Social Representation Inspector Inspected in the Tunisian School System Volume 7 - Issue 3

Bechir Nasri* and Mourad Rouissi

• High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Ksar Said, University of Manouba, Tunisial

Received:December 05, 2022;   Published: December 19, 2022

Corresponding author: Bechir Nasri, High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Ksar Said, University of Manouba, Tunisia

DOI: 10.32474/JAAS.2022.07.000265

 

Abstract PDF

Summary

This research addresses the issue of a social representation of educational inspectors among teachers of physical education and sports in the Tunisian system. The two main objectives of our study are to identify the social representations of educational inspectors among physical education teachers and see the influence of representation on social practice. The data was collected through in-depth interviews with a representative sample of teachers, then the hierarchical evocation.

Keywords: Social representation; educational inspector; social practice

Introduction

The inspection activity has long been a traditional practice of teacher evaluation in Tunisia. In the cycle of basic and secondary education, it is a physical education inspector who is responsible for verifying that the teachers correctly fulfill their mission and respect the teaching programs and timetables. He assesses their pedagogical qualities, through observation of a teaching session, followed by an interview with the teacher, the drafting of a report and the attribution of a mark. Interview, report and note are supposed to aim at giving the institutional functioning an objective character. The key role of the inspectors has always been to control the teachers and especially the way in which they apply the instructions of the ministry. The evaluation, as Si Moussa Azzedine specifies, has four components: a systematic evaluation of all the students, every year [...]; regular evaluation of teachers on the basis of their pupils’ progress and results, and not on the methods they use [...]; an indepth evaluation of the establishments, which will be available to families and finally an independent and regular evaluation of the entire education system [1]. All the partners in the education system agree in thinking that inspectors are essential educational actors for teachers. As such, the responsibility of inspectors is often put forward when teachers encounter academic or extra-curricular difficulties [2]. According to Mouliner e al “the theory of rep resentations being a theory of the social bond, which enlightens us on what, permanently, connects us to the outside world” [3]. Also, Jean-Claude Abric defines representation as “a relevant reading grid for interactions between inspector and inspected. Social representation makes it possible to know and explain the nature of social ties within and between groups” [4]. The representational dynamics of the different actors in school life constitute a field of research, with social problems, linked to the evolution of society.

The main objective of our research is to better understand how physical education and sports teachers represent their educational inspectors. In order to better understand the relationship between these major players in the school system, to see if common values are shared by both inspectors and teachers and to know if these values also include hidden concepts that can intervene in communication educational, and which can inform us about the multiple facets of the educational relationship. These hidden concepts are conceptions, thoughts, expectations, meanings and representations [5] inspectors-inspected in physical education who are the essential subject of our present study. The psychosocial approach, with social representations as a framework for reading the inspector-inspected relationship, constitutes the framework of our investigations. A social representation is a functional view of the world, which func-tions as a system for interpreting reality [6]. “Social representation is an organized and structured set of information, beliefs, opinions and attitudes about a given object. It guides actions and social relations and determines a set of expectations and expectations” [7].

Our research work is developed around two hypotheses. We summarize them briefly, before developing them in depth. The social representations of the educational inspector among physical education and sports teachers are socially constructed and organized by a central core and peripheral elements. There is a close relationship between the social representations and the social practices of teachers of physical education and sports so that the social representations guide the practices of the teachers (Tables 1-4).

Problem

The administrative dimension of inspection undoubtedly contributes, a priori, to discouraging any initiative aimed at moving closer to a scientific assessment. It is thus well known that the inspection mark does not constitute a relevant indicator of the quality of the teacher’s work. The social representation that teachers of physical education and sports have of their inspector determines the nature of the relationship between inspectors and inspected. In our work we refer to the concept of “social representation” which has revolutionized social science. Émile Durkheim was the first to recall the notion of social representation, which is according to him “collective” through the study of religions and myths. He was able to distinguish between individual representation and collective representation.

