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The structure of the French personality lexicon was investigated. Self‐ratings on the 388 most frequently used French personality‐descriptive adjectives were obtained from 415 French‐speaking people. The scree plot of eigenvalues indicated six large factors. In the varimax‐rotated six‐factor solution, the four largest factors, in order of size, corresponded fairly closely to the Big Five dimensions of Agreeableness, Emotional Stability, Extraversion, and Conscientiousness. The fifth factor was similar to the Honesty dimension found in several other languages. The sixth factor was defined by Imagination‐related terms, but not by Intellect‐related terms. Solutions involving one to five factors were also investigated and correlations between the factors that emerged from these different solutions are presented. The results are discussed in relation to other lexical studies of personality structure. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

WHAT'S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT: Research indicates that adolescents who perceive their school to have a positive socioeducational environment are at reduced risk of developing depressive symptoms. However, there is limited evidence that school environments can influence adolescent emotional health independently from individual perceptions. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS:This multilevel longitudinal study shows that better school socioeducational environments, as assessed at the school level, reduce the prospective risk of depressive symptoms in adolescents. This association is shown to be independent from confounders and stronger in girls than boys. abstract OBJECTIVE: It remains unclear whether school environments can influence the emotional health of adolescents. In this large-scale prospective study, we use multilevel modeling to examine whether the school socioeducational environment contributes to the risk of developing depressive symptoms in secondary school students. METHODS:As part of a longitudinal study on school success in disadvantaged communities, 5262 adolescents from 71 secondary schools were followed annually. Socioeducational environment was assessed by a composite measure of social climate, learning opportunities, fairness and clarity of rules, and safety. Depressive symptoms were evaluated by using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale. Multilevel regressions tested the association between school socioeducational environment in grade 8 and depressive symptoms in grades 10 to 11, adjusting for previous depressive symptoms in grade 7 and potential confounders at the individual and school levels. RESULTS:Modest but significant variation in depressive symptoms was found between schools (intraclass correlation = 3.3%). School-level socioeducational environment in grade 8 was predictive of student depressive symptoms in grades 10 to 11, even after adjusting for potential school and individual confounders. This association was slightly stronger for girls. Student perceptions of school socioeducational environment were also predictive of depressive symptoms. Other schoollevel factors, including school size, were not predictive of depressive symptoms once socioeducational environment was taken into account. CONCLUSIONS:Adolescents who attend a secondary school with a better socioeducational environment are at reduced risk of developing depressive symptoms. School environments appear to have a greater influence on risk in adolescent girls than boys. Pediatrics 2013;131:e702-e708 AUTHORS:

Almost all students witnessed school violence, which predicted impairment. Witnessing violence was associated with risk of subsequent adjustment problems 2 years later. Directly experienced victimisation showed a comparable magnitude of risk. This suggests that when it comes to symptoms of conduct disorder, witnessing violence might have the same impact as experiencing it directly. Witnessing earlier covert and major violence predicted social impairment whereas minor violence predicted psychological and academic impairment.

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Evidence regarding the association between adolescent internalising symptoms and school non-completion has been limited and inconclusive.To examine whether depressive and anxious symptoms at secondary school entry predict school non-completion beyond confounders and whether associations differ by baseline academic functioning.We used logistic regression to examine associations between depressive and anxious symptoms in grade 7 (age 12-14) and school non-completion (age 18-20) in 4962 adolescents.Depressive symptoms did not predict school non-completion after adjustment, but moderation analyses revealed an association in students with elevated academic functioning. A curvilinear association was found for anxiety: both low and high anxious symptoms predicted school non-completion, although only low anxiety remained predictive after adjustment.Associations between internalising symptoms and school non-completion are modest. Common school-based interventions targeting internalising symptoms are unlikely to have a major impact on school non-completion, but may prevent non-completion in selected students.

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Entre 2002 et 2008, 197 écoles de l'enseignement secondaire (collèges et lycées) accueillant les élèves des milieux les plus défavorisés de la province de Québec (Canada) ont été appelées à accroître leur potentiel éducatif en vue d'améliorer la réussite de leurs élèves. Elles devaient s'engager dans une démarche collective rigoureuse : mobilisation des différents acteurs et partenaires de l'école, analyse de situations objectives, planification stratégique, mise en oeuvre et accompagnement des actions, évaluation des objectifs atteints, dissémination des pratiques évaluées comme efficientes. L'évaluation de la mise en oeuvre a reposé sur une utilisation de méthodes quantitatives et qualitatives : questionnaires, entretiens individuels ou de groupe. Vingt écoles ont aussi été suivies durant cinq ans. L'évaluation des effets a reposé sur une analyse longitudinale quasi-expérimentale et la passation annuelle de questionnaires auprès de 30 000 élèves et 4 000 membres du personnel. Les résultats indiquent que peu d'écoles ont réussi à appliquer la démarche proposée avec un haut niveau de conformité, mais celles qui y sont le mieux parvenues sont celles qui ont généré le plus d'effets positifs. L'évaluation a permis d'identifier ce qui a bien ou moins bien fonctionné, les actions à maintenir, à réajuster, ainsi que les conditions à réunir pour améliorer les fonctionnements. Mots-clés : Décrochage scolaire-Évaluation de programme-Évolution des pratiques-Inégalités sociales-Politiques éducatives-Réussite scolaire-Stratégie d'intervention innovante. Increasing educational success in an underprivileged environment Salient facts in assessing the Quebec action strategy, « Agir autrement » ("A different approach") Summary: Between 2002 and 2008, 197 secondary schools serving students from the most disadvantaged areas of Quebec province (Canada) were requested to improve their educational potential in order to improve students' success. These schools had to engage in a structured collective approach: mobilization of the school team, objective situation analysis, strategic planning, implementation and monitoring of actions, evaluation of the achievement of objectives, adjustments, and dissemination of effective interventions. The implementation evaluation of the Strategy rested on the use of quantitative and qualitative methods: questionnaires, individual or group semi-structured interviews. Twenty schools were also followed for five years as case studies. Evaluation of effects was based on self-reported questionnaires annually administered to 30,000 students and 4,000 staff members and rested on a longitudinal quasi-experimental research design. Results showed that very few schools succeeded in implementing this approach with a high level of conformity. However, schools that did succeed are those who also generated the most positive changes. The evaluation provided a critical understanding of the facilitators and barriers for implementing this type of large-scale initiative. It led to identification of which component of the ...