etude des aptitudes, des motivations, des profils socio ... - snpsc

this first speleological experience causes a regression of their cognitive capacities for some of them. As for
the others, we think that this task was too complex.
That is the reason why we have suggested a continuation of this experiment, by adapting the
situation. With a small group of children, roughly the same age, we have been along a few circuits, marking
them out with beacons, on the way there. In that way, the children memorize the key-passages ; their
itinerary is staked out with markers that are shown on the map and which thus allow a better use of it. Now
then these children have not been trained to read maps. The first underground experiment inevitably
provokes an emotional shock for some of them, but the training which they are given during three outings
makes emotion recede and their cognitive capacities can manifest themselves again. The children are thus
capable of orientating themselves underground.
We have finally made 11-year-old children, who had followed a quite intensive training programme
about orienteering course, create a circuit in an underground stone quarry. This last experiment clearly
stated the specificities of topography, in comparison with the symbolism of the usual map. But once the
discovery is made, these young people show the similarity of the situations, by achieving underground
performances consistent with what they achieve outside.
We have thus shown that the capacities of reading a map develop between the ages of 5 and 6 and,
considering the specificities of the underground milieu, that a simple arranging with markings allows the
children to be able to move around in an autonomous way. This facilitates initiation, making them less
dependent on the expert.
KEY-WORDS : EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH, THE CHILD'S ABILITY TO ORIENTATE
HIMSELF, SPELEOLOGICAL INITIATION.
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