Compensatory Actions in a Context of Underachievement: A Study of a Pedagogical Intervention and its Impact on Teachers

Abstract

This piece ofresearch is an inquiry into the impact of the introduction of innovative approaches to the teaching of literacy on primary school teachers in the Republic of Mauritius. This is a design-based research, that is, it is about researching the implementation of a project involving introducing new teaching approaches in the teaching of literacy skills. The pedagogical intervention, initiated by the Mauritius Institute of Education, takes place in the 27 low-achieving primary schools grouped under the concept of educational priority areas or "Zones d'Education Prioritaires" (ZEP). The aim of the research was to analyse to what extent the implementation of an interventional compensatory action has helped in the transformation of teachers in classroom practices in their beliefs about teaching and learning .The impact of the pedagogical intervention has been assessed on the degree of transformation observed among the different types of teachers. Three types of teachers' involvement in the project have been identified: the discursive teachers; the practical teachers; the resistant teachers. Teachers' involvement has been strongly influenced by their beliefs and attitudes which have their source in a context of traditional practices and teachercenteredness.