Cultural Historical Activity Theory Research Articles

Perezhivanie-agency dialectic: Examining Vietnamese EFL educators’ experiences and negotiation of dramatic classroom events

Tensions and conflicts are common in teachers' everyday professional lives, yet research on how these experiences influence pedagogical decisions and teacher agency remains limited. This study employs a broad sociocultural perspective, integrating cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) and Vygotsky's concept of perezhivanie, to examine how two Vietnamese English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) educators responded agentively to emotionally charged events. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and reflective journals, and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The findings of the study illustrate that mismatches between educators' expectations and students' behaviors not only underpin educators' negative emotions and cognitive responses but also catalyze a cycle of reflection, which subsequently leads to modifications in teaching practices and strengthens educators' agency. This study underscores the complex interplay between teachers' experiences of dramatic events and their agency, highlighting the importance of equipping educators with the necessary knowledge and skills to constructively manage difficult emotions and enhance their problem-solving capabilities. This study exemplifies a critical integration through the development of Integrative Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (iCHAT), which synergistically combines elements of CHAT and Vygotsky's perezhivanie, providing a robust framework to investigate a range of complex phenomena beyond teacher agency in diverse educational and cultural contexts.

Using cultural-historical activity theory to describe a university-wide blended learning initiative

Institution-wide evaluations of Blended Learning implementations are rare. Even less common are evaluations that report the sociocultural context of the implementation. Recently, an Australian university in the western region of Victoria embarked on an initiative to blend all course units over a three-year period. Stemming from a rigorous analysis of reporting documents and participantresearcher observations, an attempt has been made to describe the sociocultural context of this blended learning initiative through the lens of Engestrom’s Cultural-historical Activity Theory (CHAT). This description, along with the challenges surfaced will serve as a precursor to the university-wide impact evaluation of this blended learning initiative. The objective of the analysis was to reify the complex processes, intricate relationships and dynamic environmental elements, which tend not to be captured by impact evaluations. Understanding what exactly is going on will enable the University to situate evaluation findings in the context of factors that might have helped or hampered the achievement of outcomes, and remediate process-related problems in a timely manner. Amidst the flurry of focused and coordinated blended learning activities, eight key process-related challenges emerged: Staff Capacity, Engagement, Deployment, Workload, Technological Issues, Project Management, Communication and Unit Stability. These challenges could potentially make or break ‘the Blend’ if not adequately addressed. This paper highlights the value of process evaluations for online and blended learning implementations and argues for such evaluations to be grounded in ontological realities reflected on accountability reports and observational data.

Reading in Relation: Youth Mentors and Adults Co-Constructing Teaching and Learning in a High School Literacy Classroom

Most schools operate as hierarchical structures, where adult stakeholders largely dictate what counts as knowledge and how to teach it. While previous scholarship has documented the promise of youth-led initiatives to trouble hierarchical structures, these explorations tend to occur outside of schools and do not typically account for the kinds of changes in relations between youth and adults necessary to disrupt hierarchical structures from within. Using third-generation cultural-historical activity theory as our theoretical framework, in this study we explore the shifts in subject-subject relations that emerged as high school youth literacy mentors, their teacher, and university researchers participated in iterative processes of co-configuration to open up new possibilities for literacy learning at their public school. We examine how youth mentors and adults co-designed and co-taught the Literacy Mentorship Class (LMC) while increasingly engaging contradictions as double binds within the Literacy Mentorship Debrief (LMD). We trace how evolving subject-subject relations in the LMD contributed to shifts in divisions of labor, rules, objects, and mediating artifacts in and beyond the LMC. Ultimately, we propose debriefs as a set of reflective practices to facilitate future possibilities for co-configuration among youth and adults that can be responsive to the particularities of any school community.

