Activity Theory Research Articles

Cultural Historical Activity Theory: A Conceptual Framework for Analysing Post- Method Pedagogy

Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) serves as an effective theoretical framework for analysing post-method pedagogy, providing valuable insights into the complexities of educational practices. This framework integrates social, cultural, and historical contexts, allowing for a comprehensive perspective that examines patterns influencing educational processes, cognitive development, and equitable education. At the heart of CHAT is the concept of expansive learning, which emphasises the continuous improvement and evolution of teaching methods over time. This approach advocates for adaptive and innovative practices that respond to the dynamic needs of learners and the ever-changing educational environment. By incorporating CHAT into post-method pedagogy, educators can significantly enhance their teaching practices, fostering more democratic, versatile, and effective methods that engage all students. This paper delves into the impact of CHAT on education, tracing the foundational narrative of its development through the contributions of three generations of influential scholars, from Lev Vygotsky to Yrjö Engeström. CHAT distinguishes itself by moving beyond mere rote cognitive accumulation, offering a conceptual toolkit for refining, and leveling pedagogical practices. Key elements of CHAT include the division of labour, which defines roles within the teaching and learning process, and mediating means, which involves the tools and resources utilised in learning. The central theme of expansive learning underscores the ongoing improvement of teaching methods, illustrating CHAT's practical application in English language instruction. By fostering inclusive learning environments, CHAT effectively addresses real challenges faced today in education. For educators seeking to strengthen their teaching methods, adopting CHAT offers a transformative pathway which is accessible to everyday teachers striving for positive change in their instructional practices. Integrating CHAT dynamics into teaching holds significant promise for those committed to continuous improvement in the field of education.

Developing theory by engaging in collaborative transformations of educational practice

This article presents a methodological approach to educational psychology research in which researchers engage in collaborative transformations of educational practice while developing theory concerning the societal and scientific relevance of these transformative processes. The theoretical inspiration for this approach stems from German-Scandinavian Critical Psychology, Transformative Activist Stance, and the Change Laboratory Framework — three research traditions with common roots in cultural-historical psychology and activity theory. Empirically, the article is based on a transformative research collaboration between the author and a 2nd grade teacher at a Danish municipal primary school. The aim was to develop an intervention framework to support the development of cultures of care within communities of children, while simultaneously producing theoretical knowledge about the conditions that enable the development of such cultures within the contradictory and dilemma-filled historical and socio-political context of Danish municipally governed schools. Empirical excerpts show how a novel intervention principle emerged as a synthesis of the researcher and the schoolteacher’s respective, seemingly contradictory knowledge contributions. Against a backdrop of historical-institutional analyses, it is argued that this intervention principle represents a novel scope of possibilities for educational professionals struggling to manoeuvre within the various contradictions and common problems inherent to Danish municipally governed schools. In the discussion, it is argued that the transformative approach presented here seems particularly promising for the democratisation of knowledge production. This assertion is supported by a demonstration of how the approach is particularly flexible to continuously integrate critique, contributions, and contestations from co-researchers within educational practice, adults as well as children.

Advancing a cultural–historical activity perspective in a psychodynamic-oriented psychotherapy training programme

South Africa cannot ignore the far-reaching influence of its colonial and apartheid history on the psychological functioning of its people. Psychotherapy as a fundamental psychological intervention approach cannot ignore its evolving history as the architect of the social psyche and of an individual’s psychological functioning. With regards to psychodynamic psychotherapy, the literature has lamented this therapeutic approach’s lack of consideration of the impact of the colonial and apartheid historical trauma on the prevailing sociocultural and mental health challenges. The crux of this article is to address this epistemological lacuna, by arguing for the integration of psychodynamic theory with cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) for application in therapeutic processes. The article further posits that this integration needs to be introduced in training programmes for student psychotherapists who, as in the case of South Africa, are themselves the descendants of the generation that was exposed to historical trauma of colonialism and apartheid and are living with latent transgenerational trauma. To create a suitable foundation for the integration of psychodynamic theory and CHAT in psychotherapeutic practice, there is a need to apply critical pedagogical strategies in the training programmes of psychotherapists. Thus, this article further highlights the possibilities of employing critical pedagogical principles that incorporate ontological reflection, pedagogic discomfort, troubled knowledges, mutual vulnerability, strategic empathy, and compassion.

