Didactic look at the explanation of the differences in performance of Moroccan and Quebec students in international assessments
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Abstract
This article presents a study in science teaching which aimed to better understand and explain the differences in performance achieved by young Moroccans and Quebecers aged 15 in an international assessment. Our study is part of a diagnostic perspective of conceptions in science (Tsai and Chou, 2002, Kraus and Minstrell, 2002; Thijs and Van Den Berg, 1995; Tsai and Chou, 2002). The theoretical framework is inspired by the work of Balacheff (1995) on the characterization of conceptions according to the subject / environment dynamic. The research approach is based on a mixed, predominantly qualitative approach. Our results attest to the existence of an important influence of conceptions of cultural origin in the orientation of student responses to standardized items used in certain large international surveys. These results therefore offer avenues for reflection on the possibility of putting into perspective the explanations for the difference in performance between countries with different cultural backgrounds, as well as avenues for solution to minimize them. Consequently, our study raises a questioning of a didactic nature on the modeling of the contents and format of so-called standardized items. What can be the invariants in the dressing of a standardized item in science with regard to the contextually valid conceptions which orient the pupils' responses?
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