Gender Dynamics in STEM Fields: Women's Experiences in Different Cultural Contexts

Purpose: The general aim of this study was to explore gender dynamics in STEM fields particularly, women’s experiences in different cultural contexts. Methodology: The study adopted a desktop research methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive’s time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library. Findings: The findings reveal that there exists a contextual and methodological gap relating to the gender dynamics in STEM fields. Through a comparative analysis across diverse cultural settings, significant variations in women's experiences in STEM were revealed, with some societies demonstrating greater gender equity and support for women. However, persistent disparities and challenges related to cultural norms and gender roles were observed in others. The research underscored the intersectional nature of gender dynamics in STEM, emphasizing the interconnectedness of gender with other dimensions of identity such as race and ethnicity. Additionally, cultural stereotypes and societal expectations were identified as significant barriers to women's participation and advancement in STEM fields. The findings underscored the importance of context-specific approaches to promoting gender equity in STEM and highlighted the need for challenging stereotypes and fostering inclusive environments for women in STEM fields globally. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Social Cognitive Career theory (SCCT), intersectionality theory and Cultural-Historical Activity theory (CHAT) may be used to anchor future studies on gender dynamics in STEM fields. The study provided valuable recommendations with significant implications for theory, practice, and policy. It contributed to theoretical advancements by highlighting the intersectional nature of gender dynamics in STEM, offering practical recommendations for stakeholders in education and workforce development, and suggesting policy interventions aimed at promoting gender equity in STEM fields. The study emphasized the importance of organizational change, global collaboration, and continuous evaluation and improvement in advancing gender equity in STEM. By implementing these recommendations, stakeholders could work towards creating more equitable and inclusive environments where women could thrive and contribute meaningfully to STEM fields worldwide.

The work performed through interprofessional meeting discourse: an observational study

ABSTRACT The effectiveness of work performed through interprofessional practice is contingent on the nature and extent of communication between professionals. To date, there is little research exploring how the patterns of communication may impact interprofessional work. This study focused on communication during interprofessional meetings to better understand the interprofessional work performed through these encounters. Specifically, it examined how interactional discourse, that is, the patterns of language, influenced work performed during interprofessional meetings. A series of four interprofessional meetings in a rehabilitation unit were observed. Twenty-one participants were observed, including medical, nursing, allied health clinicians, and health professions students. Follow-up stimulated-recall interviews were conducted with five meeting participants. The data collection consisted of video and audio recordings and detailed field notes. Data were analyzed using a combination of genre analysis, a form of discourse analysis, and activity system analysis, drawing on Cultural Historical Activity Theory. This facilitated an in-depth examination of the structure of discourse and its influence on meeting outcomes. The meeting structure was defined and predictable. Two distinct forms of discourse were identified and labeled scripted and unscripted. Scripted discourse was prompted by standardized documents and facilitated the completion of organizational work. In contrast, unscripted discourse was spontaneous dialogue used to co-construct knowledge and contributed to collaboration. There was constant shifting between scripted and unscripted discourse throughout meetings which was orchestrated by experienced clinicians. Rather than fragmenting the discussion, this shifting enabled shared decision making. This research provides further insights into the interprofessional work performed during interprofessional meetings. The scripted discourse was highly influenced by artifacts (communication tools) in meetings, and these were used to ensure organizational imperatives were met. Unscripted discourse facilitated not only new insights and decisions but also social cohesion that may influence work within and outside the meeting.

Pengajaran Bahasa Berdasarkan Teori Aktivitas Budaya Engeström: Integrasi Konteks Budaya dalam Pembelajaran Bahasa

This article presents a language teaching framework for understanding how human activities can be influenced by social and cultural contexts. This is because effective language teaching does not only understand the structure and vocabulary, but also understands the cultural context in which the language is used. To understand this, this research uses Engeström's 'Cultural Historical Activity Theory' with a qualitative descriptive analytical approach method, with several research steps, First: Identifying Data. Second: Collecting Data. Third: Analyzing Data. Fourth: Synthesis and Interpretation. For this reason, the aim of this research is to discuss the importance of cultural aspects in language teaching and how this approach can improve students' language skills and cultural understanding. The findings of this research indicate that Engeström's culturally-based activity theory can enhance communication skills through language teaching within cultural contexts. Consequently, students can serve as a positive force in fostering cross-cultural communication competence.

