Project Description

To ensure follow up on the quality of the implementation of Education Reform in high school, the Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport (MELS) mandated, in June 2007, a research team from the Faculté des sciences de l’éducation de l’université Laval to conduct a study on the impacts of Education Reform (ER) on young people. More specifically, the team was asked to respond to one of the questions raised in the framework of this evaluation of the implementation of ER in high school1:

 

‘To what extent does the implementation of the new Education Program in high school allow students to increase their commitment to learning, acquire knowledge in the disciplines, develop the targeted skills and improve their motivation and educational success?’

 

To answer this question, the research team set up the ERES Project (Evaluation of the Reform at the Secondary School Level), a longitudinal study of a representative sample of students from three cohorts in Grade 7 (2004-2005; 2006-2007; 2007-2008), the first not having been exposed to ER at the high school level and the other two currently exposed to ER. Under this project, these students and their parents are questioned in Grade 8, 10 and 11, generally between the months of April and June. We also ask school administrators and school counsellors for their viewpoints. For a detailed description of this project, see the ERES Project – High School section.

 

In August 2009, fresh funds from MELS allowed the team to pursue follow-up on the cohorts recruited in high school according to the student’s chosen orientation. Those intending to go to college will be given a first questionnaire at the time they make the transition from high school to college and a second during the 4th session of their course of studies.  The ERES Project - College section describes this phase of the project in greater detail. For students going into vocational training, a telephone interview is scheduled at two different times over their course of studies; further information on this phase can be found under ERES Project – Vocational Training.

 

 

1 Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport (2008). Evaluation of the Implementation of the Education Reform at the Secondary Level. Evaluation Framework. Québec : Gouvernement du Québec. p.16