“The first systems of representations that man has of the world and of himself are of religious origin”. In the twentieth century, this concept experienced a resurgence of interest, all disciplines in the human sciences are interested in representation: anthropology, history, linguistics, psychological, social. In social psychology, it was with Serge Moscovici that the concept of social representation was truly developed. According to Moscovici the representation is a reconstruction of reality and is not a copy of reality. He asserts that “it is wrong to say that social representations are cognitive representations” [8]. The theory of social representation is based on a double system: a rigid central core which is the fundamental element of representation [9]. It is more general and determines both the meaning and the organization of the representation. A peripheral system which is organized around the central core, and which protects it. It is more individualized and contextualized, as well as it is flexible and moving.

Social representation allows, among other things, the understanding, explanation, interpretation and construction of reality. In addition, it generates and guides attitudes and behaviors. It allows subjects to read the facts, to integrate them into the cognitive universe, and to build a frame of reference. This framework arises in turn, as an instrument that will help generate and guide both attitudes and specific behaviors. Social representation thus constitutes a reading grid for the present work and a means of explaining it. The inspection activity within the school system is of great importance, especially in the evaluation and supervision of teaching. Indeed, the inspector is the essential partner in the training of teachers. Its primary function is to assist and monitor new teachers, whether tenured or not, particularly during their first year of assignment. It encourages educational successes and contributes to their dissemination. He actively participates in leading educational conferences, managing their time and optimizing the organization and operation of educational cycles.

In our research, and based on the theory of JC Abric, we will try to identify the constitutive elements of social representation: the central core and the peripheral system of social representation from the educational inspector to the teacher of physical education in Tunisia. And this by trying to answer the following questions: What are the social representations of the educational inspector among physical education teachers in Tunisia and its impact on behavior and working relationships as well as on the collaborative work between these two? groups of teaching professionals? Can social representation influence teachers’ practices or vice versa?

Methodology

Data collection techniques

In the collection of qualitative data, and in particular on the subject of social representation, which are both meticulous, the use of semi-structured interviews was retained because it offers us more efficiency to deepen our knowledge of the issues. interviews and also offer a margin of freedom and spontaneity for the participants. The interview consisted of (5 questions), open-ended questions which made it possible to collect complete data about the representation of the educational inspector among teachers of physical education and sports and their practices.

The Interview

Our information gathering tool is the interview. It allows us to collect information that allows us to perceive the organization of the social representation of the educational inspector among teachers of physical education and sports. We are going to carry out an interview guide which we use to define the discourse with the interviewees and to direct them in the direction that we are tracing. We will then present the questions in the interview guide.

Hierarchical evocation

It is inspired by the work of Pierre Vergès who proposes to use the free association method then a hierarchy which is based essentially on the frequency and the rank of appearance. Following criticism, the appearance rank is dropped and replaced by the importance rank, “Because in most cases the essential things often only appear after a more or less long phase of” warming up “, building confidence or reducing defense mechanisms” [10]. We present the two phases of free association and prioritization.

Free association

It consists from an inductive word asking the subject to produce all the words or expressions that come to mind. In the first place we use the free association which “allows the actualization of implicit or latent elements which would be drowned or masked in the discursive productions” [11]. They also “allow access to the figurative cores of representation”. At this stage we ask the subject to give 5 words. The question is as follows: when you wait for “educational inspector” what are the 5 words that spontaneously come to mind.

Item hierarchy method: successive hierarchical sorting

“Each subject is encouraged to classify his own production according to the importance he attaches to each term” [12] it asks about the frequency of appearance and the importance score. “The central element has the chance to be very present in the verbalizations of the subjects” [13].

Our question is divided into two stages:

a. First, we ask the following question: “When you are waiting for the educational inspector, what are the 5 words that spontaneously come to mind?”

b. “Secondly” Rank the five words you just introduced in the order of importance you give them. Put the number 1 in front of the most important for you, then the number 2, and so on, in descending order of importance to 5”.