The Value of Pretend Play for Social Competence in Early Childhood: A Meta-analysis

According to Vygotsky’s cultural-historical activity theory, pretend play can be an important context for the development of children’s social competence. The aim of this meta-analysis was to synthesize the current evidence about the relation between pretend play and social competence in early childhood (age 3–8 years). A systematic literature search of PsycINFO, ERIC, and Web of Science identified a total of 34 relevant empirical studies. The included studies were systematically coded and categorized for pretend play and social competence. Overall, the findings of this meta-analysis reveal a positive relation between pretend play and social competence, irrespective of how the latter was measured. The relation between pretend play and social competence was slightly negatively impacted by children’s age, suggesting that the relation weakens as children get older. Studies measuring the amount of pretend play found lower correlations between pretend play and social competence than studies measuring the quality of pretend play. Most included studies adopted a cross-sectional design, so claims about causal effects could not be supported. Future research is required to determine the direction of causality and potential mechanisms that may explain the relation between pretend play and social competence.

Unraveling attrition and retention: A qualitative study with rehabilitation professionals.

Health human resources are scarce worldwide. In occupational therapy (OT), physical therapy (PT), and speech-language pathology (S-LP), attrition and retention issues amplify this situation and contribute to the precarity of health systems. To investigate the phenomena of attrition and retention with OTs, PTs and S-LPs who stayed in, or left their profession. Cultural-historical activity theory provided the theoretical scaffolding for this interpretive description study. We used purposeful sampling (maximum variation approach) to recruit OTs, PTs, and S-LPs from Quebec, Canada. Individual interviews were conducted with 51 OTs, PTs, and S-LPs from Quebec, Canada, in English or French (2019-2020). Inductive and deductive approaches, and constant comparative techniques were used for data analysis. Six themes were developed: 1) characteristics of work that made it meaningful; 2) aspects of work that practitioners appreciate; 3) factors of daily work that weigh on a practitioner; 4) factors that contribute to managing work; 5) relationships with different stakeholders that shape daily work; and 6) perceptions of the profession. Meaningfulness was tied to participants' sense that their values were reflected in their work. Factors outside work shaped participants' work experiences. Recurrent negative experiences led some to leave their profession. Findings underscore a critical need to address contributing factors to attrition and retention which are essential to ensuring the availability of OTs, PTs and SLPs for present and future rehabilitation needs.

ACCOUNTS OF ELEMENTARY TEACHERS ON THE USE OF PEDAGOGIES IN ADDRESSING LEARNING LOSS DURING THE IN-PERSON CLASSES: A PHENOMENOLOGY

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to describe the experiences of Elementary School Teachers in using pedagogies to address learning loss during in-person classes. The concept and idea for the study were gleaned from Shulmans (1986) Pedagogical Content Knowledge Theory, which proposes that effective teachers possess a specific knowledge set alongside certain personality qualities, abilities, and dispositions. This theory emphasizes that teaching well requires both artistry and scientific understanding. There are numerous practices, techniques, and abilities that contribute to effective instruction, and these cannot be fully captured in a limited list. The study is further supported by Vygotskys (1978) Cultural-Historical Activity Theory, which views the learning environment from a social constructivist perspective. This theory fundamentally explains how students acquire knowledge in a social context, interacting with peers and mentors. Additionally, Banduras (1977) Social Learning Theory is used as a supporting framework, which suggests that increased social interaction leads to higher levels of learning. Finally, the study is grounded in van Dijks (2020) Theory of the Digital Divide. There were five (5) public elementary school teachers participated in the in-depth interview. They were selected using purposive sampling method. The results revealed in the experiences, coping up mechanisms, and insights in using pedagogies and strategizing to address the learning loss of the students. More so, collaboration with parents, ineffectively usage of modular learning, problems in reading skills of the learners, structuring of rewards and punishment, and flexibility and consistency in teaching. The results are believed to be significant to teachers and Department of Education regarding on the experiences of public elementary school heads returning to being classroom teacher. KEYWORDS: experiences, public elementary school teachers, learning loss, phenomenology, Davao de Oro

