Activity Theory Research Articles

Using Routine Activity Theory to Predict Technology- Facilitated Violence Among U.S. Adults During COVID-19.

Using routine activity theory (RAT), the present study investigated predictors of two types of technology-facilitated violence: cyber obsessional pursuit victimization (COPV) and Cyber Aggression in Relationships Scale (CARS), during COVID-19 among a sample of U.S. adults (N = 2,975). Results revealed that target attractiveness in terms of gender, age, and racial/ethnic background predicted both intimate (CARS) and nonintimate (COPV) cyber violence. For target exposure, technology use and the perceived ability to protect one's privacy predicted both types of cyber violence. Previous experience of in-person intimate partner violence explained the largest amount of variance in both types of technology-facilitated violence victimization.

Recurrent neural networks with transient trajectory explain working memory encoding mechanisms

Whether working memory (WM) is encoded by persistent activity using attractors or by dynamic activity using transient trajectories has been debated for decades in both experimental and modeling studies, and a consensus has not been reached. Even though many recurrent neural networks (RNNs) have been proposed to simulate WM, most networks are designed to match respective experimental observations and show either transient or persistent activities. Those few which consider networks with both activity patterns have not attempted to directly compare their memory capabilities. In this study, we build transient-trajectory-based RNNs (TRNNs) and compare them to vanilla RNNs with more persistent activities. The TRNN incorporates biologically plausible modifications, including self-inhibition, sparse connection and hierarchical topology. Besides activity patterns resembling animal recordings and retained versatility to variable encoding time, TRNNs show better performance in delayed choice and spatial memory reinforcement learning tasks. Therefore, this study provides evidence supporting the transient activity theory to explain the WM mechanism from the model designing point of view.

Developing a data quality assurance ontology for research data repositories

PurposeData quality assurance (DQA) is essential for enabling the sharing and reuse of research data, especially given the increasing focus on data transparency, reproducibility, credibility and validity in research. Although the literature on research data curation is vast, there remains a lack of theory-guided exploration of DQA modeling in research data repositories (RDRs).Design/methodology/approachThis study addresses this gap by examining 12 distinct cases of DQA-related knowledge organization tools, including four metadata vocabularies, three metadata schemas, one ontology and four standards used to guide DQA work in RDRs.FindingsThe study analyzed the cases utilizing a theoretical framework based on activity theory and data quality literature and synthesized a model and a knowledge artifact, a DQA ontology (DQAO, Lee et al., 2024), that encodes a DQA theory for RDRs. The ontology includes 127 classes, 44 object properties, 7 data properties and 18 instances. The article also uses problem scenarios to illustrate how the DQAO can be integrated into the FAIR ecosystem.Originality/valueThe study provides valuable insights into DQA theory and practice in RDRs and offers a DQA ontology for designing, evaluating and integrating DQA workflows within RDRs.

Mathematical Theory of Seismic Activity and Its Specific Cases: Gutenberg–Richter Law, Omori Law, Roll-Off Effect, and Negative Binomial Distribution

We discuss a model of seismic activity that is based on the concept of energy in a cluster of sources of seismic activity. We show that specific cases of the studied model lead to the Gutenberg–Richter relationship and the Omori law. These laws are valid for earthquakes that happen in a single cluster of sources of seismic activity. Further, we discuss the distribution of earthquakes for several clusters containing sources of seismic activity. This distribution contains, as a specific case, a version of the negative binomial distribution. We show that at least a part of the roll-off effect connected to the parameter b of the Gutenberg– Richter law occurs because one records earthquakes that happen in more than one cluster of sources of seismic activity.

Factors Influencing Science Teachers' Professional Development: A Cultural‐Historical Activity Theory Perspective

ABSTRACTExploring the factors influencing science teacher professional development (STPD) and their interactions may provide insight into promoting professional development and improving science education. However, existing research mainly focuses on STPD in larger domains, such as individual, external, and contextual, without paying systematic attention to the connections between internal elements within domains. Therefore, this study utilized the cultural‐historical activity theory (CHAT) as a framework to systematically explore the interactions between factors influencing STPD. Content analysis was used to identify the factors influencing STPD. Subsequently, we adopted a convergent parallel mixed research method, aiming at a more comprehensive exploration of how these factors affect STPD. The interpretive structural model (ISM) and cross‐influence matrix multiplication (MICMAC) method were used to explore the interrelationships among the factors. Furthermore, from the CHAT perspective, semi‐structured interviews were used to identify the tensions in STPD. The ISM results showed that the factors influencing STPD have a six‐level hierarchical structure. Level 1 represents factors that directly influence STPD. The influences at Level 1 were also directly or indirectly influenced by the factors at Levels 2–6. The primary and secondary contradictions in STPD were identified by integrating the MICMAC and interview results under the CHAT lens. This study established that ISM and MICMAC not only identifies the hierarchical relationship between the influencing factors but also better identifies the contradictions between and within different types of factors from the perspective of CHAT. Based on our results, we suggest a focus on professional practice and learning communities, rural and remote school teachers, and efficient use of technology to connect experts, teacher trainers, and peer groups to improve the reach and efficacy of STPD.

