This thesis seeks to advance interaction design practice by exploring the potential of interactive tangible prototypes to enhance university students' understanding of abstract programming structures, such as loops. It addresses prevalent challenges, including the difficulties students encounter when initially learning about loops, and scalability issues inherent in tangible teaching tools within this research area. Two distinct tangible learning methodologies are considered: unplugged programming and tangible computing. The primary contributions of this thesis lie in the creation of innovative tangible learning tools, the emphasis on the scalability of such tools, and the illumination of how physical prototypes can inspire digital software design.

Les Technologies de l’Information et de la Communication (TIC) font désormais partie du quotidien de travail de la plupart des salariés. L’activité des cadres, salariés les plus équipés en TIC mobiles par l’employeur, est majoritairement réalisée à partir de la médiation de dispositifs communicationnels. Cet équipement leur octroie de nouvelles possibilités : en particulier celle qui consiste à s’affranchir de la dimension spatio-temporelle en restant connectés en permanence avec le travail, et celle qui autorise une plus large modulation de leur emploi du temps. Face à la reconfiguration de leur activité professionnelle, comment les cadres, salariés résolument autonomes, réagissent-ils ? L’objectif principal de cette recherche doctorale vise à accompagner la verbalisation des pratiques quotidiennes des TIC afin d’appréhender l’enjeu psychosocial de cet équipement et d’identifier les éventuelles ressources pour y pallier. Convoquant une approche croisée entre les Sciences de l’Information et de la Communication et la Psychologie du Travail, nous nous intéressons à l’expérience vécue des cadres quant à la médiation technique de leur activité. La méthodologie utilisée est à la fois qualitative et longitudinale. Privilégiant une approche biographique, des entretiens approfondis agrémentés de la Technique des Incidents Critiques ont été menés auprès d’un échantillon de 62 cadres exerçant leurs fonctions en Aquitaine (T0) ; puis réitérés un an plus tard (T1). Les principaux résultats de nos analyses mettent en évidence : le rôle de médiateur des TIC vis-à-vis des risques psychosociaux au travail ; le déploiement volontaire de stratégies de connexion / déconnexion visant à optimiser non seulement l’usage des TIC mais aussi la qualité de vie des sujets ; le caractère discontinu de l’appropriation des TIC attesté par l’expérience d’événements marquants ; mais encore un effet de réflexivité des pratiques amorcé lors du premier entretien. / The Information Technology and Communication (ICT) are now part of everyday work for most employees. The executives are the employees being the most equipped with mobile ICT by their employers : their activity is mostly realized from the mediation of communicative devices. Such equipments grants them new opportunities: especially the one that is to unchain themselves from the space-temporal dimension staying connected with work, and the other that allows a larger modulation of their use of time. Faced with their work reconfiguration how do these executives react? The main purpose of this PhD research aims at accompanying the verbalization of ICT’s everyday practice in order to understand the psychosocial issue of this equipment and to identify possible resources to cope with. Convening a cross approach between Information Science and Communication and Work of Psychology, we focus on the live experience of executives about the technological mediation of their work. The methodology used is both qualitative and longitudinal. Favouring a biographical approach, first extensive interviews complemented with the Critical Incident Technique, were conducted among a sample of 62 executives exercising their functions in a French region, Aquitaine (T0); and then reiterated one year later (T1). The major outcome of our analyses highlight: the mediating role of ICT about psychosocial risks at work; connection / disconnection strategies are self willing deployed to optimize not only the use of ICT but also the quality of life; the discontinuous character of ICT’s appropriation demonstrated by the experience of significant events; but also reflexivity’s effect of practices initiated at the first interview.

<p dir="ltr">The dissertation explored children’s shape composition and decomposition with Legos and how it can provide insights into their later computational thinking (CT). It emphasized the alignment between spatial reasoning and CT, particularly through the activities of identifying and fixing discrepancies in Lego structures. The research demonstrated first-grade students' ability to engage in spatial activities, offering a window into their potential CT processes. Current mathematics standards emphasize the need for activities that enhance spatial reasoning skills. Early spatial reasoning development, often through playful activities like Lego construction, plays a significant role in later academic success. The dissertation integrated several theoretical frameworks of spatial reasoning, including learning trajectories of shape composing, classification of spatial reasoning and the central conceptual structures of spatial reasoning. These frameworks provided a foundation for understanding how children develop spatial reasoning skills through construction play, aligning with CT practices. The study involved twelve first-grade students from a Midwestern elementary school. It employed a qualitative research design, consisting of an assessment session and two Lego sessions. The Lego sessions were designed to explore students' spatial reasoning and their ability to identify and fix discrepancies in Lego structures or in step-by-step building manuals, reflecting debugging in programming. Key findings included various strategies students used to identify and fix discrepancies in Lego structures, such as rotating, flipping, and rebuilding Lego bricks. Students struggled to coordinate multiple spatial features, especially when they need to use multiple reference points to fix the location of Lego bricks. The study revealed that students used symmetry and repeating patterns as strategies to identify discrepancies, suggesting an early form of loops, a key component of CT. Additionally, the strategies used were similar to those found in programming, indicating that spatial reasoning activities can support the development of debugging skills. The findings highlighted the importance of incorporating spatial reasoning activities in early education to support the development of CT skills. The alignment between mathematical practices and CT suggests that early exposure to spatial activities can lay the groundwork for more advanced CT skills including loops. This dissertation provided valuable insights into how children's interactions with Legos can serve as a window into their future computational thinking abilities. By focusing on the processes of identifying and fixing discrepancies, the research bridged the gap between spatial reasoning and CT, offering practical implications for educators aiming to integrate CT into early childhood education.</p>

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