Myriam de Léonardis

Co-construction of the representations of intelligence between mother and daughter: Developmental and differential approaches

The problematic of this research concerns the question of the co-construction of the representations of intelligence between mother and daughter, according to their age and contrasted socio-cultural environments. Our goal is to show that mothers and their daughters (for whom intelligence is a part of their everyday experiences, through their academic success or failure in particular) develop representations that are close and that the age of the daughters and their socio-cultural affiliation have an effect on the closeness of their representations. 262 subjects — mothers and their daughters aged 8–10 or 13–15 from contrasted socio-cultural environments — took part in this study. The data were gathered by means of a questionnaire. By putting into perspective the mother/daughter representations (their own representations and those that they think the other conveys), we can infer a co-construction of representations of intelligence between mother and daughter. Indeed, the latter develop concordant representations and identify relatively well the representations borne by the other. These concordance effects appear to be more marked between mother and female adolescent, particularly among those from a privileged background. This tends to show that the developmental dimension and the socio-cultural affiliation modulate the co-construction of representations.RésuméLa problématique de cette recherche porte sur la question de la co-construction des représentations de l’intelligence entre mère et fille, en fonction des âges et des milieux socioculturels contrastés. Notre objectif est de montrer que les mères et leurs filles (pour qui l’intelligence fait partie des expériences quotidiennes à travers notamment la réussite ou l’échec scolaire) développent des représentations proches et que l’âge des filles et l’appartenance socioculturelle ont un effet sur la proximité de leurs représentations. 262 sujets, des mères et leurs filles âgées de 8–10 ans ou de 13–15 ans issues de milieux socioculturels contrastés, ont participé à cette étude. Les données ont été recueillies à l’aide d’un questionnaire. A travers la mise en perspective des représentations mère/fille (leurs propres représentations et celles dont elles estiment que l’autre est porteuse), nous pouvons inférer une co-construction des représentations de l’intelligence entre mère et fille. Ces dernières développent en effet des représentations concordantes et identifient relativement bien les représentations dont l’autre est porteuse. Ces effets de concordance apparaissent plus marqués entre mère et adolescente, particulièrement dans les milieux favorisés. Ceci tend à montrer que la dimension développementale et l’appartenance socioculturelle modulent la co-construction des représentations.

Family education, child-parent interactions and child development

We examine the influence of family educational practices on the interaction and communication competencies of four-year-old children. The child, as an active player in its own development, has to manage intra- and inter-personal conflicts in the socio-cognitive and socio-affective registers. We postulate that parental educational practices orient the relationship which each child develops with the world and with itself. Family educational practices were evaluated by means of two questionnaires (general education, specific education). The child’s communication competence was assessed on the following levels: intrapsychic dynamics (projective, tests, social competence and self-representation scales); oral and written communication competence (typological analysis (250 children and their parents). The results show that sociocultural contexts interact with family educational concepts and practices to influence the development of self-representations and the capacity for oral and written communication. General family education modulates the intrapsychic personal dynamics of young children, while specific family education is more responsible for influencing behaviours linked to school activities. A top-down hierarchical analysis was used to differentiate between these two forms of communication competence and the patterns adopted by the child within the diversity of family educational contexts.RésuméLes auteurs étudient l’influence des pratiques éducatives familiales sur les compétences à interagir et à communiquer chez l’enfant de quatre ans. L’enfant, acteur de son développement, est amené à gérer des conflits intra et interpersonnels dans les registres socio-cognitifs et socio-affectifs. les auteurs postulent que les pratiques éducatives parentales orientent le rapport au monde et à soi élaboré par chaque enfant. Les pratiques éducatives familiales sont évaluées à l’aide de deux questionnaires (éducation générale, éducation spécifique). Les compétences de l’enfant à communiquer sont appréhendées aux niveaux: de la dynamique intrapsychique (épreuves projectives, échelles de compétences sociales et de représentations de soi; des compétences à communiquer à l’oral et à l’écrit.

Typology of Self-Concept of Adolescents in France: A Comparison of Gifted and Nongifted French High School Students

This study sought comprehension of several specifics concerning the self-concept of gifted high school students in France. Eighty-four gifted high school students (IQ ≥ 130) between the ages of 13 and 18 were matched with 84 nongifted high school students possessing the same gender, family background, and academic characteristics. Each of these adolescents completed the GPS technique (Genèse des Perceptions de Soi [Genesis of the Self-Concept]), the Self-Description Questionnaire II (SDQII), and the self-evaluation questionnaire concerning the perception of self and of giftedness. Clusters of adolescents were formed on the basis of data provided by these three tools. Using a descending hierarchical classification, results suggested a distinct four-cluster solution, as well as differences between clusters depending on IQ score, gender, socioeconomic background, and academic performance.

The Heterogeneity of Self-Portraits of Gifted Students in France

The objective of this research is to understand the diversity of gifted students’ self-representations through self-portrait analysis. Two hundred twenty-seven French gifted students (intelligence quotient ≥ 130; 45 girls, 182 boys), aged from 9 to 15 years completed the GPS instrument (Genèse des Perceptions de Soi [Genesis of the Self-Concept]). The authors analyzed data with ALCESTE content analysis software (Reinert, 2003). Using a descending hierarchical classification, results suggested a distinct six-class solution, as well as differences between classes depending on degree of academic achievement, age, type of schooling, and gender. These results do not support the notion that gifted students represent a homogeneous population in regard to their self-perceptions.

Estime de soi et stratégies de projet chez les lycéens confrontés à une réorientation scolaire forcé

Dans le cadre d’une recherche sur la construction du projet a l’adolescence, cet article analyse les strategies mises en place par le sujet pour resoudre un conflit face a un projet contrarie. L’etude porte sur des adolescents âges de 16-17 ans, garcons et filles. Nous avons observe une forte dominance des strategies de mobilisation et de reajustement. L’analyse des rapports entre l’elaboration de projet et l’estime de soi montre que l’estime de soi elevee est liee a des strategies centrees sur la poursuite du but.