Fate or fault? Nurses’ perspectives on dementia prevention in German care facilities

Following the recent shift in medicine towards viewing dementia as a preventable disease, various activating interventions are being discussed to halt cognitive decline of people living in long-term care facilities. This article examines how the dementia discourse, with its turn towards prevention, translates into local everyday care practices. Based on problem-centered interviews, the study analyses how nurses negotiate the prevention paradigm in the context of current health policies, active aging culture, and institutional frameworks in German nursing homes.The study reveals two contrasting patterns in how nurses perceive, interpret, and implement current principles of dementia prevention in care: Despite most nurses being aware of current prevention recommendations, subjective conceptions of both the impact of lifestyle choices in earlier life and the effectiveness of activating interventions in care settings vary greatly. Adopting conceptions of successful aging, neuroplasticity and activity theory, some nurses understand dementia as associated with earlier lifestyle choices and see prevention as a task of nursing care. Focusing strongly on the individuals' personal needs and the well-being of those in need of care, the other group still sees dementia as fated, suggesting either a critical stance or a more holistic understanding of dementia prevention.Furthermore, institutional frameworks and economization processes in the German care system undermine the goal of strengthening prevention and health promotion. While prevention is promoted as an answer to the care crisis in health policy discourses, the implementation of preventive interventions is severely restricted by the fragmentation of nursing tasks, time constraints, and limited resources in care facilities.

Pay As You Earn (PAYE) Tax as Panacea to Backlog of Gratuities and Pensions of Civil Servants in Nigeria

Gratuities and pensions are payments due to retired civil servants; however, payments of these have not been timely and consistent to the extent that 23 state governments are owing N836.40 billion as gratuities and pension liabilities as of the end of 2022. Non-payment of these retirement benefits is often accompanied by social and health problems, leading to the premature death of retirees. Consequently, this study aims to examine the potential of monthly Pay As You Earn (PAYE) tax to eliminate the backlog of retirement benefits owed to retired civil servants. To achieve this aim, quantitative secondary data of PAYE tax collections by state governments is collected from the annual Internally Generated Revenue reports of states published by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) 2010-2022. Descriptive statistical analysis tools are employed to analyze collected data while Burgess’s activity theory and public policy analytical framework guided the conduct of the study. On the overall, results from the study revealed that while the 23 state governments owe N836.40billion as liabilities of retirement as at 2022, the same states have collected the sum of N5,672billion as PAYE tax 2010-2022. On individual states, 20 states have collected PAYE tax 2010-2022 more than their liabilities of retirement benefits, while only three states collected PAYE tax less than their accumulated liabilities of retirement benefits. The short-run policy implication is for states to set aside collected PAYE tax to settle the backlog of benefits and adopt the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) to avoid future recurrence of the backlog

Emergence of shared leadership in project teams: The role of events

The interest in project leadership research has expanded towards shared leadership practices, and shared leadership is a noteworthy alternative for traditional project management approaches. Despite the growing interest in shared leadership, the role of events in the emergence of shared leadership remains unclear. The aim of our research was to identify what kind of events trigger or hinder the emergence of shared leadership in project teams. Our qualitative research data from interviews with 31 project team members was collected in five different organizations. Activity theory was chosen as the analytical tool to explore the events affecting the emergence of shared leadership. We found event chains that trigger and hinder the emergence of shared leadership during the different phases of a project life cycle. Our research contributes to project leadership research by shedding light on the role of events in the emergence of shared leadership.

W single-atom mediated singlet oxygen formation on carbon nitride for powerful photocatalytic abatement of organic pollutants

Active single-atom W anchoring on graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) with interplanar four-coordination with N was achieved via a microwave hydrothermal process followed by thermal polymerization. The optimal monoatomic W incorporated g-C3N4 (W-CN) catalyst exhibited a high photocatalytic activity toward a wide range of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs). The anchoring of W single atom narrowed the energy-band, negatively shifted the conduction band of g-C3N4, and promoted the charge transfer and photogenerated carrier separation. Moreover, W single-atom intercalation obviously favored the formation of singlet oxygen (1O2), as validated by the active species capture test and density functional theory (DFT) calculation, which played an important role in the photocatalytic degradation of PPCPs. The treatment of actual wastewater, toxicity assessment and hemp-pea-growth experiments further showed that the W-CN photocatalyst could effectively degrade the organic pollutants and reduce their poisonousness in the water environment. This work offers a facile route to obtain reactive g-C3N4 with single-metal active sites and some insights into its activity enhancement for the abatement of organic pollutant-containing wastewater.

