (lieux d’édition et de visibilité, genres publiés, etc.), de leurs ressources extra-littéraires (position et origines sociales, niveau de diplôme, etc.), et de leurs niveaux de compétences et d’ambitions littéraires, notre analyse montre dans un premier temps que ces auteurs ne sont pas des « amateurs » évoluant dans un espace différent de celui des « professionnels », mais des membres dominés du jeu littéraire, au même titre (mais pas au même niveau) que les écrivains reconnus. Elle s’intéresse ensuite à la pluralité des degrés et des formes de leurs investissements dans cinq types d’enjeux littéraires différents, et elle met au jour des variations intra-individuelles en fonction des types d’enjeux considérés. Parce que l’engagement des enquêtés révèle des degrés de reconnaissance et de connaissance des manières légitimes de jouer au jeu littéraire, notre travail est aussi l’occasion d’une réflexion sur les rapports que des acteurs dominés entretiennent à la domination. / Our research is about Rhône-Alpes writers with low recognition (i.e. published by little regional publishing houses without literary legitimacy, with the author’s financial participation, or privately printed). It aims to describe and to explain their investment in the different dimensions of literary activity (writing, publishing, public activities, etc.). It is based mainly on a survey by questionnaires answered by 503 writers, analysed in their various degrees of recognition (those with “low recognition” form a subpopulation of 163 respondants), and on in-depth interviews with 31 authors with low recognition. From the objectivation of their literary ways of existing (places of publishing and of visibility, published genres, etc.), of their extra-literary resources (social position and origins, level of qualification, etc.), and of theirs levels of literary competences and ambitions, our analysis shows that these authors are not “amateurs” playing in a space different from the “professional” one, but dominated members of the literary game, in the same way (but not at the same level) as the recognized writers. Then, it focuses on the plurality of degrees and forms of their investments in five kinds of literary stakes, and it uncovers intra-individual variations according to the kinds of stakes which are studied. Given that the investigated authors’ involvement reveals degrees of recognition and knowledge of legitimate ways of playing the literary game, our work is also an opportunity to rethink the relations that dominated actors have with domination.

La mise en protection de la nature s’accélère et s’étend, le Programme desNations Unies pour l’Environnement (PNUE) dénombre plus de 100 000 sites terrestres et marins protégés. Implantés sur des espaces naturels habités ou fréquentés, la protection motive des missions d’information et d’éducation auprès des résidents et autres usagers de ces sites. Elle conditionne aussi un certain consensus sur les politiques à mettre en oeuvre et le respect des règles édictées. Pensée ainsi, la protection tend à occulter le travail de redéfinition et d’adaptation qu’opèrent les usagers à partir de leurs propres connaissances, expériences et collectifs d’appartenance. Notre recherche va de l’autre côté du miroir et s’intéresse à ce travail invisible que nous étudions sur deux espaces naturels : l’un protégé, le Parc marin du Saguenay—Saint-Laurent, l’autre en projet lors de notre enquête, le Parc naturel marin de l’estuaire de la Gironde et de la mer des Pertuis. En aval de la production des connaissances, des normes et des valeurs naturalistes qui président à l’identification des enjeux environnementaux, il s’agit de comprendre comment les usagers des espaces de nature, à travers leurs pratiques récréatives territorialisées, s’approprient ce qui est considéré comme des enjeux environnementaux. En prenant appui sur un cadre conceptuel qui mobilise la théorie de l’acteur en situation dans le champ de la sociologie de l’environnement, trois grandes hypothèses ont été formulées pour orienter notre questionnement. Ainsi, nous tentons de voir en quoi l’espace naturel, entendu à la fois comme écosystème et comme construction sociale, influence l’appropriation des enjeux environnementaux par les caractéristiques objectives dont il est porteur et les représentations sociales qu’il véhicule, mais également par les politiques de protection mises en oeuvre, ainsi que la proximité au territoire ressentie par ses usagers. Aussi, nous essayons de comprendre comment les usages récréatifs et leur culture associée influent sur cette appropriation à travers la pression du collectif, la légitimité de l’accès au territoire ou des techniques propres à la pratique. Enfin, nous nous intéressons à la « sensibilité écologique » et à « l’engagement vert » des usagers récréatifs pour saisir cette appropriation différenciée. Mobilisant une méthode comparative mixte, nous avons opté pour une démarche qualitative (entretiens et observations) qui permet d’analyser en finesse les différentes variables convoquées, que sont l’origine géographique, l’usage récréatif et ses modalités de pratique, ainsi que la sensibilité écologique et l’engagement vert, mais aussi les caractéristiques sociologiques classiques qui pourraient expliquer l’appropriation des enjeux environnementaux. L’enjeu est de discuter de l’écologisation des sociétés. Écologisation, qui derrière l’idéal d’ensauvagement, participerait plutôt de la domestication des usages de nature et par-là même concourrait à une nouvelle forme de domination sociale. / The protection of nature is accelerating and spreading. The United NationsEnvironment Programme (UNEP) counts more than 100,000 terrestrial and marineprotected areas. Since protection of nature is established on inhabited or visited natural spaces, it justifies information and education missions among people living or using theses sites. It also sets the terms of a consensus on the policies to achieve and the respect of established rules. Therefore, protection tends to conceal the redifinition and adaptation work made by the users according to their own knowledge, experiences and group of affiliation. Our research concentrates on this invisible work observed on two natural sites. One of these sites is a protected site : the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park. The second one is the Parc marin de l’estuaire de la Gironde et de la mer des Pertuis, which was in a planning stage during our research. More than the production of knowledge, norms and naturalist values, our purpose is to understand how the users of nature, through their leisure customs on definite territories, appropriate themselves what is considered as environmental stakes.We held on a conceptual frame considering the theory of the actor in situation in thefield of environmental sociology and drew three hypothesis guiding our questioning. So, we try to observe how the natural space, considered as an ecosystem and a social construction, influences the appropration of environmental stakes through the objective characteristics and the social representations it carries, as well as through the protection policies and the proximity between the territory and its users. We also try to understand how the leisure customs and their associated culture influence this appropriation via the pressure of the group, the legitimity of the access to the territory or the technics specific to the practice. To conclude, we observe this « ecological sensitivity » and the « green commitment » of customers to understand this differenciated appropriation. We based our research on a mixed comparative method and chose a qualitative approach – interviews and observations – making us able to analyse the different variables that are the geographical origin, the leisure custom and how it is practiced, the ecological sensitivity and the « green commitment », but also the usual sociological characteristics which could make clear the appropriation of the environmental stakes. The purpose is to deal with the ecologisation of societies which, helped by the wilderness ideal, would rather take part in the domestication of the uses of nature, and as a consequence, in a new kind of social domination.

