Didactics of spelling with children in their last 3 years of primary education : in this particular case, the 6 homophones of /sE/ ; Didactique de l'orthographe au cycle 3 : le cas des homophones de /sE/

Spelling is one of the most controversial key issues in primary school knowledge: on the one hand, there is very little theoretical points of view about how to spell; on the other hand, the very ancient argument about spelling is still up-to-date. The aim of this research is to contribute to studies centered on spelling acquisition, it conveys a psycholinguistic and didactic outlook and it is meant to be as factual and unbiased as possible. The experiment was led with a sample of fifty French children in their last 3 years of primary education; it deals mainly with a very sensitive matter in spelling practice: the 6 homophones of /sE/. The intent of the study is to show that some didactic variables have various cognitive effects upon the learning process and consequently and to explain the reasons why some applications may appear more appropriate than others. Didactic experiment emerges, in this particular problem, as the missing link, a connection between theoretical sources and action. As a matter of fact, with the support of cognitive sciences, linguistics and more practical sources such as the government main lines, methods advocated in school books, the main objective of this empirically-based research is to evaluate the different hypotheses. The didactic variables are first the teaching process, then the pupils' reactions towards written information and finally the contrasting ways of introducing the 6 homophones. The results partly confirm that the spelling behaviour may differ according to the pedagogical line of action, they also lead to two different propositions likely to make the teaching process become a positive factor in the learning process: 1- teaching the 6 homophones simultaneously (instead of teaching them as pairs); 2- a new form of interactive learning (instead of traditional lesson teaching). ; L'orthographe est un lieu privilégié d'observation des débats relatifs aux savoirs scolaires. D'une part, peu de connaissances théoriques relatives au savoir orthographier ; d'autre part, ...