Des processus de comparaison aux processus de transformation. Etude developpementale de la conservation des quantites discretes
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Abstract EN:
The thesis is a study of processes underlying conservation acquisition of numerical quantity of children ranged in age from 4 to 6 years. Two questions form the starting point of this work. The first concern reasons which could explain that numerical inequality is better conserved than numerical equality. Greco was the first in 1962 to observe that the former is reached before the latter. The second refer to the importance of addition-subraction knowledge on equality conservation acquisition but also on inequality conservation acquisition. Since the works of gelman, we know these knowledge are very precocious. Hypothesis has been suggested that previous acquisition of inequelity conservation upon equality conservation is related with the precocious knowledge on additive-subtractive transformations. Defended thesis is that comprehension of addition and subtraction effects allow to the child to conserve numerical inequality but he must co-ordinate these additions and subtractions as reverse transformation to conserve numerical equality. Four experiments have been realised to verify this hypothesis. The first clearly reveal that numerical inequality is better conserved than numerical equality. Results also show double links : first between inequality conservation and comprehension of direct effects of addition and subtraction; second between equality conservation and comprehension of reverse effects of addition and subtraction. Results finally reveal the importance of linguistic, perceptual and set sizes factors in these links. The three following experiments make use of learning situations. Objective is to test more precisely hypothesis underlying the thesis. Results as a whole support the developmental sequence suggested above. In conclusion, an interpretation is proposed to account development of processes underlying quantification and conservation behaviours to children aged from 4 to 6 years considering experimental result and theoretical analysis carry out in the first part of the thesis.
Abstract FR:
La these presentee est une etude des processus qui sous-tendent l'acquisition de la conservation des petits ensembles discrets d'elements chez les enfants ages de 4 a 6 ans. Deux interrogations constituent le point de depart de ce travail. La premiere concerne les raisons qui pourraient expliquer l'anteriorite de la conservation de l'inegalite sur celle de l'egalite, anteriorite remarquee des 1962 par greco. La seconde a trait a l'importance des connaissances relatives aux transformations, ajouts et retraits, sur la conservation de l'equivalence mais aussi sur celle de la non-equivalence - connaissances dont on sait, depuis les travaux de gelman, qu'elles sont extremement precoses. L'hypothese a ete avancee que l'anteriorite de la conservation de l'inegalite sur celle de l'egalite n'est pas sans rapport avec les connaissances precoses sur les ajouts et les retraits. La these soutenue est que la comprehension des effets des ajouts et des retraits permet a l'enfant de conserver l'inegalite numerique, mais il lui faut coordonner ces ajouts et ces retraits, en tant que transformations inverses, pour conserver l'egalite numerique. Quatre experience ont ete realisees pour verifier cette hypothese. La premiere dresse un etat des lieux relatif aux conduites de quantification des enfants de 4 a 6 ans. Les resultats indiquent que l'inegalite numerique se conserve mieux que l'egalite numerique. Ils revelent aussi une double liaison, d'une part entre la conservation de l'inegalite et la comprehension des effets des ajouts et des retraits, d'autre part entre la conservation de l'egalite et la comprehension des effets inverses des ajouts relativement aux retraits. Ils eclairent enfin l'importance des indices perceptifs, numeriques et verbalises dans ces liaisons. Les trois experiences suivantes mettent en oeuvre des situations d'apprentissage dont l'objectif est de tester plus precisement l'hypothese sous-jacente a la these soutenue. Pour l'essentiel, les resultats observes etayent la sequence developpementale suggeree plus haut. En conclusion, une interpretation est proposee qui tente de rendre compte du developpement des processus sous-jacents aux conduites de quantification et de conservation observees entre 4 et 6 ans, compte tenu des resultats experimentaux et des analyses theoriques effectuees dans la premiere partie de la these.