Lens Of Activity Theory Research Articles

Comparing team learning approaches through the lens of activity theory

Purpose– The purpose of this study is to examine the distinctive features of three team learning approaches (action learning, problem-based learning, and project-based learning), compare and contrast them, and discuss implications for practice and research.Design/methodology/approach– The authors used Torraco ' s integrative literature review method and activity theory as a framework for analyzing commonalities and differences of the three learning approaches.Findings– Action learning emphasizes the balance between action and learning, problem-based learning has evolved to develop knowledge acquisition, application, and reasoning skills, and project-based learning connects learning with work. All three learning approaches are learner-centered, tackle real problems, emphasize collaboration, have a learning coach, and work through learning processes.Research limitations/implications– Comparison of the three approaches has been done through a review of the literature only. More qualitative analyses of actual cases need to be done to confirm or improve the findings. Qualitative knowledge from this study should be linked to quantitative research.Practical implications– Comparison of each team learning approach provides team managers, instructional designers, and instructors with guidance of pedagogy selection regarding what particular team learning approach fits best for their organizational learning needs. Six components of activity theory can be useful to evaluate team learning interventions.Originality/value– The findings can be used for clarifying the relationships among the three learning approaches, and can guide HRD practice and research in line with improved team learning design, process, and measurement. The current study is possibly the first attempt to analyze the three team learning approaches based on activity theory.

Bodystorming with Hawkins’s block: Toward a new methodology for mobile media design

Inspired by the intuitive prototyping method employed by Palm Pilot founder Jeff Hawkins, this formative field study recreates and reimagines his generative techniques as a new methodology that could be useful for mobile media designers. Viewed theoretically through an activity theory lens, this approach also integrates bodystorming ideals as a way to externalize and embody user perspectives about the potential of place-based media, in situ, using a proposed National Park Service app, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, as an example. Such data gathering, especially early in the design process, could help user-centered projects gather otherwise inaccessible feedback, leading to better designs, through tailored content and interfaces, particularly at the dynamic intersections of digital and physical space.

An activity‐theory analysis of corporate wikis

PurposeWiki technologies, which are popular in social settings, are beginning to contribute to more flexible and participatory approaches to the exploitation of knowledge in corporate settings. Through the lens of activity theory, this paper aims to investigate contentious challenges to organizational activities that may be associated with the introduction of corporate wikis, in particular the potential democratization of knowledge work.Design/methodology/approachFrom a study of several cases of corporate wiki adoption, this paper presents and interprets two representative cases sampled to provide more generalized results. Qualitative data were collected through semi‐structured interviews and observation. The analysis followed a systematic process of data reduction, display, and rich interpretation using the concepts of activity theory.FindingsThis research provides new understandings of the undervalued activities of knowledge workers, their challenges as wiki users and resulting implications for organizational transformation and improved organizational performance.Research limitations/implicationsThere is potential bias and limited scope as the choice of cases was determined through organizations known to the researchers and involved some action research. However, the authors justify this approach for a dynamic, emergent topic worthy of immediate investigation and direct applicability of findings to corporate practice.Social implicationsThis paper addresses the implications of new Web 2.0 technologies for the democratization of knowledge management in the workplace.Originality/valueThe novelty of this work lies in using activity theory to explore reasons why some organizations are more successful than others in implementing wikis. This work contributes to research on how social and technological interventions may lead to improved exploitation of knowledge as a corporate resource.

Engagement and learning through social software in finance: a retrospective on the Trading Room experience

The introduction of a social software blog space called the Trading Room in an undergraduate finance unit generated a great deal of activity to support student learning. A subsequent evaluation of this innovation, viewed through the lens of Activity Theory, demonstrated that students perceived high value in the opportunity it provided for them to reaffirm theories, obtain individualised feedback and benchmark their work against others. While assessment is generally seen as the carrot and the stick of learning; students in the study reported that they would still participate in reading and posting to the Trading Room even if there was no assessment requirement. Students did not see any value in the environment as a purely social space, reporting that they saw it primarily as a professional educational community. It would appear that just as there are different communities in the real world social space, there are also different types of communities in the online space.

