Cultural-historical Approach Research Articles

Problems and countermeasures: a phenomenological study of Chinese EFL supervisors’ perspectives about the practicum / Problemas y contramedidas: un estudio fenomenológico de las perspectivas de los supervisores de ILE en China sobre el programa de prácticas

Informed by the cultural-historical approach, this phenomenological study examined a group of Chinese EFL (English as a foreign language) teacher educators’ views about the practicum. Longitudinal observations, individual formal interviews and informal conversations were employed to understand the supervisors’ perceptions about the problems arising from the practicum and strategies to enhance it. The results reveal three key problems, including supervisors’ limited involvement, limited support from the university and practicum schools, and interns’ weaknesses. The countermeasures involve the initiative of student teachers and a stable collaborative platform. Implications are drawn from the study about strategies of constructing a coherent activity system with shared objects for university–school partnerships.

Когнитивная археология: между Кантом и Выготским

The paper touches upon the problems of historical development of thought. One of the approaches to the evolution of human cognitive abilities – cognitive archaeology – is considered. The relation of cognitive archaeology to broader debates about the evolution of mind and its specificity is defined. It is shown that in general theoretical and worldview terms, one of the branches of cognitive archaeology is based on evolutionary psychology (in the broad sense) and its inherent (quasi-)Kantian worldview. The second branch is associated with the recognition of the significant role of materiality, material and practical collective activity in the formation of the mind, and in this respect it is much closer to the ideas of cultural-historical approaches than to the Kantian approach. It is argued that the current state of the discipline is predominantly associated with this second strand.

THE PROBLEM OF COMPLIANCE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WITH SUBSTANTIAL VALUES OF HUMAN

The article attempts to assess the relationship between artificial intelligence (AI), which has become an important part of the life of modern society, and substantial (essential, most significant for humans as a species) values. The relevance of the study is determined by the widespread use of AI and the discussions it constantly causes. On the basis of interdisciplinary, systemic, value-based, dialectical, cultural-historical approaches using methods of observation, analysis, interpretation and others, it was revealed that substantial values ​​are significantly influenced by the spread of AI, but at the same time do not undergo of significant transformations. A number of values ​​(life, freedom of choice, human identity, subjectivity, the possibility of creativity) do not experience real threats, but in the context of the spread of AI they are beginning to be valued higher. Other values ​​(individuality, collectivism, family values, comfort, pleasure) are developing progressively under the influence of AI. Only one substantial value (security) experiences real threats, but its significance for a person only increases as a result. The conclusion is drawn about the significant, but not transformational, influence of AI on the system of substantial values, and therefore about its correspondence to this system.

Theoretical connections between critical-historical pedagogy and the cultural-historical approach to the learning activity

Apresentam-se resultados de uma pesquisa de natureza teórico-bibliográfica que teve como horizonte a incorporação das formulações teóricas sobre a atividade de estudo realizada por autores da psicologia histórico-cultural, notadamente por Davidov, como subsídio psicológico à teorização histórico-crítica sobre o ensino escolar. Argumenta-se que ambos sistemas conceituais guardam especificidades no tocante ao objeto e contexto de formulação mas convergem no que respeita aos fundamentos filosófico-metodológicos, e que a articulação entre eles permite avançar especialmente no âmbito da didática do ensino da idade escolar no contexto da pedagogia histórico-crítica.

MENTORING AS A FORM OF PSYCHOLOGICAL SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN LEFT WITHOUT PARENTAL CARE

Relevance. The loss of parental care like nothing else affects the psychological well-being of the child and can have detrimental consequences for their further social adaptation and self-realization in adulthood. The emergence of effective mechanisms for child's social adaptation is the result of its productive interaction with a human social environment and an indispensable condition for successful socialization in society. The purpose of this study is to identify the influence of mentoring on the social and psychological adaptation of children left without parental care. Methodology. By means of theoretical analysis using the methodology of the systemic and cultural-historical approach, the article analyzes in detail the history of mentoring, its types and functions in working with children. Results. The paper proves that a child left without parental care faces a number of problems ( compensation for the level of mental deprivation, formation of basic trust in the world and gender-role identification, understanding ethical norms, and formation of relevant values), which negatively affect their ability to social adaptation. To solve them, she needs competent psychological support from adults. Mentoring is considered as an effective form of psychological support and guidance for children, which, by transforming and enriching itself in the processes of formation, has found due recognition in modern society and is widely used as a tool for the personal development of a person as a subject of activity. It is concluded that the psychological and pedagogical potential of mentoring should be used in the psychological support of children who were left without parental care due to military operations on the territory of Ukraine.

