Pascal Pansu

An integrative model of scholastic judgments: Pupils’ characteristics, class context, halo effect and internal attributions

This article proposes a model that integrates some of the determinants of scholastic judgment. The model is based on the assumption that a teacher’s judgment in a particular discipline is influenced by different variables: the pupil’s actual performance in the discipline, his/her actual performance in other disciplines (halo effect), the average performance of the class in the discipline (class context effect), the pupil’s individual characteristics such as whether he/she has ever repeated a grade and the teacher’s perception of the pupils’ causal explanations. Furthermore, the model proposes that a teacher’s perceptions are related to the pupil’s spontaneous expression of causality, which in turn is influenced by the pupil’s knowledge of the social value of causal explanations. In order to test the validity of the proposed model, the authors conducted a study in a real classroom setting on a population of 663 pupils from 38 classes (3rd grade) and their respective teachers. Path analyses showed that the theoretical model fit the data to a satisfactory extent. However, a comparison of the fit indexes of the theoretical model and two alternative models (one nonhierarchical and one hierarchical) showed that the initial theoretical model could be significantly improved by additional paths.RésuméCet article propose un modèle du jugement scolaire dans lequel le jugement de l’enseignant est influencé par différentes variables: la performance effective des élèves dans la discipline concernée (français et mathématiques), leur performance effective dans l’autre discipline (effet de halo), leurs caractéristiques scolaires (redoublant vs. non redoublant), le niveau moyen de la classe dans la discipline (effet de contexte), et la perception de l’enseignant quant aux explications fournies par les élèves à un questionnaire d’internalité scolaire. Ce modèle suppose également que les perceptions de l’enseignant sont reliées aux réponses spontanées des élèves à ce même questionnaire, ces dernières étant elles-mêmes influencées par la connaissance qu’ont les élèves de la valeur sociale des explications causales (clairvoyance normative). Afin de tester la validité du modèle proposé, une étude a été réalisée auprès de 663 élèves issus de 38 classes de CE2 (3rd grade) et de leurs enseignants. Si les analyses de trajet mettent en évidence que le modèle théorique permet de rendre compte des données de manière satisfaisante, la comparaison de ce modèle avec deux modèles alternatifs (un modèle hiérarchique et un modèle non hiérarchique) montrent que le modèle théorique initial peut être significativement amélioré par l’ajout de liens additionnels.

Internality attribution and intergroup relations

In two studies, subjects filled out a questionnaire requiring them to choose between internal and external explanations of desirable or undesirable events. They were also asked to fill out the same questionnaire from another persons point of view, either a member of the ingroup or a member of the outgroup. The first study used students as subjects and the events were about student life. The second study used employees for subjects and the events were about the working world. As predicted on the basis of internality norm theory, internal explanations were generally found to be chosen more often when the respondent or imagined respondent was said to be a worthy person. The internality scores were the highest for oneself and for the ingroup member, regardless of the desirability of the events; they were the lowest for the outgroup member. These internality attribution effects do not seem to stem from the well-known ingroup-favouring attributions (ultimate attribution error). Hence, the internality norm construct, irrespective of event desirability, provides a new pathway for exploring the evaluative effects of intergroup relations.

The Impact of Significant Others' Actual Appraisals on Children's Self-Perceptions: What about Cooley's Assumption for Children?.