The Texas high school class of 2005 faced a defining test that had no precedent in Texas and little nationally. Social studies testing is a relatively new addition to the world of high stakes testing currently impacting United States high schools. Although other diploma dependent areas of mandated testing have some testing history and, therefore, related paradigms for curriculum and instructional assistance, the area of social studies largely lacks that perspective. Texas Education agency provided specific school grant monies and training for the purpose of preparation for the social studies exams. This quasi-experimental study examines the scores to learn whether or not any statistically significant differences in social studies scores would exist between the schools that participated in the TEKS/Tools Training Program and the schools that did not participate in the TEKS/Tools Training Program. The two primary at-risk groups in Texas, Hispanic and low SES, were analyzed for statistically significant differences in scores. Independent t tests and ANCOVA were used to analyze the score differences between program schools and non-program schools. Results relate to individual school staffing and implementation. The at-risk groups remained flat in score gains whether they were part of the program schools or not. Results relate to differences in learning and teaching for at risk groups. A separate trend analysis was used on the program target school which was the only school with three years of scores to determine improvement from grade 9 to 10 to 11 on the social studies TAKS test scores. Results from the repeated measures analysis indicated a statistically significant linear trend in the program target school's TAKS social studies mean gain scores across the 9th, 10th, and 11th grade levels.

I applied McAdam's political process model for social movement analysis to examine the level of collective resistance to high stakes testing in California, Massachusetts, New York, South Carolina, and Texas from 1985 to 2005. Data on protest occurrences in those states were gathered from online news reports, anti-testing organization websites, and electronic interviews from individuals associated with the anti-testing movement. Variables used in the analysis included each state's key educational accountability legislation, political affiliations of state political leaders, state political leaders' support of accountability issues, student ethnicity profiles, poverty indicators, dropout rates, and collective bargaining laws. I examined the relationship between those variables and protest development in terms of the political process model's three components: framing processes, mobilizing structures, and political opportunity. I concluded California and Massachusetts, with their strong networks of anti-testing organizations, showed more instances of protest than any other state. Slightly fewer protests occurred in New York. Texas showed few instances of anti-testing protests and there were no reports of protests in South Carolina. There was evidence of framing efforts from both proponents and opponents of high-stakes testing, with proponents' framing efforts tending to be more covert. I found that anti-testing protests were primarily initiated by middle-class and affluent groups of citizens, who demonstrated greater political access but whose major concerns differed by state. Evidence showed that although all five states have Republican governors, protests emerged more readily in the three states whose legislatures had a Democratic majority. I found that protest efforts were inhibited when protesters faced serious consequences as a result of their actions. In addition, state political leaders began to take part in the anti-testing protest movement once the state became subject to sanctions under the strict performance requirements imposed by No Child Left Behind. Overall, the political process model proved to be a highly efficient analytical tool in this context.