Conduct of the investigation

We use the semi-structured interview method to facilitate the subject’s expression and “Make sure that it is the other who takes charge of the question put to him and that he tackles as he sees fit, according to what he thinks himself, his own way of seeing, to organize and structure the theme” [14]. The data was collected through interviews, fourteen in number, which lasted between forty minutes and an hour. The interviews took place in multiple locations in the town of Béja. They took place according to the availability of the participants and in schools. The recording of the conversation was rejected by all interviewees. Then only one method of data collection was followed, the taking of notes according to the agreement of the interviewee. We conducted the conversation with 14 teachers representing the 14 schools in the city.

Results

This method allows us to identify the constituent elements of a social representation. By following the different steps to bring out the central core, we gathered the terms relating to the same theme, so that we obtained the following 13 items: Sanction, controller, person in charge of a mission, observer, advisor, authority of power, coordinator, emotions, unpleasant, stress, demotivation, rigor, animator and anxiety. These items are gathered in a table, with the rank stated by each person. This allowed us to calculate the average rank and the average frequency of each item.

To calculate the median, you must first order the data (sort them in ascending order). The median is the number that is at the midpoint. Median = the middle value of an ordered data set. In this way we apply the following equation:

The following formula is then used to determine which value is the middle value. Recall that the n designates the number of items which are 13 in number. In this way

Then the 7th class is the median. We order our data (the average frequencies and the average ranks). We present the ordered data in the following table:

The median of the average frequencies is: 0.230, while the 3.333 is the median of the average ranks. With these results we classified the different items in the four boxes: central core box, first peripheral, second peripheral, contrasting elements.

The analysis of the table above allows us to distinguish the different constitutive elements of social representation. For our sample, the representation of the educational inspector among physical education teachers is organized around a central core which is made up of 4 elements:

a) Demotivation

b) Adviser

c) Sanction

d) Controller

There are 3 peripheral elements which are:

a) Observer

b) Anguish

c) Responsible for a mission

These are the most important peripheral elements. The elements of the second peripheral are made up of 3:

a) Coordinator

b) Animator

c) Unpleasant emotion

Finally, for the contrasting elements are as follows:

a) Authority of power

b) Stress

c) Rigor

Interpretation of results

The constituent elements of social representation and their relationships

This part presents the analysis product of the data collected from the field. At this stage, we will discover the different representations of the educational inspector among physical education teachers in the first place and the relationship that brings it together. And we’ll clear that link as we go. Second, we study the effect of social representation on the behavior and practice of physical education teachers. The emergence of content analysis is historically linked to the emergence of social representation. This method was an important tool for Serge Moscovici who used it to study the social representation of psychoanalysis. “This relationship is not arbitrary.

First, the object of content analysis and communication, which is the fundamental process of the formation of social representation” [15]. We wanted to identify the different representations. We questioned the interviewees on the social representations of the educational inspector among physical education teachers. Our goal was to know how the teachers of physical education represent the pedagogical inspector in the Tunisian school system. Then comes the question which goes to the bottom of the subject and questions the subjects on the pedagogical intervention during a physical education session of physical education, the notation and the pedagogical and scientific level of the days organized by the inspector.

The central core

The educational inspector and “an advisor”

First of all The theory of representations being a theory of the social bond, which “enlightens us on what permanently connects us to the outside world” [16]. It constitutes a relevant reading grid for interactions between inspected inspectors. “Social representation makes it possible to know and explain the nature of social ties within and between groups” [17]. Otherwise, the inspector is represented as an advisor who provides better pedagogical and didactic training for teachers. physical education. This idea is repeated more. Its primary function is to support and guide new teachers, whether tenured or not, particularly during their first year of assignment. Educational inspectors must always integrate the reflection on their discipline within the framework of the polyvalent action of the teachers, of the adaptation and the school integration, it would be desirable that it also holds the certificate of aptitude for the specialized pedagogical actions of school adaptation and integration. He encourages educational successes and contributes to their dissemination, and likewise participates actively in the animation of educational conferences in addition, he can inform, communicate and negotiate with external partners.