A Formative Study Towards the Inclusion of Indigenous Technologies and Knowledge Practices in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) Curriculum Settings

This work on STEAM and education for sustainable development was undertaken across a series of collaborative case studies as formative research on the inclusion of Indigenous technologies and knowledge practices in teacher education. We noted that, despite the current academic imperative to decolonise southern African education, one seldom finds the inclusion of Indigenous technologies and Indigenous heritage practices in the contemporary classroom. Teachers we worked with were highly interested in their Indigenous knowledge heritage. Yet, they reported that they, and the young teachers they work with, simply do not have the heritage knowledge capital to include Indigenous knowledge systems in their teaching. Other challenges they face are the time it takes to engage community knowledge holders, and to find knowledge relating to school subject disciplines. The teachers observed that students prioritise modernity over Indigenous heritage and technologies, often undervaluing the latter as a forgotten past. Three exploratory cases delved into teacher education's response to challenges through co-engaged work, and this paper synthesises the emerging evidence-aiming to refine pedagogical tools for integrating Indigenous knowledge into STEAM education. A cultural-historical approach was used to frame the study and to derive insights and inferences in co-engaged lesson design research with teachers.

Legal awareness of the individual: a view from the standpoint of cultural, historical and activity methodology

The article is devoted to the theoretical understanding of the phenomenon of legal consciousness of personality from the standpoint of L.S. Vygotsky's cultural and historical theory and A.N. Leontiev's general psychological theory of activity. The regularities of the formation of the legal consciousness of the individual are presented, the psychological properties and functions of the legal consciousness of the individual are described, the hypothesis of the systemic and semantic structure of the phenomenon under consideration is theoretically substantiated. The content of the legal consciousness of the individual is described at the level of "meanings", "personal meaning" and "sensory tissue" of consciousness. The process of formation of the system of legal consciousness of personality is considered through the application of the principle of unity of affect and intelligence, formulated by L.S. Vygotsky, according to which the will of the subject is a single basis and an intermediary link in the formation of consciously controlled processes (the formation of arbitrariness), where in the process of development there is a change in the relationship between affect and intelligence. The theoretical propositions formulated by the authors can form the basis for extensive empirical studies of the legal consciousness of the individual in line with the national psychological tradition, laid down in the cultural-historical approach and the general psychological theory of activity. The regularities of the formation of the legal consciousness of the individual are presented, the psychological properties and functions of the legal consciousness of the individual are described, the hypothesis of the systemic and semantic structure of the phenomenon under consideration is theoretically substantiated. The theoretical propositions formulated by the authors can form the basis for extensive empirical studies of the legal consciousness of the individual in line with the national psychological tradition, laid down in the cultural-historical approach and the general psychological theory of activity. The theoretical analysis of the phenomenon of legal awareness from the standpoint of the national cultural, historical and activity methodology allows us to draw the following conclusions and generalizations. The process of formation and development of legal awareness is a transition from simpler semantic generalizations about law to more complex ones, in the course of general personality development. Thus, the system of meanings of the "language of law" (with different levels of generalizations) determines the content of the components of the structure of legal consciousness, the "development" of these generalizations may indicate the level of development of legal consciousness. A deep study of legal consciousness is impossible in isolation from the categories of "personal meaning", "sensual fabric", as well as those "meanings" in which law finds its objective expression in culture and in a specific person, a subject of law.

Michel Serres’s Sensorial Philosophy and the Importance of Skin in Francis Bacon’s Nudes

Prompted by the exhibition Francis Bacon: Man and Beast (January–April 2022), this article takes a cultural studies and historical poetics approach to the significance of skin in Bacon’s nudes. Drawing upon Michel Serres’s philosophy and the work of prominent figures within skin studies, this article argues that Bacon’s paintings intuitively embody the significance of skin as a dynamic site/sight of sensory, lived, experience shaped by socio-historical context. Bacon’s nudes are considered in relation to the dermalogical turn; the topological body; Didier Anzieu’s skin ego and skin as our ‘deepest surface’; and the importance of movement in Bacon’s imagery, which correlates with Serres’s notion that learning occurs through bodily motion. Serres recognises that cultural works – including painting and other creative practices – can convey complex multiplicities of knowledge synthesised into new and distinct forms.

