Research-Informed Learning: The Integration of Content From The Conversation France Into French Textbooks

How can articles from The Conversation France be reused in French textbooks? And how does this editorial reuse reflect a peculiar form of scientific mediation between the press, academia, and formal education? Rooted in the ICCA project “Plateformisation et médiation scientifique : le cas de The Conversation France”, directed by Elsa Poupardin and Étienne Candel (Université Paris Cité), our inquiry will consider the following axes: (i) the material adaptation of a digital resource for use in a print textbook (which may also include a digital version); (ii) the transformation of a text combining journalistic and scientific perspectives on current events into an educational resource tailored to the school context; and (iii) the pedagogical scenarios in which the article is embedded (curricular disciplines, learning objectives, competencies, instructions and methods, activity’s place within the lesson sequence, etc.).
The widespread circulation of knowledge through digital devices provides opportunities for diverse forms of social reappropriation; in this respect, the fabrication of learning materials deserves particular attention (Seurrat 2025) as it testifies to the social circulation of, on the one hand, resources that were not initially designed for pedagogical purposes, or, on the other hand, educational resources that are created by actors outside the institutional educational system (such as private organizations) which may also take the opportunity to establish partnerships with the formal education sector. Such circulation could be interpretated in light of the knowledge commons: the Open Science and Open Educational Resources movements are two major outcomes of this field. The commoning of works has become predominant in these areas, relying on licenses that provide greater flexibility in their dissemination; this is notably the case for articles published by The Conversation (Abiteboul et Bancilhon 2024, 55).
Our enquiry will be based on a corpus analysis, from an impact study conducted by the organization (The Conversation France 2025, pp. 36–37). Additionally, if the role of articles of The Conversation France has been acknowledged — at least from a potential point of view (Falgas 2017), our hypothesis remains that these uses doesn’t support the learning of their specific multimodality as digital texts, the latter being though an opportunity for fostering competencies in media education. We hope, through our analysis, to provide insight into this particular form of scientific mediation, which contributes to research-informed learning within the context of formal education.

References:
1. ABITEBOUL, Serge, and François BANCILHON. 2024. Vive les communs numériques !: Logiciels libres, Wikipédia, le Web, la science ouverte, etc. Odile Jacob.
2. FALGAS, Julien. 2017. « Le site d’information The Conversation France comme ressource pédagogique ». Distances et médiations des savoirs. Distance and Mediation of Knowledge, no 17 (février): 17. https://journals.openedition.org/dms/1771.
3. HESS, Charlotte, et Elinor OSTROM, éds. (2007) 2011. Understanding Knowledge as a Commons: From Theory to Practice. MIT Press.
4. THE CONVERSATION FRANCE. 2025. The Conversation 2025 Rapport d’impact [internal corporate communication document]

5. SEURRAT, Aude. 2025. Savoirs en circulation : Les ressources d’éducation et de formation à l’ère numérique. Abrégés. ISTE Editions.