In addition, the pedagogical inspector assists the teaching teams in particular to help them manage their time well and optimize the organization and functioning of the pedagogical cycles. He assists in the development, implementation and monitoring of school projects. It supports the implementation of new activities and supports the teams of teachers in carrying out these activities. He supports teachers in their daily practices, in priority the newly appointed: he helps them to use, supplement and affirm the skills they already have, in order to respond to any request for help and advice. The inspector, as an advisor, must master the development of the teacher and know how to observe the strengths and difficulties of the latter and understand the socio-cultural characteristics of teachers. AT Also ensure pedagogical animation with teachers in terms of pedagogical innovation, in order to evaluate programs and methods. In most cases, the support takes the form of essential advice to teachers during inspection visits, which covers pedagogical aspects. Demonstration courses, continuing education programs and the organization of learning. It inspects and advises the teaching, education and guidance staff of educational establishments and ensures compliance with the objectives and national training programs, within the framework of the teaching cycles.

The educational inspector and “a sanctioner”

In the minds of the majority of physical education teachers, the educational inspector still plays the role of “sanctioner”, as assessment and guidance. The educational inspectorate tries to assume several missions which are entrusted to it, the marking, makes it possible to classify the lessons with a view to promotion and transfers. The control of the teacher’s action, investigations, the application of official directives. These factors contribute to the entrenchment of the repressive role of the inspector. Before the Tunisian revolution the body of the inspectorate system occupies a central position in the political scene, and these people mainly represent the instrument of the state to apply the official directives of the physical education sector in Tunisia. However, this relationship between a subordinate and his hierarchical superior oriented towards a totally material relationship.

The inspection day reveals feelings that can be considered disproportionate with regard to the real professional stake. Most of the interviewees believe that once they hear the coming of the inspector, one can indeed observe, among the teachers, a state of effervescence, worry, even anguish. His reputation, good or bad, which precedes him. A bad pedagogical mark does not lead to the sanction of the person concerned but a slow advancement in seniority, in certain cases, a bad mark can constitute an occasion of incentive to the retirement. A good grade offers the interested party an important emotional value (an encouragement) and can lead to a possibility of change of remuneration.

The inspector symbolizes constraint, the law and in a profession where the teacher is supposed to be free, he presents a constraint. Some interviewees believe that in the case of any teacher’s sentence, the pedagogical grade is the fundamental factor in this situation. All teachers wait for the announcement of the grade (immediate or deferred) on which their advancement will depend or not. In the same context, another respondent considers that the repression and exclusion of a certain number of teachers from the supervision of the conduct of national exams are on the basis of their social and ideological affiliation. The permutation and the change of workstation from one high school to another are also an instrument of punishment and favoritism linked to personal relationships.

The educational inspector and “a controller”

The educational inspectorate tries to take on several missions entrusted to it. Scoring allows you to classify lessons with a view to promotion and transfers. Control of the teacher’s action: surveys, application of official directives, effectiveness and consistency of actions, control of educational experiences. Relationships, dialogue and conflict resolution. The educational contribution, by finding solutions to problems, by providing help or advice, or by making the teacher question his teaching. The interviewees express their ideas and stress that the inspector’s mission is to control the conformity of the lessons and to set up educational support for the teacher. The notion of support and monitoring of physical education and sports teachers was present from the start, in a primary way. Inspectors visit a school to get a general idea of what is going on and to check the results.

The Youth and Sports Inspector implements and evaluates the policies decided by the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Associative Life, in terms of sport and outdoor activities, but also in terms of training, employment, professional integration of young people, city policy. The pedagogical inspector intervenes in very varied fields such as the safety of the practitioners, the respect of the technical rules and guarantee of pedagogical quality of the proposed activities, the sports and socio-educational equipments. It is responsible for the administrative, educational and technical inspection and control of activities in the various organizations. It has an essential role in the promotion of sporting and cultural activities.