Passive and active field theories for disease spreading

The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant growth of interest in the development of mathematical models that allow to describe effects such as social distancing measures, the development of vaccines, and mutations. Several of these models are based on concepts from soft matter theory. Considerably less well investigated is the reverse direction, i.e. how results from epidemiological research can be of interest for the physics of colloids and polymers. In this work, we consider the susceptible-infected-recovered (SIR)-dynamical density functional theory (DDFT) model, a combination of the SIR model from epidemiology with DDFT from nonequilibrium soft matter physics, which allows for an explicit modeling of social distancing. We extend the SIR-DDFT model both from an epidemiological perspective by incorporating vaccines, asymptomaticity, reinfections, and mutations, and from a soft matter perspective by incorporating noise and self-propulsion and by deriving a phase field crystal (PFC) model that allows for a simplified description. On this basis, we investigate via computer simulations how epidemiological models are affected by the presence of non-reciprocal interactions. This is done in a numerical study of a zombie outbreak.

A geometrical theory of gliding motility based on cell shape and surface flow

Gliding motility proceeds with little changes in cell shape and often results from actively driven surface flows of adhesins binding to the extracellular environment. It allows for fast movement over surfaces or through tissue, especially for the eukaryotic parasites from the phylum apicomplexa, which includes the causative agents of the widespread diseases malaria and toxoplasmosis. We have developed a fully three-dimensional active particle theory which connects the self-organized, actively driven surface flow over a fixed cell shape to the resulting global motility patterns. Our analytical solutions and numerical simulations show that straight motion without rotation is unstable for simple shapes and that straight cell shapes tend to lead to pure rotations. This suggests that the curved shapes of Plasmodium sporozoites and Toxoplasma tachyzoites are evolutionary adaptations to avoid rotations without translation. Gliding motility is also used by certain myxo- or flavobacteria, which predominantly move on flat external surfaces and with higher control of cell surface flow through internal tracks. We extend our theory for these cases. We again find a competition between rotation and translation and predict the effect of internal track geometry on overall forward speed. While specific mechanisms might vary across species, in general, our geometrical theory predicts and explains the rotational, circular, and helical trajectories which are commonly observed for microgliders. Our theory could also be used to design synthetic microgliders.

Localisation of content and language integrated learning in China: tensions in teacher professional development

ABSTRACT Unlocking the potential of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) in China’s higher education landscape has magnified the demand for teacher professional development. Beyond just implementation, teachers are tasked with localising CLIL to fit China’s unique educational context. Yet, the professional needs of Chinese CLIL teachers remain largely unexplored. Through an interpretivist lens, this study delves into the tensions faced by these educators and unveils their pressing needs. Guided by the Cultural-Historical Activity Theory, our research unveils a landscape marked by a scarcity of professional development opportunities. We dissect the findings into pivotal areas: hurdles in accessing essential tools, forging collaborations with institutional and academic partners, navigating conflicting self-expectations and institutional demands, and juggling myriad roles within educational institutions. This inquiry casts a spotlight on the intricate world of professional development for Chinese CLIL teachers, advocating for targeted solutions to address their needs.

The role of emotional tensions in English language student teachers’ identity construction: an activity theory perspective

ABSTRACT Despite the recent growth of attention to language teachers’ emotions, knowledge about how emotional tensions contribute to student teachers’ identity construction is still under-developed. In response to this gap, the present study explored the role of emotional tensions in seven Iranian English language student teachers’ identity construction over a semester-long period. Theoretically grounded in activity theory, the study was conducted through collecting data from pre-course interviews, during-course reflective journals, and post-course interviews. Data analysis revealed three major themes: (1) emotional tensions as a source of marginalisation, (2) emotional tensions as a motivator of professional investment, and (3) emotional tensions as a fund of identity. We found that beyond positive and negative contributions for student teachers’ identity construction, emotional tensions could play a mediatory role in identity development when they interact with system-related discourses and participants. Based on the findings, we provide implications for teachers and teacher educators to turn emotional tensions into a positive contributor to interpersonal and organisational development.

