Élaboration et validation d’un modèle d’épreuve certificative en lecture et écriture, axé sur l’approche par compétences (APC) en 6e année du primaire au Sénégal

This thesis focuses on the assessment of reading and writing skills for certification purposes in a context of competency-based approach. Indeed, for more than fifteen years, the educational systems of many countries in Europe (France, Belgium, Switzerland, etc.), America (Canada, the United States, etc.) and Africa (Senegal, Tunisia, Morocco, etc.) have adopted curricula defined in terms of skills to be developed in the teaching-learning process. In this context, the question of evaluation raises more questions both in professional and scientific circles These questions are all the more legitimate the evaluation takes place in the context of a social practice with increased socio-ethical stakes. Moreover, as Legendre (2007) argued, evaluation is seen as the "knot" of reforms, in the sense that it can undermine their direction and pervert their implementation In Senegal, the use of French as a language of instruction complicates pedagogical approaches. Indeed, the way learners acquire knowledge in an environment where French is a second language that stands alongside one or more local languages remains a major concern. French is, therefore, a fundamental school subject that is instrumental to the mastery of other acquisitions. This is what justifies the choice of this school subject in this research. We have opted for qualitative research of the developmental type. Thus, a five-step approach was required: 1) Needs Analysis; 2) Design of the Model; 3) Validations; (4) Testing; And (5) Description, Analysis and Evaluation of the prototype. With a variety of tools for collecting data from various stakeholders, it was possible to propose a template (model) structure for certification tests in line with the theories proved in the didactics of reading and writing and in coherence with the competency-based approach. The proposed model consists of a situation in reading and writing designed on the basis of the didactic constituents of these competences. Then, the descriptive grids were produced to facilitate the interpretation of students' productions. Finally, other tools for facilitating the completion of tasks (tools for pupils) and the harmonization of support in testing processes in a context of large-scale evaluation (testing guide) are annexed the model. The successive validations made it possible to adjust the different constituents of the prototype and put them in context. Indeed, actors on the ground operating at different iv levels, and who are very familiar with the learning environment, have participated in this work. The trial provided an opportunity to observe the efficiency level of the tools. Indeed, the APC assessment should be qualitative (Alter, 2000, Boston, 2002, Blanchard, McCord, Mente, Lalush, Abrams, Loboa, and Nagle, 2004). In other words, the evaluators judge the quality of the resources mobilized, the relevance of the strategies borrowed by the students to carry out the task. Thus, in order to ensure the reliability of these assessments, the following are necessary: the judgement criteria (Boston, 2002), clearly set passing standards and the clarification of the scoring scale (Durand and Trépanier, 2011). Noyau (2011) notes the difficulty teachers face in conducting a correct assessment according to the APC. Indeed, the markers do not have observation grids with well-defined criteria and declined into observable indicators. Thanks to the trial, six (06) primary school teachers were consulted on the value of the proposed analytical descriptive grids. This stage also reflects the position of these teachers in terms of the effectiveness of these grids in making an "objective" assessment of the work done by Grade 6 students. Finally, at the stage of description, analysis and evaluation, our conceptual framework was the lense through which we observed the data produced and the prescribed documentation to come up with a picture of the observations. This constituted an opportunity to see that the instrumental perspective we have adopted is not the only one that underpins the professional judgment of teachers in assesment processes. This new dimension served to fuel our last chapter.

Keyphrases: Grille descriptive, Certification testing, Competencies, Reading, Writing, Assessment situation, Descriptive grid, Interpretation