The aim of this presentation is to present a participatory research process, with a specific focus on a "hybrid resource" developed within this approach. To present the research, the objective is to analyze the teaching and learning of gender equality in middle schools in France. This research seeks to shed light on and understand the concrete dynamics at play when equality is taught in classroom, as well as the actual knowledge content delivered. To do this, we are using a dual theoretical framework, based on both Gender studies and Didactics.

The first theoretical framework is Gender Studies, particularly the concept of the "gender system" (Parini, 2006), understood as a social system that differentiates and classifies individuals according to their gender (male or female). The gender system is internalized through socialization processes from childhood and is reinforced by the school system. Expectations, norms, and values related to gender are learned in school, specifically within the classroom during interactions between teachers and students (Duru-Bellat, 2015). This leads to the second theoretical framework: the Joint Action framework in Didactics (JAD) (Amade-Escot & Venturini, 2015; Ligozat, 2025). JAD emphasizes that teachers and students co-construct knowledge content. This framework allows for an analysis of the "milieu" (Brousseau, 1988) established by teachers through their choices of "direction d’étude”, teacher’s actions, as well as students' actions in constructing knowledge. Knowledge is understood here as the power to act upon one’s environment. 

Initial findings, established after several months of observations in 9th-grade French and English classes, reveal that gender stereotypes occupy a central, though often implicit, place when lessons based on gender equality. In French classes, the theme of rebellious women in theater is explored through various literary texts spanning from Ancient Greece to the 20th century, encouraging a broader reflection on societal norms imposed on women. In English classes, a sequence on feminism has been developed, comprising various lessons, including one that is particularly lively on masculinism.

In France, while institutional reports (HCE, 2024, 205, 2026) increasingly emphasize the necessity of teaching gender equality, guidelines and resources for teachers remain limited. This is why a participatory approach and, above all, the development of resources for teachers seem essential for exploring this subject (Verscheure, 2022). This resource was developed directly according to the needs and expectations of teachers and is described as hybrid because it has dual relevance: it serves both the practical needs of the field and the analytical requirements of research. This presentation aims to illustrate the stages of creation with concrete examples from this document.

The resource is composed of theoretical contributions from research, such as the concept of stereotypes or the analysis of contemporary masculinism (Bard & al., 2019), to support teachers' professional development. In addition, it provides concrete classroom activities through a three-step intervention designed to deconstruct gender stereotypes within the study objects of each sequence. The originality of this approach lies in its taking into account teachers' direct needs: the resource integrates field feedback, the difficulties practitioners encounter (such as a lack of tools to address sexist discourse), and recurring student remarks (naturalization of differences, influence of the "manosphere"). Thus, this paper questions the following problem: How can a participatory research approach support teachers in conducting sessions aimed at deconstructing gender stereotypes? What the challenges are of create this didactic resource ?

The methodology is based on a qualitative and abductive approach (Bonny, 2015), characteristic of participatory research. The process can be summarized in four phases: 1. Data Collection Phase (Leutenegger, 2009) : This involved audio and video recordings of observations in 9th-grade French and English classes, alongside interviews with teachers and students. In total, 6 lessons per discipline were recorded, complemented by 3 interviews before lessons and 3 interviews post lessons with teachers, and 15 post-lessons interviews with students. All interviews were analyzed using content analysis (Bardin, 2013). Methodological triangulation ensures the scientific validity of the study. 2. Preliminary Analysis and Resource Construction: This phase involved a preliminary analysis because it was not yet conducted at a micro-didactic level and does not analyze the details of interactions at this stage. This analysis strategy will be effective at the end of the research. It focused on the study materials, knowledge at stake, teachers' objectives, and student reception. Furthermore, it identified teachers' requests for specific resources and identification of situations that raised problems for them or not. Following this, the researcher developed the resource to meet these specific expectations. This required selecting research findings relevant to teachers and translating them into concrete, applicable teaching situations. The goal was to transform stereotypical representations into a lever for equality. The resource is not prescriptive but aims to provide keys for action and understanding in classroom during lessons on gender equality. 3. Workshop Phase: The resource was presented to the teachers in a workshop setting, where they provided feedback and made modifications. This workshop also served as a space to give some feedbacks on teaching practices. 4. Follow-up Phase (ongoing, scheduled to end in May) : A second round of data collection will take place following the implementation of the resource to determine if the teachers used it, if they felt better equipped, and if it contributed to their sense of professional development.

This participatory approach does not strictly follow pre-defined collaborative research models but seeks to be innovative by focusing directly on teacher needs. This research posits that teachers are central actors in teaching equality and that their perspectives and experiences are essential in the production of equality-related knowledge. The proposed gender-stereotype deconstruction intervention, moves beyond simple observation of inequalities toward a critical analysis of gender system, thereby promoting the gradual liberation of adolescents from social constraints. More broadly, the approach has a dual objective: to document the gender representations circulating in the school environment and to produce an intervention tool adapted to teachers' specific needs. Moreover, the challenges of this resource are contributing to teachers' professional development and their acculturation to research; responding to practitioner demands and expectations ; and constituting a mid-point analytical stage in the research process. To conclude, by providing a concrete example of creating a resource with both social and scientific relevance, it cans question how early-career researchers can remain close to the field while taking ownership of their participatory methodology and how in situ observations can be transformed into research objects, thereby lending credibility to horizontal collaborations.

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