Twenty-five years of change laboratories in schools: a critical and formative review

ABSTRACT Transformation, learning and research come together in educational action research. Change Laboratories (CLs) are a distinctive approach to action research grounded in Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT). CLs seek to go beyond technical change, oriented instead to systemic and ideologically driven transformation. However, there have been few reviews of CL research, none focused on education. This paper reports a review of 55 studies using CLs or sibling approaches involving schools. It finds that CLs have been applied to diverse problems including pedagogical practice development, initial teacher education and collaboration across school boundaries. Wider issues of equity, inclusion and justice are present but not ubiquitous in this work. Theoretical references focus on expansive learning, activity systems and double stimulation, with growing use of wider concepts from within and beyond CHAT, including Southern and Indigenous epistemologies. Critical reflection of these findings informs seven fronts for future development in CLs to strengthen their contribution to educational action research: participation, beyond-technical change, enduring change, epistemic justice, addressing grand challenges, resistance, and reporting.

Cytoplasmic stirring by active carpets

Large cells often rely on cytoplasmic flows for intracellular transport, maintaining homeostasis, and positioning cellular components. Understanding the mechanisms of these flows is essential for gaining insights into cell function, developmental processes, and evolutionary adaptability. Here, we focus on a class of self-organized cytoplasmic stirring mechanisms that result from fluid-structure interactions between cytoskeletal elements at the cell cortex. Drawing inspiration from streaming flows in late-stage fruit fly oocytes, we propose an analytically tractable active carpet theory. This model deciphers the origins and three-dimensional spatiotemporal organization of such flows. Through a combination of simulations and weakly nonlinear theory, we establish the pathway of the streaming flow to its global attractor: a cell-spanning vortical twister. Our study reveals the inherent symmetries of this emergent flow, its low-dimensional structure, and illustrates how complex fluid-structure interaction aligns with classical solutions in Stokes flow. This framework can be easily adapted to elucidate a broad spectrum of self-organized, cortex-driven intracellular flows.

(Re)constructing and (re)negotiating identities: A case study of postsecondary language teachers and social justice education

AbstractThis study explores the identity formation of two postsecondary language teachers and course coordinators—one in German and one in French—as they created intermediate‐level, content‐based social justice curricular units for a multiyear project. Using a multiple‐case‐study methodology and cultural–historical activity theory, this qualitative investigation answers the following research question: How do experienced postsecondary language teachers (re)construct and (re)negotiate their identities while developing social justice teaching materials? Findings, based on multicycle descriptive coding, reveal that participants’ past experiences, personal values, feelings of self‐doubt, and positionality as content‐based language teachers influenced their language teacher identity, as did tensions within and across three activity systems: the curriculum development project, classroom teaching, and the coordination of multisection courses. These findings have important implications for teacher professional development and community building related to social justice in language education.

The Mindful Interactions (MI) tool: promoting student mental health in tertiary education

This conceptual paper introduces the Mindful Interactions (MI) tool designed to enable university teaching academics to promote student mental health and in so doing, impact positively on academic outcomes. The MI tool is comprised of three elements: understandings to provide theoretical guidance which inform pedagogy, practices to provide strategies for translating theory into practice, and guiding principles which provide a catalyst for critical reflexion, challenge existing beliefs, and create a shared vision from which to work. Relationships are at its core, acknowledging that university students report teacher-student relationships as key to their mental health. Issues related to university student mental health, of which psychological distress is an important component, have been well documented and exacerbated since the onset of COVID-19, increasing demands on universities to meet student mental health needs. It is contended in this paper that understanding the causes of psychological distress, particularly in relation to Adverse Childhood Experiences, offers an alternative lens through which to view student mental health. This lens suggests additional ways of thinking about how university teaching academics and universities might proactively respond to student mental health needs. Cultural Historical Activity Theory informed the theoretical framework for the study, whilst two ‘approaches’ (the ‘Three Pillars of Trauma-informed Care’ and ‘Trust Based Relational Intervention’) along with associated trauma literature underpinned the development of the MI tool.

