CRÉALE

Summary

The study will draw on the theoretical and methodological framework of the historical-cultural theory of activity and will proceed along two complementary and interlinked lines, adopting an interventionist and transformative approach:

Two complementary and interlinked approaches

By taking a close look at the reality of the workplace, we will focus on issues of subjectivity, experience, personal meaning, emotion and the identity of the various stakeholders involved in educational success. We will therefore draw on the tools of activity-based analysis (in particular, simple, cross-referenced and group self-reflection interviews), with the aim of gaining access to the hidden yet often decisive dimensions of the activity.

This study will draw on both:

– objective and quantifiable indicators (number of personalised support sessions, meetings with families, meetings with schools, ESP teams, partners, etc.)

– elements of qualitative analysis, focusing closely on taking into account the stakeholders’ perceptions, their understanding of the expectations set by management, and the nature of the actions undertaken and to be undertaken. And the perspective of the project’s beneficiaries – the pupils, children and teenagers, and their families – will be a priority within this approach.

We will also take into account how these actions align with the stakeholders’ commitment, whilst seeking to identify the professional conflicts and dilemmas they report facing. The aim will therefore be to identify both the obstacles and the drivers for action faced by the stakeholders.

By studying the multiple interconnected systems of activity, with their partially shared and often fragmented objects, we will seek to better understand and account for the ways in which forms of collaboration cross established organisational boundaries. We will therefore draw on the concepts of boundary-crossing (Akkerman and Bakker, 2011) and node-based work (Engeström, 2008) to understand what this complex way of working entails in terms of the articulation and coordination of the various activity systems involved in the educational success project.

An interventionist and transformative approach

Rather than an «expert analysis» – which is often perceived as prescriptive and imposed from above – we propose that the participatory evaluation of the individual pathways implemented should be the subject of 1) a-joint development of evaluation criteria to ensure greater ownership by all involved, and 2) a joint analysis to enable the various stakeholders to capitalise on this «joint development of the assessment» to identify, both collectively and individually, new avenues for action.

Participatory evaluation will focus less on identifying a range of shortcomings or weaknesses and more on recognising the nature of the difficulties and the possible ways of overcoming them, both collectively and individually.

This joint analysis will be carried out as part of an initiative known as laboratory of change (Virkkunen & Newham, 2013; Lémonie & Grosstephan, 2021), bringing together various types of stakeholders and aiming to support their efforts to analyse and redesign their operational systems, based on data collected on actual work practices.

This ‘laboratory of change’ could provide a conducive environment for developing the initial framework of an observatory, in that it draws on data from work analysis and proposals for restructuring collective activity to ensure better coordination. A series of 6 to 12 sessions, each lasting around 2 hours, could be envisaged, involving a group of volunteers representative of the stakeholders in the educational success project.

Background and issues

• a relatively informal regulatory framework, structured mainly by initial legislation that is now quite old (2005–2006), supplemented by more recent guidelines arising from regional education policies
• LThe context of the Marseille PRE is characterised mainly by:
  • A city built under a state of emergency : The working-class neighbourhoods of Marseille are the subject of media and political discourse that portrays them as the «French exception» (Mucchielli, 2013). This construct is based on the interplay of territorial, social and ethno-racial stigmatisation, producing a homogenising and othering representation of their inhabitants, particularly their young people.
  • Socio-educational inequalities that are strongly tied to geographical location : This social structure is directly reflected in the school environment. The social position index (SPI) of schools varies considerably, revealing marked segregation between REP+, REP and state-funded private schools.

The academic effects of this structure are clear:

DNB results vary from school to school; ;

Contrasting success rates; ;

Highly polarised educational pathways.

• • An institutional creation of the educational exception : In this context, education policies play an ambivalent role. Marseille is home to a significant number of schemes (REP, Cités éducatives, PRE, «Marseille en Grand», AMI «Temps de l’enfant», Dispositif Mars, etc.) which bolster educational resources whilst simultaneously creating a sense of territorial stigmatisation. This accumulation helps to entrench the perception of the city as «problematic» in educational terms, thereby paradoxically reinforcing its status as an exceptional case within the national education landscape. The exception is therefore not merely described: it is also produced by the very nature of public intervention itself.

  • A media economy of territorial stigmatisation : Inequalities in Marseille are also exacerbated by media and political narratives that associate certain working-class neighbourhoods with forms of danger. The «northern neighbourhoods», for example, have become a key focus of discourse on insecurity

Key issue: These points highlight the importance of a context-specific understanding of the situation in Marseille, which is essential for developing a coherent educational programme tailored to the social realities and local dynamics within which it operates.

Objectives

1. to understand, analyse and qualitatively assess the organisation of the PRE in Marseille
2. to propose a pilot scheme for an educational attainment observatory in Marseille 

Methodology

The approach combines:

• A phase ethnographic with approaches quantitative (number of personalised support sessions, meetings with families, meetings with schools, ESP teams, partners, etc.) and qualitative : taking into account the stakeholders’ perceptions, their understanding of the expectations set by management, and the nature of the actions undertaken and to be undertaken. The perspective of those the project is aimed at – pupils, children and teenagers, and their families – will be a priority as part of this process;
• A phase interventionist (laboratory of change)