It must supervise personnel who participate in training, information and promotion actions for physical and sporting activities. It controls and evaluates the procedures and results of teaching and examinations for state diplomas in the field of Youth and Sport. He may even be entrusted with the organization of exams and competitions. In the same context, another respondent considers that the sector of physical education and sport, like other institutions, imposes on its officials a regular control of their professional exercise. In the various cycles of public-school education, it is an inspector of physical education and sports who is responsible for verifying that the teachers correctly fulfill their mission and respect the teaching programs and timetables.

The educational inspector promotes demotivation

In the minds of many respondents, the educational inspector favors demotivation, through demoralization and discouragement. It is the attitude and the internal state that one feels when one does not want to do any more. They express that demotivation is one of the main reasons for failure, for not achieving goals. To demotivate a teacher is to deprive him of any reason to act. It designates a feeling of despair or anxiety in the face of obstacles, it is expressed in the form of a lack of enthusiasm, disposition and energy. Our teachers believe that demotivation is characterized by the presence of pessimistic feelings and by the feeling of overwhelm arising from the generalization of bad experiences, concerning oneself or others,

Through the statements of the interviewees, the educational inspector is also considered as a source of demotivation since the current evaluation system adopted is a traditional non-renewable process and incapable of advancing or improving the qualification of knowledge, which implies the feeling of boredom. This idea shows the importance of the content of pedagogical training days and their impact on the encouragement, dynamism and energy of teachers. Motivation thus takes an important place. It is decisive for the productivity of the actors. In the same context, the inspectorate speech during a physical education session and the total absence of the valuation of the act of teaching promotes demotivation. The main causes of demotivation are the work climate, lack of psychological support and lack of communication. These are the most important causes of demotivation at work. A young teacher is necessarily confused, disinterested and demotivated if he cannot keep up with the pace of his teaching aid. Our educational system, from basic school through to secondary school, has always favored quantity over quality, information over pedagogy, sanction and punishment over motivation and encouragement. Gradually, the distance between the teacher and the inspector has widened and communication and understanding become more and more difficult.

The peripheral elements of social representation

The most important peripheral elements in the social representation of the inspector are:

The educational inspector and “an observer”

In the first place, the inspection of teachers is linked to a logic of observation. The inspectors observe all the pedagogical acts to check how the institutional school program is unfolding. In the second place, it is the evaluation that forms the basis of the inspector’s profession. It takes as many forms as there are evaluators. But it is at the heart of the inspector’s job. Evaluation is distinguished from control to take the form of support. It develops in speech more than in observation, in animation, mediation and integration of conflicts. In this context, the action of educational inspectors through their intervention in a session, and to be completely effective, it must be based on in-depth observation.

In the minds of many respondents, it is difficult to assess and personalize a physical education session without careful observation. Otherwise, the educational inspector means an action of looking, of observing the activities of other people, of monitoring by virtue of the mission which he exercises. This respondent emphasizes observation first and then other steps such as assessment and recommendations. Through observation, the inspector tries to collect a certain amount of information which can be oral or written. Observation makes it possible to discover the teacher’s ability to achieve the goals set by taking into account the reactions of the students and the objectives he has programmed.

Through observation, the inspector seeks to simultaneously collect data on the climate in the classroom, the relationship of the teacher with the students and also the adaptation of the teacher and the creativity of the students in the face of situations. unforeseen events, in order to resolve educational and human problems. We can deduce that the conduct of teaching is organized around the observation of the student, and his needs to give meaning to the learning, with the aim of making the student understand what is to be learned, and make him accept: why such an exercise? Why such a situation? What is the stake of such learning?