Emotional configurations of grief: Narratives from childhood

Being human involves encountering losses to which grief is a common response. No one can escape grief—it is the price of affection and love. In this paper, we aim to understand how grieving unfolds as described in university students’ short narratives of their childhood. Applying a cultural-historical approach, especially the notion of emotional configuration, we explore the interplay of emotion, sense-making, and practice in grief-related childhood life events. Our research problematizes the binary classification of “little and large griefs” and shows that focusing only on death-related grief may devalue losses in childhood that are not related to death. Our findings demonstrate that grief is never isolated, but configured with a variety of other emotions and feelings, and strongly related to children’s own sense-making and worldviews. Attention to emotional configuration shifts our focus from individual grief to the wider cultural-historical practices and sense-making processes in which grief is always intertwined.

Eye movements in the development of geometric shape recognition: from sensory-motor processes to theoretical perception

AbstractEfficient recognition of geometric shapes is an important aspect of proficiency in geometry. Building theoretically on the cultural-historical approach enriched by the physiology of activity, we investigate theoretical perception in geometry—the ability to recognize conceptual geometric aspects of visual figures. Aiming to understand the development of theoretical perception, we investigate how sensory-motor processes of eye movements differ between adults and children when perceiving geometric figures. In an empirical study, we explored the variety of perceptual strategies used by first-grade students and compared them with the adults’ perception. The results reveal the contraction of eye movements: with growing expertise, foveal analysis—namely, an inspection of the figures by directing the gaze to their parts—is substituted by extrafoveal analysis—namely, perceiving without looking directly. The variety of the observed children’s perceptual strategies demonstrates that theoretical perception of different figures is heterogeneous. From the suggested theoretical perspective, the direct foveal inspection of particular figures is critical for the development of general anticipatory images of geometric shapes. Our theoretical analysis and empirical findings lead to distinguishing several functions of sensory-motor processes in theoretical perception in geometry. Those functions include positioning the retina in the best way for the comparison of sensory feedback with the geometric shape’s anticipatory image, advancing an anticipatory image based on visual experience, and regulating covert attention. All of these functions need to be taken into account when interpreting the results of eye-tracking studies in mathematics education research. Notably, our research highlights the limitations of the eye-mind hypothesis: direct fixations on a figure are not always needed for its theoretical perception and, the other way around, a fixation position may indicate the comparison of a broad extrafoveal region with an anticipatory image.

Creative Learning of Computer Science of Computer Science Professionals: Case University of Matanzas

Research on creativity is a common topic today, with a strong psychological component influencing its definition. This research takes the definition of creative learning from the theory of subjectivity, which is a strand of the cultural-historical approach. However, few studies have defined creativity in the field of computer science and even fewer have addressed learning in this field. This paper aims to diagnose creative learning in computer science in a computer engineering course at the University of Matanzas. In order to achieve this objective, creative learning is first established as an expression of creativity in learning. Then, it is described as a fundamental form of computer activity and, finally, creative learning in computer science is defined. A questionnaire was used to diagnose creative learning in computing. The questionnaire will be administered to 66 final year students enrolled in the academic year 2022. The indicators obtained in the theoretical section will be measured on a scale from 0 to 1. The study will first compare the data obtained through qualitative state inference, followed by the application of inferential statistical methods to further analyse the results. From the results, creative learning in computer science will be assessed and it will be found that it is generally poor. Based on the data, the hypothesis is rejected and the level of development of creative learning in computing is found to be low.

Introduction of digital technologies and digitalisation in higher education institutions of Ukraine: Current state and prospects

The purpose of the article is to highlight the issues of introduction of digital technologies into the educational process of Ukrainian higher education and digitalisation of higher education institutions, to characterise the current state, and outline the prospects for their development. The research methodology employs systemic and cultural-historical approaches, as well as techniques of analysis, synthesis, generalisation, description, and comparison. This comprehensive application of methods allows for obtaining substantiated research results. The scientific novelty of this research lies in the analysis of scholarly works on the implementation of digital technologies in higher education institutions, which has enabled a detailed examination of the current state of digitalisation in education, highlighted the key tasks in this area, and identified promising directions for the development of educational technologies. Conclusions. The digitalisation of national education is critical for enhancing its quality, aligning it with modern requirements, and improving its position in global educational rankings. At the same time, there are significant gaps in leveraging the opportunities provided by modern digital technologies, including a shortage of digital tools and educational resources, as well as a low level of digital competence among teachers and students. The main challenges for higher education institutions in Ukraine include the digitalisation of internal processes and the development of digital marketing to ensure effective interaction among all participants in the educational process. The effectiveness of educational digitalisation directly depends on the level of digital literacy and competencies of the educational participants, making it a key direction in the development of digital education. Prospective development directions include systematic support for the digitalisation process, enriching educational institutions with modern technologies and resources, and focusing on the systematic development of digital skills among teachers, researchers, and students

