Abstracts - Earli

a meaning to their mathematical knowledge which is underlined as essential by several authors(Gravemeijer, 2005; Schoenfeld, 2005). This study is a part of the research project Interaction andKnowledge whose main goal is to study and implement collaborative work in learning settings(5th to 12th grades). The data were collected in six 10th grade classes (15/16 years old). Datacollection instruments were participant observation (two observers: the teacher and the researcher;some classes were audio and video taped), questionnaires, interviews and documents. Thecollaborative project work was developed in the content of statistics, during the 2nd and the 3rdterms, in twelve to fifteen 90 minutes classes, every fortnight. These students workedcollaboratively since the beginning of the school year. The mathematics teacher is experienced incollaborative work and she usually implements it in her classes and when working with otherteachers. Students chose the theme of their class project work and they planned every detail. Theresults underline the role played by the collaborative project work as a mediator and facilitator ofthe transitions from students’ previous knowledge and life experiences, and academic knowledgeand competencies. Results also illuminate that project work associated to collaborative work is apowerful tool for statistics learning and for the development of social, cognitive and affectivecompetencies as illustrated by the analysis of several examples of students’ work and quotations.Do peer social experiences predict academic participation in the early school years?Denyse Blondin, Universite du Quebec a Montreal, CanadaRecent studies in psychology and education suggest that socioemotional factors, among them peersocial experiences, can predict student’s participation in classroom activities as much as cognitivefactors do, according to traditional lines of research in education (Ladd, Birch and Buhs, 1999;Furrer and Skinner, 2003). Connell & Wellborn’s (1991) motivational model define socialexperiences with peers, teachers and parents as different forms of contexts that can offer learningstructure, autonomy and emotional support. When it is the case, these contexts become potentialsources of motivation by means of combined processes linked with three (3) basic needs:competency, autonomy and relatedness. The effect of these contexts is observed in various formsof engagement: active engagement also referred to as participation, autonomous engagement andaffective engagement. The research aimed to verify the following hypothesis: peer socialexperiences for children between 5 to 7 years old could serve as a motivational context thatpredicts participation in classroom leaning activities. 241 children participated in the study basedon a predictive correlational design. Three (3) instruments served to measure peer socialexperiences. Peer nominations (Coie, Dodge & Coppotelli, 1982) were used to measure groupapproval, peer rating for friendship (Berndt, Perry & Miller, 1988) and peer network free recallnominations (Gest & al., 2001). A questionnaire was sent to the teacher in relation to the pupilparticipation in learning activities, The Teacher Rating of School Adjustment (TRSSA) developedand updated by Birch and Ladd (1997). Data was gathered at two different times (February andMay) of the same school year, considering pupils’ age and cognitive maturity. The results showthat the model tested can explain 27% of the variance about the pupil’s participation in learningactivities. Discussion includes tentative explanations for these results and possible future avenuesof research.– 554 –