Efficacy of Online Tutoring Programs: A Comparative Analysis between the United Kingdom and China

Purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate the efficacy of online tutoring programs: a comparative analysis between the United Kingdom and China.
 Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries.
 Findings: A comparative analysis between the United Kingdom and China highlights differences in the efficacy of online tutoring programs. Chinese students show higher engagement, while UK students report greater satisfaction. These findings emphasize the need for culturally tailored tutoring interventions to optimize outcomes across diverse educational settings.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Social learning theory, cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) & technology acceptance model (TAM) may be used to anchor future studies on the efficacy of online tutoring programs: a comparative analysis between the United Kingdom and China. Online tutoring programs should prioritize the development of culturally sensitive pedagogical strategies and instructional materials. Policymakers should promote cross-cultural collaboration and exchange in the development and implementation of online tutoring programs.

Teacher professional development through Knotworking: facilitating transformational agency through collaboration to overcome constraints to teaching in relation to disruptive events

ABSTRACT Teachers face numerous challenges in their efforts to be pedagogically responsive to students’ different learning needs. I extend scholarship in the field by exploring the potential of implementing a nuanced, collaborative intervention strategy called knotworking to facilitate teachers’ ongoing professional development (PD). The heuristic of knotworking builds on Cultural Historical Activity Theory which takes historically formed systemic contradiction as the central unit of analysis. Knotworking is a collaborative model where participants address contradictions in their work environment to overcome the fragmentation of the object. By engaging in ‘knots,’ participants seek ways to combine their expertise around a central problem or contradiction. Qualitative data, generated from recordings of teachers participating in a series of ongoing knotworking interventions, showed that these collaborative events supported PD, as most of the teachers were able to identify complex problems constraining their teaching and, from this, generate new knowledge and deepen their understanding of how to be pedagogically responsive to the different needs of their learners. Implications are considered for using knotworking as a strategy to support PD initiatives in complex contexts, where finding solutions to problems is often elusive.

How to form shared objects to enhance university-school collaboration? A cultural-historical activity theory perspective.

University-school (U-S) collaboration has proven to be an effective approach for teacher professional development, but it could be hampered by the lack of shared objects. To understand how shared objects are formed in U-S collaboration, this research established a university-school collaborated Change Laboratory in W primary school based on cultural-historical activity theory, which is under the background of Chinese teaching research activity. Recordings of meetings throughout the year were transcribed into texts and coded, and then analyzed via the method of grounded theory and contradiction analysis. The findings reveal that, in comparison to previous studies regarding shared object formation process, this study identified an special phase named "experimental object," which highlights the significance of experimentation in U-S collaboration. Also, multiple contradictions are recognized as the driving force for shared object formation which would gradually transform into fundamental conflicts between tools. The main contradictions identified include those between scientific and daily concepts, university culture and school culture, as well as new experiment and old routine. The current study implicates that U-S collaboration is an expansive learning process to acquire unknown knowledge, which necessitates both parties engaging in exploration and experimentation together. Furthermore, shared object formation within U-S collaboration requires participants to focus on developing teaching tools while consciously undergoing changes in aspects such as logic of thinking, culture and routine.