Возможности культурно-исторического подхода к гендерной проблематике

Background. The relevance of gender issues is associated with discussions outside the scientific field, while in the science itself, the popularity of gender studies is increasing every year. Objectives. The present article aims at the application of the conceptual mechanism of the cultural-historical approach to gender issues. Methods. Abstraction, analysis and synthesis of literary data, comparison of theoretical models, and generalization were used. Results. Sex as a biological entity is divided into an innate “natural” category and a gender as a culturological one. A number of examples demonstrate the non-identity of sex and gender as well as variants of their combination and interaction. It is proposed to disidentify gender and gender identity as a psychological category. The latter is understood as an analogue of the higher mental function which forms intravitally under specific social conditions, it is mediated by gender signs (appearance, manners, norms, preferences, values, taboos, etc.) and is possible to self-regulate. In the meantime, the limitations in mastering one's own behaviour are emphasized, since the origin of the gender identity is connected to the biological parameters of sex, inconsistency of gender norms and their wide field of influence. Here the field of cultural pathology in the sphere of gender identity and intersex interaction reveals itself. Conclusions. The cultural-historical approach is seen to be heuristic in the multifactorial understanding of gender issues which include biological, cultural, psychological, and ontogenetic aspects.

The role of written speech in the context of development of psychological readiness for higher and professional education in the perspective of a cultural-historical approach

The role of written speech in the context of development of psychological readiness for higher and professional education in the perspective of a cultural-historical approach

The ceramic complex of the Transitional Period from the Bronze to the Iron Age of the settle-ment of Mergen 6 in the Lower Ishim River basin (Western Siberia)

The settlement of Mergen 6 is located in the Ishim District of the Tyumen Oblast on the northeastern shore of Lake Mergen by the head of the river Mergenka. It was studied in 1990 and 2002–2011 under the direction of V.A. Zakh and S.N. Skochina. On the site, 1494 m2 were examined. The settlement is multi-layered and contains the materials from the Neolithic Period through to the Middle Ages. The research is aimed at the detailed characterisation of the ceramic complex of the Transitional Period from the Bronze to the Early Iron Age (TPBIA), dated to the 8th–7th cc. BC. The TPBIA ceramic complex is a large one (approximately 7.5 thousand items identified), deposited at a depth predominantly no more than 60 cm from the surface in the layers disturbed by ploughing. It is highly fragmented; whole forms are lacking; in some cases, ceramics was deposited in clusters. Therefore, the object of the research was a subset from the TPBIA ceramic complex of the settlement of Mergen 6 which was analysed on the basis of the formal-classificatory and cultural-historical approaches. With the aid of the methods of mathematical statistics, possible interrelations between the morphological and ornamental traits of the object of the research were established. In the TPBIA ceramic subset, the fragments of the pottery vessels which can be correlated with the ceramics of the archaeological cultures of Krasnoozerka (335 vessels identified by the necks), Gama-yun (no more than 8 items), and Itkul (37 items), and a ceramic group designated as ‘synchretic’ (102 items) were identified. The analy-sis of the morphological and decorative features of the TPBIA ceramics showed quite a close interaction of the diverse population dur-ing the considered period. Elements of the ornament and morphological features of the pottery vessels, constituting the specifics of both the syncretic group of the ceramics, characterised by mixed Krasnoozerka-Gamayun-Itkul traits, as well as by the individual traits of the main cultural groups of the site — on the pottery vessels of the Krasnoozerka group, some elements characteristic of the Gamayun-Itkul decorative patterns; the vessels of the Gamayun-Itkul group have been produced with a deviation from the typical canons — served as markers of the mutual influence.

Becoming a Xia: Constructing Cultural Identity in the History of Wuxia Games in China

This study examines Chinese Wuxia games (martial arts) as cultural artifacts, utilizing a cultural historical approach to analyze their textual content and gameplay in order to explore the construction of cultural identity. I investigate the localization of early games and identify the cultural consciousness of early producers between 1990 and 1995. Through decoding cultural symbols, this research reveals the fixed cultural sources and components of cultural identity from 1995 to 2003. From 2004 to 2009, I examine how the industry's overall decline resulted in fatalism being projected onto the game design, leading to the integration of Wuxia games with contemporary culture and historical characteristics. Between 2010 and 2021, with the growth of player subjectivities, the construction of player identity reveals the fluid nature of cultural identity. This study also identifies three layers of Xia (martial arts hero) identity, including group affiliation, judgment, and creed.