The aim of this paper was to study the construction of children’s self-perception relying on Cooley’s hypothesis. More precisely, we were interested in the mediation effect of significant others’ actual appraisal on self-perception by the perception of others’ actual appraisal (i.e., reflected appraisal). First, we argued that this mediation effect would occur in the domains where children have feedback from significant others (here teacher or parents). Second, we took into account two measures of reflected appraisal: reflected appraisal assessed in a classic fashion and appraisal social support assessed with Harter’s scale (1985b). We argued that reflected appraisal assessed in a classic fashion would be a better mediator of the effect of actual appraisal on self-perception by reflected appraisal in comparison to appraisal social support. In order to test these hypotheses, we conducted a study with 126 children (age 8–9), 106 parents and six teachers. The results, taken as a whole, support these hypotheses.RésuméLe but de cet article est d’étudier la construction des perceptions de soi des enfants à partir de l’hypothèse de Cooley (1902). Plus précisément, nous nous intéressons à la médiation de l’effet du jugement des personnes signifiantes sur les perceptions de soi par la perception de ce jugement (i.e., perception prêtée). Premièrement, nous faisons l’hypothèse que cette médiation sera observée uniquement dans les domaines où l’enfant reçoit des feedback d’une personne signifiante (ici l’enseignant ou les parents). Deuxièmement, nous avons pris en compte deux mesures de perceptions prêtées pouvant être considérées comme équivalentes: une mesure classique et une mesure de soutien social d’approbation (Harter, 1985b). Nous faisons l’hypothèse que les perceptions prêtées mesurées de manière classique seraient un meilleur médiateur de l’effet du jugement des personnes signifiantes sur les perceptions de soi que la mesure de soutien social d’approbation. Afin de tester ces hypothèses, nous avons conduit une étude auprès de 126 enfants âgés de 8–9 ans, de 106 parents et de six enseignants. Pris dans leur ensemble, les résultats vont dans le sens de nos hypothèses.

Social utility, social desirability and scholastic judgments : Toward a personological model of academic evaluation

The aim of this article is to gain further insight into the determinants of scholastic judgments. On the basis of a previous study (Dompnier, Pansu, & Bressoux, 2006), we propose a model of the processes underlying teachers’ judgments. In addition to taking into account some of these determinants, the proposed model grants to pupils’ social utility, as perceived by their teacher, the status of central mediator between scholastic judgments and their determinants (pupils’ actual academic achievement, pupils’ scholastic history, classroom context, and internality perceived by teachers). The initial model was tested on a first sample of 250 pupils (3rd grade) and their teachers, and then improved. Next, the modified model was validated on a second sample of 249 pupils (3rd grade) and their teachers. The results obtained on this sample indicated that the modified model fit the data to a satisfactory extent, and that it is more parsimonious that alternative nonhierachical models.RésuméL’objectif de cet article est de prolonger les recherches menées sur les déterminants du jugement scolaire. Sur la base d’une étude antérieure (Dompnier, Pansu, & Bressoux, 2006), nous proposons un modèle des processus qui sous-tendent le jugement scolaire. Outre la prise en compte de plusieurs déterminants du jugement scolaire, le modèle proposé dans cet article accorde à l’utilité sociale des élèves perçue par les enseignants, le statut de médiateur central entre le jugement scolaire et ses déterminants (performances scolaires effectives des élèves, leur histoire scolaire, le niveau moyen de la classe et l’internalité perçue par les enseignants). Le modèle proposé a été testé et amélioré sur un premier échantillon de 250 élèves de CE2 et de leurs enseignants. Le modèle modifié a ensuite été validé sur un second échantillon de 249 élèves de CE2 et de leurs enseignants. Les résultats obtenus indiquent, d’une part, que le modèle modifié rend compte de façon acceptable des données et, d’autre part, qu’il s’avère plus parcimonieux que d’autres modèles alternatifs non hiérarchiques.

The effects of face attractiveness onpre-selective recruitment

The aim of this study was to determine how facial attractiveness of applicants influences pre-selective evaluation in two different occupational fields (one relational and one non-relational). A total of 224 participants (working individuals and students) were asked to judge a fictitious applicant based on a resume (applicant’s qualifications: highly vs. less qualified) and a photograph (attractive vs. unattractive). Overall, the results showed that facial-attractiveness effects on interpersonal judgments are not absolute, and that their occurrence partly depends on the situation in which the judgments are made. Regardless of occupational field, when the applicants were highly qualified (whether attractive or unattractive) they were systematically judged positively, whereas in the case of less qualified applicants, facial attractiveness differentially affected judgments in the two occupational fields: less-qualified but attractive applicants were only judged more favorably than less-qualified and unattrac...