The educational inspector promotes “anxiety”

At the time of the inspection, the inspected speak of a feeling of very physical discomfort, their voice is modified, they feel tense, “trembling”, “stressed”, “emptied”... unable to remain themselves. The note then becomes the supreme sanction; good, it is felt as a real proof of love, it brings parental recognition; bad, it is experienced as rejection, abandonment, a source of anguish. In all teachers of physical education and sports, the announcement of the arrival of the inspector, the dramatized accounts of colleagues create an atmosphere of worry and anguish. During the inspection, discomfort dominates and, after this, strong feelings of satisfaction, disappointment or anger are evoked. This is why during the inspection, discomfort dominates through strong feelings of disappointment or anger and the teacher becomes distressed.

The educational inspector “in charge of a mission”

A respondent states that the educational inspector has mainly an educational mission, and an official who is responsible for leading and implementing in the department, under the authority of the Ministry of Youth and Sport. The educational inspector is responsible for facilitating. Its educational role is to ensure the implementation of national education programs, particularly with regard to the definition of school projects and the establishment of cycles. It participates in the continuing education of teachers. He may be led to accomplish administrative tasks linked to the work program of the constituency, but his educational mission must in no case be hampered by the multiplication of these administrative tasks. It is an essential partner in the training of trainee teachers, and the synthesis between theoretical knowledge and professional practice.

Its primary function is to assist and monitor new teachers, whether tenured or not, particularly during their first year of assignment. We can also deduce the importance of the inspector’s mission like the other components of the peripheral elements. Otherwise, the inspector encourages educational successes and contributes to their dissemination. He actively participates in the animation of educational conferences. He can assist the Inspector of National Education in his role of information and communication. He responds to any request for help and advice.

The elements of the second peripheral of social representation

The second ring road is made up of elements that are not very important for the social representation of the inspector. These are the following:

a) The educational inspector is a “coordinator”

a. Inspectors are also the main agents of coordination between the different actors of the education system (where standards and rules are set) and state schools. Like any intermediary, they have a dual mission: to inform the institutions of the decisions taken and to inform the management of the daily realities in the school establishment. However, this coordination mission is not only vertical, more and more inspectors are entrusted with horizontal relations and have a privileged role to play in identifying and disseminating new ideas and good practices between establishments.

b. To further add to the complexity of their job descriptions, inspectors must also forge solid relationships with other services responsible for quality enhancement and which work in particular on initial and in-service teacher training and the design of study programs. or preparation for national tests and exams.

The educational inspector is an “animator”

Some respondents show that the inspector becomes the adviser to those in charge and the facilitator with those in charge of the educational circles, in order to participate actively in educational conferences. Under current conditions, the inspector must be able to play the role of facilitator to facilitate school exchanges. The inspector must establish a climate of trust, conscience and professional responsibility.

The educational inspector is a source of “unpleasant emotions”

The negative image of the inspector in the physical education teacher formed the core of the unpleasant emotions. The power of the inspector, unlimited, is considered by the teachers as a source of negative emotions. The experience of the inspection is described with a very emotional vocabulary, we speak of discomfort, stress and unpleasant emotions. This respondent emphasizes the importance of emotions in strengthening the social bond, as well as the state of mood influenced by the inspector’s aggressive behavior.

Contrasting Elements

During the prototypical analysis we identified contrasting elements.

In this part we will present the elements that we find important. The pedagogical inspector is “the authority of power” Most of the spread believe that Note pedagogical is the fundamental source of the power of the inspector. The four participants are moving towards the same reflection, in terms of power. Other the power of the inspector, limited in reality, is considered by teachers as unlimited and above all as arbitrary. The lack of objective rules and criteria leads the inspected to imagine that its requirements are disproportionate, that it is never possible to meet them.

The educational inspector is “a rigorous man”

Through this response, we have brought out another representation which is rigor. This term refers to a harsh, painful nature of something difficult to bear. It is the source of the bad impressions that we have of the person. During each intervention the inspector insists on rigor, hardness and severity. This insistence is an indication of a misunderstanding of the reality of the school on the one hand and of the personality of the teacher on the other. For this answer the presence of the inspector in class becomes undesirable, for some teachers who put on this function all the insufficiencies and the failures of the school system. On the other hand, the inspector is far from the reality on the ground, he presents this utopia of the model school while the teacher as a field worker adapts to the situation of the class. This repulsion for the role of the inspector testifies to the weak social bond and a disturbance at the level of the inspector-inspected professional relations.

