Dr. Annie Roy-Charland, of the University of Moncton, and Dr. Mélanie Perron, of Laurentian University, launched their book, 'Les émotions : comment mieux les comprendre,' surrounded by more than 100 students at École publique Jeanne-Sauvé.
The book, developed according to Pons, Harris and deRosnay’s model (2004), features nine stories that highlight the characteristics of the emotional experiences of young and old. The book strives to develop young Francophones’ (3-12 years) emotional understanding and is the result of several psychology research projects led by Drs. Roy-Charland and Perron on the impact that reading together with children has on these children’s understanding of emotions.
“Since 2007, we have researched children’s emotional development and strategies to improve their understanding of emotions,” said the researchers. “Our goal was to develop a simple and effective way for children to better understand certain active phenomena while presenting an abundant and inexpensive educational resource that can be used by everyone. Without the participation of many children, parents, schools and school boards in Greater Sudbury and Moncton, along with committed research assistants, this project would not have been realized.” The book was created as a result of significant collaborative efforts among various school boards, daycare centres, researchers and research assistants in Sudbury (Laurentian University) and Moncton (University of Moncton), who, despite the geographic distance, demonstrated the strength and diversity of the minority Canadian francophonie.
Recognized in 2016 as an academic innovation school, École publique Jeanne-Sauvé was involved in the project. “We’re thrilled that our vision to make our school a centre of choice for Laurentian researchers has led to such relevant and practical projects,” stated school principal, Lynn Tellier. “Regulating emotions begins with understanding them, which is a big challenge both in elementary and middle schools.”
With funding from Health Canada and the support of the Consortium national de formation en santé (CNFS) and Éditions Prise de Parole publishing house, what was originally a working document has become a wonderful vibrantly illustrated hardcover book. “The CNFS values not only developing knowledge on the health of minority francophones, but harnessing it as well,” explained CNFS research manager, Eric Chevaucherie. “It is a real joy for us to support Drs. Perron and Roy-Charland in making this book accessible to the francophone community.”
The book is available in several locations in the Ontario communities of Greater Sudbury and Timmins as well as in francophone bookstores and daycares in New Brunswick. A digital copy is available at cnfslaurentienne.ca