Representing complexity well: a story about teamwork, with implications for how we teach collaboration

In order to be relevant and impactful, our research into health care teamwork needs to better reflect the complexity inherent to this area. This study explored the complexity of collaborative practice on a distributed transplant team. We employed the theoretical lenses of activity theory to better understand the nature of collaborative complexity and its implications for current approaches to interprofessional collaboration (IPC) and interprofessional education (IPE). Over 4 months, two trained observers conducted 162 hours of observation, 30 field interviews and 17 formal interviews with 39 members of a solid organ transplant team in a Canadian teaching hospital. Participants included consultant medical and surgical staff and postgraduate trainees, the team nurse practitioner, social worker, dietician, pharmacist, physical therapist, bedside nurses, organ donor coordinators and organ recipient coordinators. Data collection and inductive analysis for emergent themes proceeded iteratively. Daily collaborative practice involves improvisation in the face of recurring challenges on a distributed team. This paper focuses on the theme of 'interservice' challenges, which represent instances in which the 'core' transplant team (those providing daily care for transplant patients) work to engage the expertise and resources of other services in the hospital, such as those of radiology and pathology departments. We examine a single story of the core team's collaboration with cardiology, anaesthesiology and radiology services to decide whether a patient is appropriate for transplantation and use this story to consider the team's strategies in the face of conflicting expectations and preferences among these services. This story of collaboration in a distributed team calls into question two premises underpinning current models of IPC and IPE: the notion that stable professional roles exist, and the ideal of a unifying objective of 'caring for the patient'. We suggest important elaborations to these premises as they are used to conceptualise and teach IPC in order to better represent the intricacy of everyday collaborative work in health care.

Professional development and innovative pedagogy in an online community through the lens of activity theory

The liberation of learning from time and place constrictions through digital technologies has enabled the creation of new learning environments. This paper analyzes one such model, which was developed by those engaged in Global Skills for College Completion (GSCC), through the lens of activity theory. GSCC is an on-going national research project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in which twenty-five faculty from sixteen U.S. community colleges created an innovative developmental education[1] pedagogy in an online community. Through the use of a managed digital environment consisting of an electronic portfolio, an online collaborative space called Polilogue (a customized version of the open source web-based course management system, Moodle) and various other technologies, the faculty simultaneously developed and field-tested both a professional development model and a developmental education pedagogy for community college students. The premise of GSCC is that faculty participating collaboratively in the creation of an innovative pedagogy drawn from current practice of successful faculty and utilizing social media technologies can change teaching practice and improve student success. Pass rates from these community college classes nationally, which enroll more low-income, immigrant, and black and Latino students than four-year colleges, are barely 60 percent and the goal of GSCC is to push that to an 80% pass rate. This research project, which is both evidence-based and theory-driven, is in the final semester of the first phase. The project team includes faculty and administrators from LaGuardia Community College and consultants from Knowledge in the Public Interest. Several articles, chapters, papers and conference papers have been written and presented about GSCC (e.g. Woolis & Mellow, 2011; Woolis, Mellow, & Laurillard, 2011). A team of researchers from SRI International, an independent, nonprofit research institute, provides the research expertise for the project. The Center for Applied Research at Central Piedmont Community College collects and analyzes completion and pass rate data. This paper focuses on the professional development aspect of the project, the online pedagogy designed for the faculty themselves which incorporates dialogue, reflection, and practice. It considers three aspects of the project that are highlighted by an activity theory analysis: (1) the conjunction of the learning and knowledge creation systems, (2) the role of tags, themes and patterns in creating internal tensions and contradictions, and (3) the changed division of labor seen in the teaching/learning roles. [1] Basic skills and remedial education are other terms for developmental education.

What tensions obstruct an alignment between project and environmental management practices?

