Assessing Adolescent Reading Comprehension in a French Middle School - Article 3 - Research findings

Oct 15, 2026

The article examines how a new teaching practice, didactique workstations, influences adolescents’ reading comprehension and their relationship to knowledge in a French middle school setting. Conducted in two comparable classes, it contrasts a standard sixth-grade group with an eighth-grade SEGPA group facing learning difficulties. Findings show reduced grade differentials favoring lower-level students, and changes beyond instruction in how learners engage with knowledge through formative assessment.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages33

Reading Time1 h 23 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Equity and inclusion in education

Inclusive education and assessment practices

Literacy skills and didactique workstations

Australian Journal of Teacher Education | Volume 43 | Issue 7 | Article 3 | | --- | --- | 2018 Assessing Adolescent Reading Comprehension in a French Middle School: Performance and Beliefs about Knowledge Pascal Dupont Université de Toulouse Jean Jaurès Laboratoire, [pascal.dupont@univ-tlse2.fr](pascal.dupont@univ-tlse2.fr) Recommended Citation Dupont, P. (2018). Assessing Adolescent Reading Comprehension in a French Middle School: Performance and Beliefs about Knowledge. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 43 (7). [http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2018v43n7.3](http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2018v43n7.3) This Journal Article is posted at Research Online. [http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol43/iss7/3](http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol43/iss7/3) Australian Journal of Teacher Education Assessing Adolescent Reading Comprehension in a French Middle School: Performance and Beliefs about Knowledge Dupont Pascal, Université Toulouse 2, Jean Jaurès, France Abstract: In France, the growing percentage of students with reading problems calls for innovative teaching, particularly for students with serious learning difficulties. The present study was conducted on two classes with comparable reading levels: one standard sixth-grade class and one eighth-grade SEGPA class (those with learning difficulties). This study examined the effects of introducing a new teaching practice, didactique workstations, into the SEGPA class. The purpose of these workstations was to make the teaching content clearer and to promote formative assessment practices in order to improve adolescents’ reading comprehension and their relationship to knowledge. The results showed that introducing this innovative teaching practice had an effect on the class group: the grade differential was reduced in a way that benefitted lower-level students. In addition to classroom effects, the workstations also changed students’ relationship to knowledge. Thus, learning workstations offer great potential in working towards greater equity and inclusion. Keywords: Literacy –Comprehension-– Assessment –Middle School – France Introduction In many countries, schools tend to reproduce socioeconomic advantages instead of promoting a more equitable distribution of learning opportunities and learning outcomes. France is no exception: it ranks 27th out of 34 OECD countries in educational equity. According to national and international indicators, its education system is very unequal depending on students’socio-economic background, gender, or the neighborhood in which the school is located. Too many vulnerable students fall behind, despite the French educational system’s resources and the government’s desire to address the problem, as seen in the recent law for reforming the French school system, to create a “school system that is fair to all and has high standards for all”(French Ministry of Education, 2013). Ensuring that all students succeed is one of the major concerns of today’s education systems. Yet how can school systems become fairer and more inclusive? Developing inclusive education requires changes in three areas (UNESCO, 2009): Vol 43, 7, July 2018 30 Australian Journal of Teacher Education external to the school in terms of policy and legislation, culturally as part of a change in attitudesin society, and finally internal to the education system in terms of teaching and learning practices, of which assessment practices play a key role. Evaluating students is a practice that is as common for a teacher as designing teaching-learning situations. However, assessment is not always seen as being central to the process of teaching and learning (OECD, 2008) . Although it is an almost daily ritual in the classroom, assessment has been largely neglected in French didactics research (Million-Fauré, 2013) . Moreover, developing literacy skills is a crucial factor in educational inclusion (Hébert & Lafontaine, 2010) . Therefo

FAQs

What teaching practice does the study evaluate in the SEGPA class?

The study evaluates didactique workstations introduced into the SEGPA reading comprehension instruction sequence.

How does the new practice affect students’ reading comprehension results?

It reduces the grade differential in a way that benefits lower-level students, indicating improved reading comprehension.

Does the study find impacts beyond classroom performance?

Yes. The workstations also change students’ relationship to knowledge, supporting more equitable and inclusive learning outcomes.

Oct 15, 2026

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