Thesis defence : Cynthia BOGGIO

Learning to read is a complex activity that requires explicit and structured teaching, often guided, in the first grade, by a published reading method (i.e., a set of tools for the teacher and students). A multidisciplinary team of teachers, researchers and a publisher (Éditions Hatier) has chosen to propose a new evidence-based reading method for first grade: the Lili CP method. Such a method must be useful (effective) for students' learning, but it must also be usable (easy to learn) and acceptable (compatible with the classroom) for teachers and students, in order to be widely adopted. The main objective of this thesis was to evaluate the usefulness, usability and acceptability of some of the tools and sequences of the method being designed, in order to identify concrete directions for improvement.Our research started with an analysis of the practices of potential future users. A widely distributed questionnaire revealed the great diversity of teaching practices in first grade and the main criteria for choosing a reading method. A study revealed the excellent level of usability and acceptability of the original training material for combining graphemes provided in Lili CP. Two different interfaces of the teaching guide in web format were compared, also in terms of usability and acceptability, making it possible to identify the relevance of certain presentation choices for the future method. In an experimental study, we evaluated the effectiveness of an explicit comprehension teaching sequence designed for Lili CP, on students' achievement in this domain. The comparison with an active control group (i.e., having followed another, more traditional, comprehension teaching sequence) demonstrated the interest of this type of sequence for the trained skill.Finally, two versions (basic and gamified) of the digital application ECRIMO, developed for Lili CP and aiming at training the writing of words in autonomy, were evaluated on the three dimensions of utility, usability and acceptability. Both versions of the application obtained excellent usability and acceptability scores. Training with ECRIMO, in both versions, proved to be as effective as encoding training in the form of classic dictation exercises led by the teacher. In all the trained groups, the progress in encoding was greater than in the control group and was visible especially in children who already had a good level of encoding at the beginning of first grade. Finally, for these pupils, the basic version produced greater progress than the gamified version.This doctoral research demonstrates the possibility and interest of conducting an integrated evaluation of educational tools that must be studied in the three dimensions of usefulness, usability and acceptability, before their large-scale dissemination in the field. It concludes with a proposal for a new integrated approach to the design and evaluation of educational tools.

Composition du jury :
M. FRANCK AMADIEU, Professeur des Universités, CLLE Toulouse Jean Jaurès, Rapporteur
Mme MARIE-FRANCE MORIN, Professeure des Universités, GRISE Sherbrooke, Rapporteure
M. MICHEL FAYOL, Professeur Émérite, LAPSCO Clermont-Ferrand, Examinateur
M. EDOUARD GENTAZ, Directeur De Recherche, CNRS Délégation Alpes, Genève, Examinateur
Mme MARCELA PERRONE-BERTOLOTTI, Maitresse De Conférences, LPNC UGA, Présidente
Mme MARIE-LINE BOSSE, Professeure Des Universités, LPNC Grenoble Alpes, Directrice De Thèse
Mme MARYSE BIANCO, Maitresse De Conférences Émérite, LARAC UGA, Co-Directrice de thèse
Mme VALÉRIE PERTHUÉ, Directrice Editoriale Du Département Scolaire Primaire, Editions Hatier, Invitée

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