Social Representations and Behaviors

Social representation and behavior

What effects are social representations on behavior? According to Moscovici “social representations are created in the course of interpersonal communications. Their function is the development of behavior and communication of individuals” [18]. To study the behavior of physical education teachers, the emphasis should be on motivation or demotivation. For this, teachers must be trained and made aware of motivational and more dynamic pedagogy to avoid any failure caused by demotivation. This is why the Most teachers believe that motivation drives the learning process. In the minds of some teachers, the inspector favors demotivation, through demoralization and discouragement of each educational or learning intervention. Among the causes linked to demotivation, a person in a permanent state of depression will tend to feel more demotivated, due to a lack of enthusiasm to perform all ordinary tasks.

Motivational factors are not the same from one person to another, for example: some are motivated by the type of intervention, others by a good working atmosphere. Likewise, some will be motivated by a task, others by the need for recognition more than by the task. All these reasons lead to deteriorations in behavior. The inspector’s social representations will have an impact on the behavior of physical education teachers. The idea of behavioral change is expressed on several occasions by interviewees who emphasize this fact. They show us that they have a bad mood after the intervention or the contact with the inspector, which implies a feeling of disappointment and frustration.

Most teachers see this as a close relationship between mood and behavioral regulation. Simply put, a negative or positive mood will have a direct impact on behavior. Another spread believes that the inspector’s smiley face has a direct impact on the teacher’s positive interaction, while an angry face involves behavioral disturbances. In other words, the inspectorate speech during teacher training days and an unrealistic traditional speech that generates the feeling of disappointment and frustration. The teachers we surveyed told us that the effects of demotivation can manifest in the following aspects: absenteeism, poor preparation of lessons, poor quality of teaching, discouragement, lack of hope, lack of performance at work, inability to achieve projects, illnesses, bad classroom climate.

Social representation and social practice

Jean-Claude Abric explains that “the analysis of the functions of social representations clearly demonstrates how they are essential in the understanding of social dynamics. The representation is informative and explanatory of the nature of intra and inter group social links, and of the relationships of individuals to their social environment. It is therefore an essential element in understanding the determinants of behavior and social practices. Through its functions of developing a common sense, constructing social identity, through the expectations and anticipations that it generates, it is at the origin of social practices” [19]. In our research we adapt this idea. “Representations and practices generate mutually” [20]. Each is governed by the other. It is the fact of determining practices and behaviors by the representative system. The latter traces the main lines of a social practice which consequently becomes a practical worship, it is a reciprocal relationship [21]. Our social system works with the interaction of a multitude of components.

The analysis of social practice emphasizes two essential factors, the social, historical and material conditions in which it is inscribed on the one hand and on the other hand the mode of appropriation by the individual or the group concerned, mode of appropriation where cognitive, symbolic and representational factors play a role. a decisive role. Because for a social practice, even imposed, to be maintained, it is still necessary that it can, in the long term, be appropriate, that is to say be integrated into the system of values, beliefs and standards [22]. A social representation has four functions: firstly the function of a common code which facilitates communication between the different members through the knowledge which is common and shared. Secondly, the function of guiding behavior, which guides behavior and practices. Third, the function of justification which justifies taking positions. Fourth, the identity function which defines the identity of social groups.

Conclusion

The research work that we carried out on the social representations of the educational inspector allowed us to understand the vision that physical education teachers have of the inspectorate system. This allowed us to better understand the relationship between these major players in the Tunisian school system. For our first hypothesis, which is confirmed, we have identified the constitutive elements of social representation. Which elements have enabled us to detect the idea that the teachers of physical education have on the inspector: an idea far from being brilliant, it is rather deprecating and devaluing. The inspection is experienced as an ordeal by the physical education teacher, as a long ordeal, a moment of suffering. For some teachers, the presence of the inspector generates psychological discomfort. They feel tense, anxious and stressed.