Local polar order controls mechanical stress and triggers layer formation in Myxococcus xanthus colonies

Colonies of the social bacterium Myxococcus xanthus go through a morphological transition from a thin colony of cells to three-dimensional droplet-like fruiting bodies as a strategy to survive starvation. The biological pathways that control the decision to form a fruiting body have been studied extensively. However, the mechanical events that trigger the creation of multiple cell layers and give rise to droplet formation remain poorly understood. By measuring cell orientation, velocity, polarity, and force with cell-scale resolution, we reveal a stochastic local polar order in addition to the more obvious nematic order. Average cell velocity and active force at topological defects agree with predictions from active nematic theory, but their fluctuations are substantially larger than the mean due to polar active forces generated by the self-propelled rod-shaped cells. We find that M. xanthus cells adjust their reversal frequency to tune the magnitude of this local polar order, which in turn controls the mechanical stresses and triggers layer formation in the colonies.

Cybersecurity Expert Perspectives on Data Thieves’ Actions in Digital Environments: Potential Refinements for Routine Activity Theory

ABSTRACT Previous quantitative studies applying Routine Activity Theory (RAT) to cybercrime victimization produced mixed results. Through semi-structured interviews with cybersecurity experts, the current study aims to qualitatively reevaluate the applicability of RAT to cyber-dependent crime, specifically data theft from organizations. An in-depth assessment of environmental factors appearing to affect data thieves’ actions resulted in concrete operationalizations of theoretical concepts. Importantly, we highlight the distinction between target selection and strategic choices made during the attack. Furthermore, RAT appeared to be as relevant, if not more, for explaining offender actions during an attack as for the initial convergence of offenders and digital targets.

A qualitative exploration of feedback experience among final-year physiotherapy students using activity theory

BackgroundFeedback is an important part of learning, however, it often does not have the desired effect. Much work has been done exploring students’ engagement with feedback and factors which may impact engagement. Mutual understanding of feedback and feedback practice on the part of the student and educator is essential.MethodsThis study explored the perceptions of feedback of final-year physiotherapy students at Stellenbosch University (South Africa). Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted to generate data. Cultural-historical activity theory was used as an analytic lens in the data analysis.ResultsStudents understood feedback to be a continuous, bidirectional conversation in which they were actively involved. Students recognised their agency in feedback practice. Despite their understanding, their agency was often undermined by factors such as the environment, context and most notably the perceived positioning and relationships between students and educators. Educators who were perceived as credible and created a safe psychosocial space had a positive influence on the students’ perception of feedback.ConclusionsStudents’ perceptions of feedback and their engagement was the product of a complex and dynamic interplay of factors. While students recognise their agency, this may be hindered by relationships and the design of feedback in the curriculum. As educators, one must consider how we contribute to this and enable students to activate and use their agency in feedback practice.

FCIQMC-CASPT2 with Imaginary-Time-Averaged Wave Functions.

A new method to perform complete active space second-order perturbation theory on top of large active spaces optimized with full configuration quantum Monte Carlo is presented. Computing the three- and Fock-contracted four-particle density matrix from imaginary-time-averaged wave functions is found to resolve fermionic positivity violations and to ensure numerical stability. The protocol is applied to [NiFe]-hydrogenase, [Cu2O2]-oxidase and Fe-porphyrin model systems up to 26 electrons in 27 orbitals and benchmarked against DMRG-CASPT2.

Analytic First-Order Derivatives of CASPT2 Combined with the Polarizable Continuum Model.

The complete active space second-order perturbation theory (CASPT2) is valuable for accurately predicting electronic structures and transition energies. However, optimizing molecular geometries in the solution phase has proven challenging. In this study, we develop analytic first-order derivatives of CASPT2 using an implicit solvation model, specifically the polarizable continuum model, within the open-source package OpenMolcas. Analytic gradients and nonadiabatic coupling vectors are computed by solving a modified Z-vector equation. Comparisons with existing theoretical and experimental results demonstrate that the solvent effects can be qualitatively captured using the developed method.

