Empirical Analysis of the Effects of School Practices on the Tunisian Pupils? Motivation and Self-Concept

Nader Zghidi

Abstract: Do the evaluation practices that are adopted by the teacher have an effect on the orientations of the pupils? objectives and self-concept? To find an answer to this question, 540 Tunisian pupils at the seventh and eighth grade of six colleges in the Sfax region were asked to fill in a French version of the motivational orientation on Nicholls grading scales (1989), as well as a questionnaire about their self-concept. Similarly, their six teachers completed a questionnaire on evaluation practices. The results support the overall reliability and validity of the French adaptation of the motivational orientation scales. Regarding the relationship between the desired orientation of the goals and self-concept, the task orientation shows a positive association between the dimensions of self-concept, except for mathematics where the relationship is more pronounced with the orientation of the ego. In general, the results show that the teachers reported an impact of the evaluation practices on the pupils? motivational orientations and self-concepti. Moreover, the educational implications of these results are subject of several discussions.

Keywords: Evaluation practices; self-concept; achievement motivation