Many students currently entering college are able to solve mathematical problems but often do not understand the chemistry concepts underlying their calculations. High school chemistry teachers from Texas and the United States (US) were surveyed as to what topics they teach in their chemistry classes. A subset of Texas teachers was also interviewed about their instruction. The survey indicated that less-experienced Texas teachers are omitting a number of topics from their chemistry instruction, as compared to more experienced teachers. No differences were seen for those topics among US teachers. Chemistry textbooks from 1930 to the current 2002 Texas state adoptions were analyzed for inclusion of these topics. The only textbooks that were missing topics were from the 1930s. All others contained the topics. In general, textbooks have been increasing numbers of questions and problems for each topic, with the number of quantitative problems increasing at a greater rate than qualitative problems. Analysis of interview transcripts revealed that the main reason for omission of topics by less-experienced Texas chemistry teachers is that these topics are not assessed on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills science exam. Omitted topics were both qualitative and quantitative; the common factor is that they are not tested. School administrators reportedly reinforce this practice. Archival data regarding textbook usage by general chemistry students showed that students' course grades are not correlated to the amount of time they spend using their textbook. With topics included in textbooks, and no relationship between textbook usage and student grades, observed changes in chemistry courses must be due to changes in classroom instruction. With new course standards adopted by Texas for chemistry and the development of end-of-course exams, these changes should produce graduates who understand chemistry concepts as well as they solve mathematical chemistry problems. Repeating this study in 5 years may show that increasing the amount of chemistry tested will produce students entering college with a better conceptual background in chemistry.

En esta tesis se analizan aspectos relacionados con exámenes de segundas lenguas de alto impacto (high-stakes). A diferencia de estudios anteriores, se trata de un trabajo de investigación comparativo que toma como referencia los contrastes y las similitudes que existen entre la PAU española y el sistema inglés de exámenes A-levels en relación a distintos aspectos. Por un lado, se presenta el tema desde una perspectiva histórica de la evolución de los exámenes de acceso a la universidad en cada país. Por otro, se hace un análisis en profundidad de aspectos clave de la evaluación como la validez del constructo, las características de las actividades o ítems y la fiabilidad. El contraste entre dos realidades evaluadoras diferentes nos permite ilustrar los desaciertos del sistema español mediante una evaluación de los éxitos relativos al procedimiento de evaluación pre-universitario inglés. Además, al comparar la naturaleza de la prueba en España con un equivalente europeo, se pretende comprender la manera en la que la PAU puede ser mejorada en el futuro. Finalmente, en esta tesis presentamos una propuesta de cambios fundamentales y viables para la prueba de inglés en la PAU actual. / López Navas, MD. (2012). COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TWO FOREIGN LANGUAGE EXAMINATIONS FOR UNIVERSITY ENTRY IN ENGLAND AND SPAIN [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/18055 / Palancia

This study examined the possible relationships among the perceived implementation levels of elementary music standards and Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) scores for fourth graders in reading, mathematics, and writing for the years 2004, 2005, and 2006. Survey data for the study were obtained from 32 school district music supervisors from large, medium, and small districts who returned fully or partially completed questionnaires. The study was focused on the relationships, if any, between a school district's mean scale scores in reading, mathematics, and writing from 2004 to 2006 in grade 4 and (a) elementary music standards implementation, (b) the average amount of time spent in elementary school music classes per week, (c) demographic and economic factors, and (d) the reported average amount of time spent in elementary school music classes per week. Findings of the study indicated that, when all variables were considered, a relationship existed among district music supervisors' views on two variables, degree of music standards implementation and the amount of time allotted per month for elementary music in respondents' school districts in 2004, 2005, and 2006; and (a) the percentage of students achieving at proficient or higher on FCAT reading who were also identified as free and reduced lunch in 2004, 2005, and 2006, (b) the percentage of students achieving at proficient or higher on FCAT mathematics who were also identified as free and reduced lunch in 2004, 2005, and 2006, and (c) the percentage of students achieving at proficient or higher on FCAT writing who were also identified as Hispanic in 2004, 2005, and 2006. Finally, implications for educational decision making were offered and recommendations were made for future studies dealing with elementary music standards implementation in Florida's schools. These recommendations included (a) investigating reasons for achievement gaps on FCAT between majority and minority ethnic groups and between minorities themselves, (b) exploring socio-economic factors affecting FCAT scores, (c) continuing research giving special attention to brain research involving music and its impact on the brain, (d) determining why high-stakes testing is necessary, and (e) devising controlled studies both in Florida and nationwide that would compare the elementary students receiving consistent and varied teaching in music with those students not receiving consistent musical instruction. Controlled and experimental group studies of pre-schoolers should be conducted to determine the extent to which the use of musical rhythms impacts the rate of language acquisition.