“I learned a lot about me as a person”: University students’ development as non-formal education professionals

IntroductionThe role of non-formal educational professionals has implications for the growth and development of the children they interact with. This group of professionals includes university students who volunteer their time in educational and youth-service organizations.MethodsIn this collective case study, we utilized Cultural-Historical Activity Theory to (a) understand how undergraduate and graduate students negotiated their development as a non-formal educational professional within an afterschool program and (b) consider how contradictions influenced their growth as educators, if at all. Three forms of data were collected from 10 graduate and undergraduate students as they volunteered their time as an educator in a 10-week afterschool program in partnership with two rural middle schools.ResultsResults highlighted shared contradictions among university students, such as lack of content knowledge and being viewed as friend versus being viewed as an educator, as they individually and collectively reflected upon their development and growth as non-formal educators within the afterschool program. Results also underscored how being a part of the afterschool program and reflecting on practice supported only some of the university students’ initial goal(s) for volunteering their time.DiscussionWe conclude with implications of this study for universities to consider in supporting the professional growth and development of their students as active learners and future educational professionals.

Developing and Facilitating a Workplace Communication Workshop for Engineering Student Interns: Implications for Practice

In this paper, Engeström’s third-generation activity theory (AT; 2001) is adopted as an analytic tool to analyze a workplace communication workshop for engineering students and an experienced educator’s cognition and practices. Curricular elements of the workshop and the educator’s pedagogical approach are analyzed together with the motivation for a specific learning experience design and the rationale for adopting such practices. AT served as an invaluable analytic lens for our reflection on the workshop’s design, its activities, and the educator’s cognition and practices. This reflection provides a worked sample for AT-based reflective practice and strategies for developing workplace communication workshops. It is concluded that by using AT as an analytic tool for reflection, educators can effectively reflect upon and analyze their course design and teaching practices, thereby externalizing their knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Educators can develop their expertise through such a reflective process and create more engaging and effective courses. We also recommend that AT be adopted as an analytic tool in reflective practice modules in communication teacher education and training programs to enable prospective and novice teachers to engage in reflective practice and purposefully develop their teaching expertise throughout their careers.

The importance of structure and trust in developmental work in school: with observations and joint analyses as the key activity

Organizational conditions and social aspects as requirements for learning, and faculty trust has been highlighted as the foundation for collaboration and school development. The professional development of teachers plays a crucial role in improving teachers teaching together with the pupils. But how development work is organized and how faculty trust is aimed for are scarcely described in the literature. This article is based on a qualitative study conducted in the frame of cultural historical activity theory (CHAT), focusing on school development in one primary school with nine teachers and two leaders: one principal and one middle leader. The problem formulation for the study presented in the article was the following: How do teachers experience participation in a developmental work research project designed by researchers within the frame of CHAT? The study describes how processes leading to a joint focus can be arranged, and how structured analyses of observed teaching can lead to professional dialogues and the development of trust. The study shows that the teachers wanted to continue with observation and joint analyses after the project ended but noted that the principal must facilitate such processes.

Intuitive to Strategic Translanguaging: Insights From Vietnamese EFL Classrooms

This article reports a qualitative case study on the translanguaging practices of Vietnamese English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) educators and explores the mechanisms behind individual differences in their practices through an integrative cultural-historical activity theory perspective. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and post-observation interviews with three educators at a public university in Vietnam. The findings highlight diverse functions of translanguaging, including checking comprehension, emphasizing content, and reducing English-speaking anxiety. Rooted in Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), this research introduces Proximal Language Scaffolding to highlight a strategic approach to using L1 and L2 for language learning within students’ ZPD. This research provides new insights into the nuanced implementation of translanguaging in EFL contexts and offers significant implications for teacher development and educational practices.

The Prevalence of Crime Cases Involving Police Officers in a West African Country

ABSTRACT This study investigates the Prevalence of Crime Cases Involving Police Officers in a West African Country, employing a quantitative research design to gather insights from a sample size of 50 police officers in Cape Coast through a two-staged sampling technique using both purposive and simple random sampling. Through the lens of Routine Activity Theory, the findings revealed that the motivating factors identified include personal grievances, psychological issues, and dissatisfaction with remuneration, while there is a notable lack of consensus on the influence of financial incentives and peer pressure. The study mainly recommends the establishment of a transparent and accountable organizational culture within the police force.