Service children’s wellbeing in the context of three- to four-year-old Army children experiencing a parental deployment

ABSTRACT Where ‘wellbeing’ is referred to in relation to children from Armed Forces (service) backgrounds, it is often done so in absence of an exploration of this conceptually vague term. This is problematic, as there are multiple interpretations and discourses of wellbeing which, in turn, influence how it is both understood and operationalised by practitioners and policy makers worldwide. This article examines the deployment-related wellbeing of an under researched group; pre-school children (aged three to four years) from British Army families. Framed within a cultural historical approach, this study employed interviews (n = 30) with ten non-deployed/at home mothers and fourteen pre-school practitioners. Six of the pre-school children also took part in the interviews. Findings highlight that young children’s relationships and socio-cultural environments influence the impact of a parental deployment on their different domains of wellbeing. Drawing upon different discourses of wellbeing further affords the reframing of young children’s deployment-related wellbeing away from the traditional deficit approach of observable problematised behaviours towards a more positive approach, considering the reasons behind such behaviours. Findings led to the creation of a model to aid practitioners and policy makers seeking to understand and support young Army children’s wellbeing.

Three Variants of the Concept of Power: A Comparative Analysis through Theological inquiry

This article endeavors to embark on a comprehensive exploration of the multifaceted concept of power, employing a comparative and critical lens to examine its various theological underpinnings. The central objective of this study is to discern the affirmative elements inherent in three distinct variants of the concept of power, with the ultimate intention of incorporating these constructive facets into an encompassing integral theory of power. The following are chosen as the subject of analysis: 1) the concept of M. Heidegger (the first option), 2) the concept of M. Foucault (the second option) and 3) the concepts of N. Luhmann and E. Giddens (the third option). The study uses a cultural-historical approach, textual analysis and a comparative method. It has been established that Heidegger, who adopted the concept of the will to power from F. Nietzsche and combined power and being (the main category of his philosophy), could not establish harmony between them. It is noted that the ontological interpretation of power cannot be accepted as adequate. In this respect, Foucault, Luhmann, and Giddens are more correct, since they interpret power as an exclusively social phenomenon. However, their concepts cannot be recognized as fully consistent. Foucault interpreted power as an all-social phenomenon, which is not true. Luhmann and Giddens interpreted power as a social phenomenon, albeit in different ways. The first considers it as a means of communication, and the second - as an active ability to transform. At the same time, both are interpreted by them very primitively. The article concludes that a more adequate concept of power should be sought from other researchers. At the same time, some positive points contained in the analyzed concepts can be included in the integral theory of power. The study and the results obtained in it can be applied primarily in the development of an integral theory of power, and secondly, in the practice of teaching philosophy, political science, political psychology and theology.

A cultural-historical perspective of young children gaining autonomy in the playground

ABSTRACT This paper draws on a three-year ethnographic study during which we investigated young children's cultural development in a Brazilian early childhood centre. A cultural-historical approach was used to understand the concept of autonomy. We focus on Danilo, a very young child who overcame his fear of using a play slide (a cultural artefact). We believe that this process led to his achievement. Our findings suggest that young children's conquests consist of intentional actions that become part of their individual and social identities.

Художественные средства репрезентации детской травмы в американской литературе 9/11

The paper provides an analysis of how American 9/11 literature artistically represents the traumatization of children, conveys their psychological experiences and the subsequent journey towards healing in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks. The relevance of the study is determined by the growing interest of contemporary culture in the exploitation of the image of the child, its aesthetic, and symbolic connotation in the process of representing the collective traumatic experience. In this research, a cultural-historical approach combined with comparative and literary psychological analysis is used. These narratives employ various techniques, such as metonymic representation of childhood trauma, symbolic picturing of PTSD symptoms, and imagery of fantasy worlds, to depict the trauma experienced by child-characters and child-narrators after the terrorist attack. The writers consider verbalization as one of the means of productive processing of the traumatic experience of the hero-child. In this way, 9/11 literature emphasizes the therapeutic journey of young protagonists towards healing, often reflecting the process of maturity. As a result of the conducted research, we draw the conclusion that 9/11 literature employs artistic techniques to portray the trauma experienced by child characters, illustrating their inner journey. Through artful storytelling, 9/11 literature underscores the idea that even in the face of profound tragedy, there is potential for recovery and renewal.