Stratégies pédagogiques et leur effet sur la motivation et l’engagement des étudiants en sciences au collégial
This descriptive research work is born out of a question from a teacher/researcher point of view: What strategies and pedagogical actions should a CEGEP science teacher emphasize in order to stimulate the motivation of the students and get them engaged in their learning activities ? The pedagogical stakes are high in the CEGEP sector; scientific studies point to a large drop out rate, a weak level of motivation and students engagement towards their studies, and a success rate below intended targets. The teacher can play a primary role in promoting student engagement towards their studies, be it through the choice of pedagogical strategies, the selection of pedagogical activities or through the support that can be given to the learner. The distinctiveness of the CEGEP system where both pre-university and technical programs are found side by side has yet to be studied from a comparative perspective on motivational dynamics as it relates to student engagement in a scientific curriculum. The general goal of this study is to describe the perceptions of students, as they relate to motivation stemming from different pedagogical actions and strategies utilised by teachers in two CEGEP level programs, the pre-university Science program and the Laboratory Techniques program, Biotechnology profile. Each of the 16 participating teachers in Biology and Physics within both programs were observed during one or two teaching periods totalling 58 hours of teaching for 29 groups of students, so as to identify the general pedagogical strategy of the period and the pedagogical actions that were enacted in the classroom. Students then completed an online survey regarding their perceptions as they relate to their motivation with regards to the strategies and pedagogical actions. Surveys from 272 respondents were treated, analysed and interpreted so as to portray the motivational dynamics along comparison groups through statistical analyses and a qualitative analysis of the respondents’ spontaneous comments. Biotechnology students’ perceptions favor motivation because they attach more value to the pedagogical activities than Science respondents. Their desire for engagement is also higher. As for Biotechnology male students, they feel significantly more competent than all other respondents, regardless of gender or program. They find it easier to participate in pedagogical classroom activities, and rarely mention negative emotions related to said activities. Students in both programs show a large variety of perceptions regarding learning activities and pedagogical strategies; they can even be of opposite nature among students of a given teaching period, indicating that using a variety of pedagogical acts is to be encouraged in order to stimulate the largest proportion of students.
Motivation, Engagement, Science, Collégial, Cégep, Pédagogie, Stratégie, Supérieur
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