PurposeUsing an activity theory lens, this paper aims to examine the interrelationships between project practice and environmental management. It also aims to focus on tensions that occur between human agents and material objects within a motive‐directed, historically‐situated activity system, namely that of managing environmental issues in projects.Design/methodology/approachCase studies of two large infrastructure projects were conducted 2003‐2004 and 2008. The studies comprised on‐site observations, text analyses, 20 semi‐structured interviews and one group interview. Time was spent on the construction site to become familiarized with the context and the practices of the project community. A total of 15 weekly environmental site inspections were monitored and photo‐documented.FindingsThe findings show how new and emergent environmental management practices and routines were inherently contradictory to the situated and established culture within the projects. In fact project practices seemed to amplify the contradictions between environmental management and project management rather than mitigating them. As a result project members and organization members strove toward different goals and foci. It is argued that management needs to create arenas where members from the two units can align practices and merge routines.Practical implicationsAligning the permanent structures of the organization with the temporary organizing of practices and operational activities in projects is a challenge for the construction industry. A prevalent lack of fit between the organization and its projects causes contradictions which negatively affect the way in which long‐term environmental strategies and goals are understood and implemented in the project settings.Originality/valueThe system theoretical lens adopted in this study enables a holistic interpretation of complex and dynamic activities and the linking of the micro, the individual, to the macro, the organizational structure. By indicating some inherent and emergent contradictions between project practice and corporate environmental management, this paper contributes to an emergent field of research that focuses on social practice in construction.

All That Is Gold Does Not Glitter: A Framework for Content Quality in an Online Collaborative Content- Orientated Platform

 Abstract—The ubiquitous nature of the Internet has resulted in an ever increasing use of and reliance upon, online content created through various modes and media. Many contemporary online platforms such as Wikipedia enmesh rich collaboration with extensive content- repositories. However, such online collaborative content- orientated platforms (OCCP) have been criticized for the reliability and quality of the content created and hosted. To this end, research has provided significant insights into the enabling factors for social transparency and trust within these platforms. We expand on these insights through an extensive survey of mechanisms employed in successful and popular OCCPs. We reflect upon the findings of this survey using the lenses of activity theory and legitimate peripheral participation. A framework is synthesized from this discussion, which stresses the importance of the interaction between quality assurance and the attraction of new content; two fundamental, yet potentially conflicting, processes that drive the success of OCCPs.

Queers, Cupid’s Arrow, and Contradictions in the Classroom: An Activity Theory Analysis

A brief database search will reveal that activity theory continues to be a vital force in various academic disciplines. While specific research for this essay emerges from the related fields of rhetoric and composition, business and technical communications, sociology, cultural studies, and education, it must be noted that activity theory has an impact on more than these (for a comprehensive review of the ways activity theory has proliferated, please see Russell, “Writing and Genre”). In my field of rhetoric and composition, for instance, activity theory is indeed going strong, evidenced in part by the recent provocative “Discourse of the Firetenders: Considering Contingent Faculty through the Lens of Activity Theory,” a piece which uses activity theory as a way to address the inequitable “fully entrenched system of multi-tier faculty roles” (Doe, et al. 429). This analysis “suggests that an understanding of . . . overlapping activity systems within which contingent faculty members work can allow us to take a more optimistic view of the future” (444). In a similar move, this essay will analyze a situation where overlapping activity systems caused a series of distressing contradictions that, in the end, promoted a series of hopeful innovations. While I am writing from the perspective of a first-year composition instructor in a university setting, it is easy to imagine this work as equally useful for those teaching within the broader terrain of the humanities, where, more and more, intertwining concerns about pedagogy and social justice issues are dominating scholarly discussions. Specifically, this essay takes a long look—through the framework of an extended case study—at contradictions in the physical classroom space. These disruptions may be quite literal (such as students talking over the voice of the teacher), or they may be subtler, sometimes involving the use of material tools that clash with the learning goals of the teacher. The overarching aim is to apply critical pedagogy to activity theory, which seeks to analyze how people come together for activity because of societal motives in order to achieve goals using actions and tools. Using activity theory as a framework for pedagogical reflection can aid in solving the (often quite uncomfortable!) contradictions that can arise within a classroom space.