Intergenerational Asian diaspora mentoring in the academy: mapping the terrain of allied political struggles through critical relational ethnography

ABSTRACT This paper investigates intergenerational Asian diaspora faculty mentorship within the context of higher education in North America. Drawing on intersectionality, rightful presence, and third-generation cultural historical activity theory (CHAT), the authors theorize across three activity systems—predominantly white academic institutions (PWI), a collaborative research project (LSP), and critical dialogue space (ADS)—to understand their collective work as part of a continuous arc of justice in the academy. The study explores the intersectional power dynamics and cultural conflicts that shape how junior and senior (South and East) Asian-identified authors negotiate reauthoring their rights in the pursuit of rightful presence within and across these activity systems. Through two vignettes, the findings illustrate the complexities of allied political struggles and intergenerational mentoring in higher education. In doing so, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of how Asian diaspora faculty navigate can foster bidirectional intergenerational, critical, justice-oriented sociopolitical allyship within academia, advancing conversations on mentorship and equity in education.

Machine learning and human learning: a socio-cultural and -material perspective on their relationship and the implications for researching working and learning

AbstractThe paper adopts an inter-theoretical socio-cultural and -material perspective on the relationship between human + machine learning to propose a new way to investigate the human + machine assistive assemblages emerging in professional work (e.g. medicine, architecture, design and engineering). Its starting point is Hutchins’s (1995a) concept of ‘distributed cognition’ and his argument that his concept of ‘cultural ecosystems’ constitutes a unit of analysis to investigate collective human + machine working and learning (Hutchins, Philos Psychol 27:39–49, 2013). It argues that: (i) the former offers a way to reveal the cultural constitution of and enactment of human + machine cognition and, in the process, the limitations of the computational and connectionist assumptions about learning that underpin, respectively, good old-fashioned AI and deep learning; and (2) the latter offers a way to identify, when amplified with insights from Socio-Materialism and Cultural-Historical Activity Theory, how ML is further rearranging and reorganising the distributed basis of cognition in assistive assemblages. The paper concludes by outlining a set of conjectures researchers that could use to guide their investigations into the ongoing design and deployment of HL + ML assemblages and challenges associated with the interaction between HL + ML.

Cultural–Historical Activity Theory as an integrative model of socioscientific issue based learning in museums using extended reality technologies

ABSTRACT The transformation of natural history and science museums from receptacles (temples) to facilitators (forums) of knowledge fosters discourse around issues relating to science and society, known as social scientific issues (SSI). To assist guests with enhanced object-based learning, extended reality (XR) technologies are thought to leverage the leisure and social motivations of guests for greater object-based learning and SSI engagement. To model guests’ experiences using XR, this theoretical paper identifies and describes how a new conceptualization of Cultural–Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) to facilitate SSI outcomes through shared outcome spaces of interacting guest and museum activity systems, mediated by XR technology. We present two scenarios of forum-forward SSI-based learning utilizing this emergent CHAT model in: (i) scrutinizing the environmental and ecological consequences of human activity and (ii) unveiling the contributions of Indigenous Science Knowledge. Issues surrounding ownership and representation are discussed when ‘transforming’ singular objects into digital, decontextualized, and distributable entities.

Tensions between the political, institutional, and project levels when developing professional digital competence in teacher education. A cultural historical activity theory analysis of inhibiting and facilitating factors

ABSTRACT This study is a Cultural Historical Activity Theory analysis of the tensions between object and motive at the political, institutional and project management levels for five digitalisation projects aimed at integrating professional digital competence (PDC) in Norwegian teacher education (TE). The study is inspired by ethnography and builds on a variety of qualitative data (including qualitative interviews (N = 14)) gathered through the author’s participation in different roles (2017–2021). Identifying objects and motives across levels allows for the identification of factors inhibiting and facilitating factors the development of PDC in TE. An analytical model was developed to identify the objects and motives at each level, showing a political object of preparing for the future, an institutional object of creating high quality TE, and a project management object of delivering a lasting impact on TE. These differing objects and motives guide the activities at each level and reveal tension, including between the political push for change, project management’s attempts to deliver impact, and a culture built on academic freedom which seems counterproductive by slowing things down. The study also reveals facilitating factors, such as funding and relevance in collaboration with schools, and inhibiting factors like academic freedom and the expected speed of change.