The goal of this research was to investigate teachers' perceptions of professional discretion and satisfaction related to internal and external factors of curriculum control. Results of the study were intended to provide data to policy makers and school district administrators that could be used in the development and implementation of the curriculum reform process. Middle and high school teachers in a large central Florida school district completed the survey. The survey's six constructs were 1. Influence of Teacher Beliefs 2. Perceptions of Success and Satisfaction 3. Influence of Tests and Curriculum Guides 4. Teacher Control of Pedagogy 5. Leadership 6. Maintaining High Standards The research questions focused on determining the difference in perspectives due to years of teaching experience, level of teaching (middle or high school), and curriculum control category (high, medium, or low). The results revealed there was not significant disagreement among teacher perceptions based on years of teaching experience. However, results indicated significant differences in perceptions based on level of teaching and curriculum control category in regard to the six survey constructs. The construct of leadership revealed significant differences between both levels of teaching and curriculum control categories. Overall, the results indicated a significant relationship among curriculum control policies and effects on teachers' perceptions of professional discretion and satisfaction. The literature on curriculum reform efforts since the 1980s, specifically in the areas of curriculum standards, textbook adoption policies, testing policies and leadership practices, framed the study. The literature review focused on existing research issues within the six constructs and the research questions. The information gained from this study may be used to inform policies, improve teachers' working conditions, and promote teacher and leadership effectiveness. Recommendations for practice were addressed in terms of what policy makers, school district administrators, and individual classroom teachers can and should do to implement and support meaningful curriculum reform. The researcher emphasized that recognizing the professional expertise and knowing the perspective of teachers are key to the development and implementation of an effective curriculum reform process.

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between teacher efficacy levels and fifth grade Virginia SOL Mathematic achievement. This study sought to determine the extent to which personal efficacy, general efficacy, and total efficacy account for fifth grade Virginia Standards of Learning Mathematic achievement over and above that explained by teacher experience, teacher education, and class size. A critical review of the previous research methodologies and findings on teacher efficacy demonstrated the need for further research in this area. This study hoped to provide school officials in educational leadership with data necessary to plan professional development to improve classroom instruction, teacher efficacy, and student achievement. This study utilized a quantitative survey which measured personal, general, and total efficacy levels among fifth grade teachers in 11 elementary schools located in central Virginia. Twenty-one of the 27 (78%) 5th grade teachers that were surveyed, completed and returned the survey used in the study. Other data, such as teacher education, teacher experience, class size, and student achievement scores were collected from the division with the permission of the division's superintendent. Results of the data analysis indicated that there was no statistically significant relationship between teacher efficacies and 5th grade mathematics SOL achievement. The findings demonstrated that personal teaching efficacy, general teaching efficacy, and total teaching efficacy had no significant impact on 5th grade mathematics SOL achievement over and above the extent that teacher experience, teacher education, and class size impacted student achievement. It should be noted that the following limitations may have impacted the final results of the analysis. Class sizes were of mixed math ability, ranging from 11-23 students. Special education students tended to be in the smaller sized inclusion classes and gifted and talented students tended to be in the larger class sizes. Teacher efficacy levels were based on self-report. The sample size was small and limited generalizability of the results due to the focus on one Virginia school division. Also, student factors, such as prior achievement, were not included in the study. In this study, teacher education and class size did show significance associated with student achievement. Again, the limitations may have contributed to the findings of this study. The study showed that teachers with a master's degree had lower student achievement than teachers with a bachelor's degree, but the results might have been impacted from the limitations. Larger class sizes also had increased student achievement. Factors, such as class make-up of students (smaller classes typically had special education inclusion students and larger class sizes typically included gifted and talented students), class size (smallest class was 11 students and the largest class was 24), and teacher assignment (teachers with master's degrees could have been assigned to students with more academic needs), need to be considered when reviewing these findings, implications, and recommendations. The implications and recommendations were drawn from the findings of this study. The factors and limitations of the study were taken into consideration when the implications and recommendations were developed. / Ed. D.