Internality-norm theory in educational contexts

The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the socionormative approach of internality in the field of education, and more specifically regarding scholastic judgment. It describes the theoretical development and the main procedures used by researchers to show that internal causal explanations have more value than external ones because they are normative and convey social value. We present results that show that the preference for internal explanations is learned in school. We also demonstrate that internal explanations are often chosen for self-presentation purposes and have some bearing in evaluative practices (here, scholastic judgment). We also present results which show that certain internal explanations of school events, regardless of their valence (success or failure), enhance the social worth of the pupil producing them. This applies to effort-based explanations which are more highly valued than others (e.g., in terms of personological traits such as aptitudes or abilities). Such results lead us to discuss the role played by internal explanations in the evaluation practices. We underline the relevant aspect of the socionormative theory of internality by comparison to another sociocognitive approach namely Weiner’s attributional theory of motivation.RésuméL’article fournit une vue d’ensemble de l’approche socionormative de l’internalité dans le champ éducatif, en particulier en matière de jugement scolaire. Il retrace le développement théorique et les principales procédures utilisées par les chercheurs pour montrer que les explications causales internes ont plus de valeur que d’autres, les externes, parce qu’elles sont normatives et porteuses de valeur sociale. Sont présentés des résultats empiriques qui montrent que la préférence pour l’internalité s’acquière à l’école, que les explications internes sont souvent choisies à des fins d’auto-présentation et qu’elles interviennent dans les pratiques d’évaluation (ici le jugement scolaire). Sont présentés également des résultats qui montrent que si l’émission d’une explication interne des événements scolaires, indépendamment de leur valence (résussites ou échecs), est toujours porteuse de valeur sociale pour l’élève qui l’émet, certaines de ces explications internes, comme celles qui en appellent à l’effort, sont plus valorisées que les autres (e.g., en termes de traits personnologiques comme les aptitudes ou les habiletés). De tels résultats nous conduisent à discuter le rôle joué par les explications internes dans les pratiques évaluatives et à souligner la pertinence de la théorie socionormative de l’internalité en regard d’une autre théorie sociocognitive, la théorie attributionnelle de la motivation de Weiner.

A methodological shortnote on measuring and assessing the effects of normative clearsightedness about internality

This shortnote deals with measuring normative clearsightedness about internality and assessing its effects. After raising the issue of how to measure normative clearsightedness, another operationalization of this concept is proposed based on a multilevel model. In an attempt to understand the relationship between pupils’ clearsightedness about internality and their teachers’ judgments of them, empirical data was collected from 404 third-grade pupils and their 19 teachers. The estimates obtained point out the heuristic value of the proposed model.RésuméCette note discute la mesure et les effets de la clairvoyance normative d’internalité. Après avoir soulevé les problèmes liés à la mesure de la clairvoyance normative, il est proposé une autre opérationnalisation de ce concept sur la base d’une modélisation multivariée. Des données empiriques recueillies auprès de 404 élèves de 3e grade élémentaire et de leurs 19 enseignants, qui visent à appréhender la relation entre la clairvoyance normative d’internalité des élèves et le jugement que l’enseignant porte sur ces derniers, permettent de réaliser des estimations qui accréditent le pouvoir heuristique de la modélisation proposée.

The risks for adolescents of negatively biased self-evaluations of social competence: The mediating role of social support

This study conducted among 544 adolescents (M = 15.1 years, SD = .82) examined whether perceived social support from parents and peers mediated the relationship between biased self-evaluations of social competence and internalizing problems. The results showed negative links between bias in self-evaluation and depressive symptoms, social anxiety and social avoidance. Bias in self-evaluation of social competence was more strongly related to perceived peer support than perceived parental support. Gender differences were observed in the mediating role of social support. Among boys, parental support was a partial mediator only of the link between bias in self-evaluation and depressive symptoms. While perceived peer support was a partial mediator of the links between bias in self-evaluation and depressive symptoms, social anxiety and social avoidance in girls, this was the case only for social avoidance in boys. These findings suggest that girls may show vulnerability to peer emotional support at an earlier age than boys.