Profils de buts d’apprentissage et caractéristiques personnelles des élèves au début du secondaire.

The present study pursued two goals. The first goal was to explore the presence of students’ learning goals profiles during the beginning of middle school, using cluster analyses procedure. The second goal was to examine whether these profiles are related to academic (motivation, feeling of competence, and achievement) and emotional (anxiety and depression) characteristics. Three hundred ten adolescents participated in this study. Results of cluster analyses showed the presence of different learning goals profiles (high mastery, mixed, mastery-avoidance, and low engaged). Furthermore, results indicated that students in high mastery and mixed profiles are better adapted than students in mastery-avoidance and low engaged profiles, particularly in regard of academic characteristics. On the whole, these findings suggest that considering heterogeneous profiles of learning goals at the beginning of middle school appears quite useful to better understanding students’ academic and emotional characteristics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Le r?le des interactions mère-enfant et de la dépression maternelle à l'age préscolaire dans la prédiction de l'attachement de l'enfant à l'age scolaire.

Examined the contribution of mother–child partnership and maternal depression during the preschool period to the prediction of the child's attachment classification at early school-age in 91 French-Canadian children. Mother–child interactions were observed during a collaborative task using a scale measuring synchronized and reciprocal social-affective exchanges in the mother-child partnership (age 3–5 yrs). Maternal depression was assessed during the same lab visit using the Beck Depression Inventory. At a second lab visit (age 5–7 yrs), attachment classifications were assigned on the basis of reunion behaviour. A discriminant function analysis showed that reciprocal mother–child partnerships in the absence of maternal depressive symptom predicted security of attachment two years later, whereas failed reciprocity in the presence of maternal depressive symptoms predicted both insecure disorganized and ambivalent attachment. Quality of prediction is high for secure, ambivalent and disorganized children, although ambivalent and disorganized children cannot be distinguished from each other. Results support the importance of mother–child interactions and maternal depression as preschool variables associated with security and insecurity of attachment at early school-age. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Les changements annuels de la motivation envers les mathématiques au secondaire selon l'age et le sexe des élèves.

Examined the annual fluctuations of mathematics motivation among high school students. Several self-reported scales were administered at the beginning and at the end of the school term to 610 French speaking students in the Montreal area (first to fifth year of the secondary program). Results show that, in general, at the end of the year, Ss report less support from their teacher, a decrease of performance and mastery goals, less commitment, an increase of avoidance goals, and a decrease of the use of cognitive and metacognitive strategies. Moreover, older Ss also report less parental support, a decrease of their self-confidence, a diminution of the usefulness of mathematics, and an increased level of anxiety for this subject matter. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

L'évaluation de soi, les buts d'apprentissage et leur impact sur le rendement scolaire d'èléves en sixièxe anneé du primaire.

The relations between perceptions of competence, self-efficacy and types of goals, and their influence on school achievement have been examined among a sample of 224 girls and 193 boys of grade six. Results showed that as was expected even though perceptions of competence and self-efficacy were related, the latter better predicts school achievement. Contrary to what was expected, no negative influence was observed for the combination of low self-efficacy and performance goals on school achievement. Finally, according to a last hypothesis, the pattern of relations between motivational variables and school achievement differs for girls and boys. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Développement langagier et cognitif de l'enfant durant les trois premières années en relation avec la durée des vocalisations maternelles et les jouets présents dans l'environment: étude longitudinale auprès de populations á risque.

This study compares language and cognitive development of children from different socio-economic backgrounds, during the first three years of their life, in relation to the duration of maternal vocalizations and to the number of toys available to the child in his/her environment. A total of 209 mother–child dyads participated in the study. The sample was divided in three groups of mothers: 65 teenage mothers (aged 14–19 yrs), 91 mothers of low socioeconomic status (LSES; aged 20–37 yrs), and 53 mothers of higher socioeconomic status (HSES; aged 22–37 yrs). Results showed that children of teenage mothers and children of LSES mothers had a language development and a cognitive development inferior to those of children of HSES mothers. The duration of maternal vocalization at 6 and at 18 mo of age was related to measures of child development, particularly to child language development at 18 and 24 mo. Furthermore, the number of linguistic and social toys in the child's environment was correlated with some measures of language and cognitive development. Variability in children's language and cognitive development is related to environmental factors which seem more significant at certain times than others in the child's development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)