Study on Factors Influencing University Students' Awareness of Intangible Cultural Heritage Transmission

In the context of contemporary globalization, the preservation and safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage has assumed heightened significance. Serving as a pivotal cultural asset, intangible cultural heritage plays an essential role in upholding cultural diversity and fostering societal progress. This study combines micro and macro-level management practices, student engagement theory, and cultural-historical activity theory to conduct quantitative research on 500 art and design students from 16 universities in Shaanxi Province, China. The primary research findings reveal a positive correlation between students' sense of responsibility and cultural heritage awareness, indicating deepening responsibility with heightened awareness. However, general knowledge and student-teacher interactions, though positively correlated, lack statistical significance. The study underscores the crucial role of institutional support and pragmatic education in enhancing students' intangible cultural heritage transmission awareness. Practical, hands-on learning experiences and strong institutional backing drive a deeper understanding and appreciation of cultural heritage among students. These insights have implications for educational policy and curriculum design, emphasizing the need for a multi-faceted approach to intangible cultural heritage education that incorporates both theoretical knowledge and practical experiences, and underscores the importance of institutional support in this endeavor.

“I’m on My Own and I’m Not Trained”: A Cultural-Historical Activity Theory Analysis of Teaching Mathematics Out-of-Field in a Small School

AbstractThis paper employs Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) as an analytical heuristic in exploring the internationally prevalent situation of teaching out-of-field. Drawing on interview transcripts, we use CHAT to frame the activity of a young teacher teaching mathematics out-of-field in a small rural K-12 school in Australia. We identify and map some important elements and tensions of out-of-field mathematics teaching, how these tensions change over time and how this activity interacts with in-field teaching. Finally, we consider emotions and identity in relation to the structural elements of CHAT mediational triangles to more fully explore and represent some of the complexities of teaching mathematics out-of-field in a small rural school and implications for responding to the out-of-field phenomenon.

When rules turn into tools: An activity theory-based perspective on implementation processes and unintended consequences.

The idea that actions of people, organizations or governments may lead to Unintended Consequences (UICs) is not new. In health, UICs have been reported as a result of various interventions including quality improvement initiatives, health information technology implementation, and knowledge translation, especially those involving translation of broad policies (evidence-based medicine and patient-centred care) or system level improvement into actionable items or tools. While some unintended consequences cannot be anticipated, others may be predictable. In this article, we present a model based on cultural historical activity theory, which may help policy-makers, health leaders, and researchers better anticipate UICs resulting from implementation of new programs or technologies and take action to address them or mitigate their risk of occurrence. We support this model using examples of UICs of implementing family centred care principles, electronic health records, and computerized templates for quality improvement in chronic disease management.

Co-development of client involvement in health and social care services: examining modes of interaction

PurposeThe involvement of clients in service encounters and service development has become a central principle for contemporary health and social care organizations. However, in day-to-day work settings, the shift toward client involvement is still in progress. We examined how health and social care professionals, together with clients and managers, co-develop their conceptions of client involvement and search for practical ways in which to implement these in organizational service processes.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical case of this study was a developmental intervention, the client involvement workshop, conducted in a Finnish municipal social and welfare center. The cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) framework was used to analyze the development of client involvement ideas and the modes of interaction during the intervention.FindingsAnalysis of the collective discussion revealed that the conceptions of client involvement developed through two interconnected object-orientations: Enabling client involvement in service encounters and promoting client involvement in the service system. The predominant mode of interaction in the collective discussion was that of “coordination.” The clients' perspective and contributions were central aspects in the turning points from coordination to cooperation; professionals crossed organizational boundaries, and together with clients, constructed a new client involvement-based object. This suggests that client participation plays an important role in the development of services.Originality/valueThe CHAT-based examination of the modes of interaction clarifies the potential of co-developing client-involvement-based services and highlights the importance of clients' participation in co-development.