Addressing Teamwork Delays during Life-Saving Interventions through an Activity Theory-Informed Analysis

Hemorrhage, or severe blood loss due to injury, is a leading cause of preventable deaths after injury. This study uses and extends activity theory to understand the dynamics of team-based hemorrhage control during trauma resuscitation and to explore potential computerized mechanisms to support this time- and safety-critical process. We reviewed videos of 25 resuscitation cases and analyzed hemorrhage control activities using nine activity theory prompts, including a new prompt-speech intention-a critical but underexplored dimension of teamwork in prior activity theory analyses. Through this process, we identified the most common delay-causing activities and developed routine and non-routine activity models for each. A comparison of these models showed that variations from the routine models emerged due to changes in the division of labor, instruments, community, and speech intentions. We contribute to research on designing socio-technical systems by (1) identifying needs and opportunities for computerized support that address delays in complex medical teamwork and (2) examining how an intervention changes an activity model. We also show how adding detailed speech data aids in identifying contradictions between elements in an activity model.

Phishing Victimization Risk Factors: A Lifestyle-Routine Activities Theory Analysis of Scam Types and Demographic Influences

Phishing Victimization Risk Factors: A Lifestyle-Routine Activities Theory Analysis of Scam Types and Demographic Influences

Unveiling the Racemization in Ferroelectrics with Coupled Ferroelectricity and Optical Activity.

The most distinctive features of ferroelectrics are spontaneous polarization and depolarization. Ferroelectricity was first observed in Rochelle salt, a compound with a chiral component in which the molecular chirality is not affected by depolarization. For structurally chiral ferroelectrics (SCFs), such as triglycine sulfate, which lacks chiral components, the depolarization effect on chirality presents an intriguing and unexplored topic. In this study, we focus on a newly proposed chiral optical topic in optically active ferroelectrics with coupled ferroelectricity and optical activity. We examined the depolarization effect on the optical activity in these ferroelectric materials and employed chiral-environment crystallization and solid-state circular dichroism (CD) techniques to elucidate the racemization-depolarization mechanism in an SCF for the first time. For polar and nonchiral optically active ferroelectrics, optical activity is averaged out in the powder state, resulting in no CD signal. Additionally, we experimentally validated the consistency between CD measurements and optical activity theory across the four optically active point groups (m, mm2, 4̅, 4̅2m). These findings could advance the development of chiral spintronic devices by leveraging coupled ferroelectricity and optical activity to tune the spin selectivity.

The relationship between interpersonal behaviour types and strategies employed by participants in cyberbullying: victims and bystanders

Introduction. In the examination of cyberbullying, it is essential to explore the strategies employed by its participants. Identifying the psychological characteristics associated with such behaviours is crucial for formulating recommendations for psychologists and educators engaged in the study of cyberbullying. Aim. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between the selected role strategies in cyberbullying and the corresponding types of interpersonal behaviour. Methodology and research methods. The methodology was based on activity theory, L. S. Vygotsky’s cultural-historical con cept, A. V. Petrovsky’s theory regarding the mediation of interpersonal relations through activity, and L. N. Sobchik’s theory of leading trends. These theoretical foundations suggest that external conditions mediate the internal properties and states of an individual’s personality. A questionnaire was developed to examine the role-playing strategies associated with cyberbullying, as well as the motivations and counteractions related to this phenomenon. The survey was administered to a sample of 251 students from grades 5 to 11 within basic general education institutions. A questionnaire designed for the assessment of interpersonal relationships, originally developed by T. Leary and subsequently adapted by L. N. Sobchik, was administered to the same sample. Results. The relationship between the selected role strategy in cyberbullying and the corresponding type of interpersonal behaviour is elucidated in this study. Scientific novelty. This research establishes, for the first time, a connection between the types of interpersonal behaviour and role strategies within the context of cyberbullying, particularly with regard to individuals assuming the roles of victims and bystanders who intervene to protect the victim. Practical significance. The findings of this study may serve as a foundation for the formulation of methodological recommendations aimed at preventing cyberbullying.

A cross-entropy corrected hybrid multiconfiguration pair-density functional theory for complex molecular systems

Hybrid density functionals, such as B3LYP and PBE0, have achieved remarkable success by substantially improving over their parent methods, namely Hartree-Fock and the generalized gradient approximation, and generally outperforming the second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) that is more expensive. Here, we extend the linear scheme of hybrid multiconfiguration pair-density functional theory (HMC-PDFT) by incorporating a cross-entropy ingredient to balance the description of static and dynamic correlation effects, leading to a consistent improvement on both exchange and correlation energies. The B3LYP-like translated on-top functional (tB4LYP) developed along this line not only surpasses the accuracy of its parent methods, the complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) and the original MC-PDFT functionals (tBLYP and tB3LYP), but also outperforms the widely used complete active space second-order perturbation theory (CASPT2). Remarkably, while remaining satisfactory for general purpose, tB4LYP shows superior accuracy for challenging cases like the Cr2 dissociation and the associated low-lying vibrational energies, the ethylene torsional rotation and the ethyne diabatic colinear dissociations, with the significantly lower computational cost than CASPT2.