Activity theory perspective to the scale‐up and sustainability of mhealth in armed conflict zones of developing countries

AbstractMobile Health (mHealth) presents the potential to facilitate healthcare and improve the quality of life if successful pilot projects are scaled up and sustainable. However, the persistent termination of mHealth at the pilot phase challenges its potential in developing countries. Existing research suggests an absence of understanding of these phenomena for two reasons. First, literature is scarce in the broad context of armed conflict zones in developing countries, particularly in the IS domain. Second, extant literature emphasizes mHealth implementation, while neglecting the scale‐up and sustainability of these technologies. Therefore, this study employs activity theory as a holistic lens to explore how contradictions shape the scale‐up and sustainability of mHealth in the armed conflict zone of developing countries. In this study, rather than viewing contradiction as a challenge, it serves as a driver for effecting changes that can foster scale‐up and sustainability. The Algorithm for the Management of Acute Childhood Illnesses (ALMANACH), provides an empirical basis for this study. The research employs the interpretivism philosophy and the case study method. In‐depth interviews, participatory observations, and document reviews were used to collect data. Purposive and snowball sampling techniques were used to select the study's participants. The study reveals a lack of professional expertise among the CHWs, the non‐involvement of the users and beneficiaries in designing ALMANACH, and the lack of financial compensation for using ALMANACH in practice as contradictions. The study further exposes how community volunteer groups and the ALMANACH scientific board were established to steer demand.

Complex potential energy surfaces with projected CAP technique: Vibrational excitation of N2.

The projected complex absorbing potential (CAP) technique is one of the methods that allow one to extend the bound state methods for computing resonances' energies and widths. Here, we explore the accuracy of the potential energy curves generated with different electronic structure theory methods in combination with the projected CAP technique by considering resonant vibrational excitation (RVE) of N2 by electron impact as a model process. We report RVE cross sections computed using the boomerang model with potential energy curves obtained with CAP-based extended multistate complete active space perturbation theory (XMS-CASPT2) and equation of motion coupled-cluster method for electron attachment with single and double substitution (EOM-EA-CCSD) methods. We also compare potential energy curves computed with several electronic structure methods, including XMS-CASPT2, EOM-EA-CCSD, multireference configuration interaction with singles (MR-CIS) and singles and doubles (MR-CISD). A good agreement is observed between the experiment and simulated RVE cross sections obtained with the potential energy curves generated with XMS-CASPT2 and EOM-EA-CCSD methods, thus highlighting the potential of the projected CAP technique combined with accurate electronic structure methods for dynamical simulations of the processes that proceed through metastable electronic states.

Bridging School and Practice? Barriers to the Integration of 'Boundary Objects' for Learning and Assessment in Clinical Nursing Education.

In clinical health professions education, portfolios, assignments and assessment standards are used to enhance learning. When these tools fulfill a bridging function between school and practice, they can be considered 'boundary objects'. In the clinical setting, these tools may be experienced as time-consuming and lacking value. This study aimed to investigate the barriers to the integration of boundary objects for learning and assessment from a Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) perspective in clinical nursing education. Nineteen interviews and five observations were conducted with team leads, clinical educators, supervisors, students, and teachers to obtain insight into intentions and use of boundary objects for learning and assessment. Boundary objects (assessment standards, assignments, feedback/reflection/patient care/development plan templates) were collected. The data collection and thematic analysis were guided by CHAT. Barriers to the integration of boundary objects included: a) conflicting requirements in clinical competency monitoring and assessment, b) different application of analytical skills, and c) incomplete integration of boundary objects for self-regulated learning into supervision practice. These barriers were amplified by the simultaneous use of boundary objects for learning and assessment. Underlying contradictions included different objectives between school and practice, and tensions between the distribution of labor in the clinical setting and school's rules. School and practice have both convergent and divergent priorities around students' clinical learning. Boundary objects can promote continuity in learning and increase students' understanding of clinical practice. However, effective integration requires for flexible rules that allow for collaborative learning around patient care.

История возникновения отечественной психолингвистики – теории речевой деятельности

The article is an attempt to comprehend and describe the history of the emergence in the 60s of the twentieth century of a new interdisciplinary scientific discipline – Russian psycholinguistics (theory of speech activity) and the role of Alexei Alekseevich Leontiev in this process.

Алексей Алексеевич Леонтьев… ученый, учитель, человек

Twenty years. Blessed good memory... Alexey Alekseevich Leontiev (January 14, 1936 – December 8, 2004). Soviet and Russian linguist, psychologist, Doctor of Psychology and Doctor of Philology, full member of the Russian Academy of Education, one of the founders of the psychological theory of speech activity.