Most teachers believe that inspectors dominate with their unrealistic speeches, not applicable in the classroom. The knowledge that is offered to them in training is thrown into oblivion by the teachers, because, they think, they never manage to match this ideal of perfect knowledge. It is the feeling of lack of self-confidence, of relational breakdown, and lack of communication. Our second hypothesis is verified: The mood of teachers is influenced by the “aggressive” behavior of the inspector. As a result, teachers underestimate their pedagogical and didactic capacities. Social representations thus determine social practices. Indeed, the way in which teachers represent the educational inspector will determine and influence their behavior.

Most teachers think that the inspection is not only an action of surveillance and control, but that it has become more an animation, a follow-up of the pedagogical actions and possibly the real pillar of the continuous training of the teachers. Although the inspector still plays the role of “controller-sanctioner”, evaluation and training have not evolved in line with the theories on teacher evaluation and no longer meet the needs and expectations of teachers. Thus, social representation and social practice go hand in hand: representations orient actions, social relations and determine anticipations and expectations. They allow us to assimilate information from our environment and to communicate with others. They evolve according to the concerns of a human group. They are essential in human relationships, because if we didn’t have them, we wouldn’t be able to communicate and understand each other. They also allow joint actions. Becoming aware of the social representations that teachers have of the educational inspector would be the perfect opportunity to develop and improve the inspector-teacher relationship.

Recommendations

The education system is at the center of interest of all societies. The inspection system is considered to be one of the most important processes in national education. Since its independence, Tunisia has allocated a significant part of its capacities to the development of this sector. Among the missions of the inspection system is to provide teachers with the means necessary to acquire essential knowledge, to help build their future and succeed in their professional lives. On the other hand, it is necessary for our inspections to focus their work on the notion of professional skills, in particular, the development among teachers of the way of presenting their courses with more active gestures, and a more scientific discourse.

References

1. Si Moussa Azzedine (2001) Internet at school: uses and issues. PUF.
2. Si Moussa Azzedine (2000) La mission des inspecteurs. Revue française deédagogie 133( 11): 75-86.
3. Moliner Pascal, Rateau Patrick, Cohen Scali Valérie (2002) Social representations, practices and field studies. Presses Universitaires de Rennes, France.
4. Abric Jean Claude (1994) Social practices and representations. PUF.
5. Abric Jean Claude (2005) Psychology of communication, theories and methods, Armand Colin.
6. Doise Willem (1986) Social representations: definition of a concept, in, The study of social representations. Delachaux and Niestle, UK.
7. Abric Jean Claude (1934) Social representations: theoretical aspects, social practices and representations. PUF.
8. Moscovici Sergio (1986) Psicologia social, Buenos Aires. Paidos.
9. Abric, Jean Claude (1989) The experimental study of social representations in social representations. PUF.
10. Abric Jean Claude (2003) The search for the central core and the silent zone of social representations: Method for studying social representations. PUF.
11. pp. 61.
12. pp. 63.
13. pp. 64.
14. Abric Jean Claude (2005) Psychology of communication, theories and methods, Armand Colin.
15. Lilian Negura (1994) Content analysis in the study of social representations. PUF.
16. Moliner Pascal (2002) Rateau Patrick and Cohen-Scali Valérie, Social representations, practices and field studies. Presses Universitaires de Rennes, France.
17. Abric Jean Claude (1994) Social practices and representations. PUF.
18. Moscovici Sergio (1976) Psychoanalysis, Its Image and Its Audience. PUF.
19. Abric Jean Claude (2001) The structural approach to social representations: recent developments. Psychology and society. 23(42): 81-103.
20. Abric Jean Claude (1994) Social representations: Social practices and representations PUF.
21. Doise Willem (1989) Social Attitudes and Representations. PUF.
22. Abric Jean Claude (1994) Social practices and representations. PUF.