What happens when the university meets the community? Service learning, boundary work and boundary workers

This article explores service learning via the lens of activity theory. Through this lens, it is identified as a form of ‘boundary work’ in higher education, with educators identified as ‘boundary workers’. Drawing on the data from a recent study, this paper analyses service learning as an often contradictory and tension-filled practice. The ‘expanded community’ and ‘dual but interrelated object’ in the service learning activity system result in many tensions for students and community members alike. This in turn poses significant challenges for boundary workers, and ultimately for the university. The paper concludes by arguing that in order to encourage and value service learning, we need to acknowledge the (new and different) knowledge, values and skills required for playing the role of boundary worker in (boundary) practices such as this.

On the road to reform: a sociocultural interpretation of reform

In this paper I discuss how reform in science education is interpreted by Barma as she recounts the story of Catherine, a grade 9 biology teacher, who reforms her teaching practices in response to a national curriculum reform in Quebec, Canada. Unlike some cases in response to reform, this case is hopeful and positive. Also in this paper, I address some familiar areas that must be considered when teachers undertake curriculum reform and how science educators may fulfill the role of facilitator and advocate in the support of teachers on the road to reform. The commentary focuses on how Barma retells the story through the lens of activity theory.

Cycles of Action through Systems of Activity: Examining an Action Research Model through the Lens of Activity Theory

In this article we offer an extended reading of an action research model in the context of mentored learning in preservice education in Israel. Our reading attends both to how a particular form of action research plays out in participants' constructions of the practice of mentoring and mentored learning and how such constructions can be understood in the wider context of interrelations between activity systems, as offered through the lens of activity theory. Such an embedded reading can illuminate on the gaps and contradictions between different educational practices, directing participants' processes and outcomes of learning, as they actively transform their practice while trying to mediate between these contradictions.

Discourse of the Firetenders: Considering Contingent Faculty through the Lens of Activity Theory

Drawing on work logs kept by participants, the authors report and analyze a project at their university in which contingent faculty recorded the amount of work they actually performed during a week. The authors also recommend ways to enhance the working conditions of such faculty.

Conceptualising HR systems as object-oriented activity systems

The notion that human capital is a key factor in the performance of organisations is now oft-repeated and widely accepted. As a consequence, Human Resource (HR) systems are increasingly being focused on as subjects of analysis among researchers and practitioners alike. Whether discussing traditional HR systems or IT-mediated ones, existing mainstream studies depict various themes that resonate amongst them. These themes revolve around a number of issues: disharmony between the wider organisational strategies and individual-oriented and operational HR systems, the tension between IT and HR professionals in implementing technology-based HR systems, and the quest for stability in an environment of prevalent ambiguities. Using Activity Theory as an analytical and interpretive framework, this paper conceptualises HR systems as object-oriented human activity systems. It is argued that recasting HR systems through the lens of Activity Theory helps bridge apparent gaps in the mainstream analysis. Theoretical constructs that could potentially complement mainstream approaches are suggested and explained. These include the idea that activity systems consist of complex relationships and connections and an acknowledgement that tensions and contradictions are integral parts of human activities, which ought to be seen as opportunities for development and change.

Through an activity theory lens: Conceptualizing service learning as 'boundary work'

Michael Gibbons (2005) has spoken about the need to re-imagine the relationship between higher education and society and he calls for the emergence of a ‘new social contract’. In particular he highlights three elements of this new form of engagement: contextualization, boundary objects, and transaction spaces or boundary zones. It is here that my paper is located – in the conceptualization of the ‘boundary zone’ at the nexus of higher education and society, with a focus on service learning as practice. In the literature on higher education there appears to be little evidence describing ways of conceptualizing and understanding the boundary zone itself. Most of the service learning research literature for instance, looks either at the university side of the relationship or at the impact on the community (and even then only in very few cases). 
 
 In order to better understand the ‘push and pull’ of service learning, we need to better understand better what happens in the transaction/boundary zone in the first instance. In order to do this, we need to develop conceptual tools to illuminate the complex practices that occur at this nexus. Drawing on situated learning, post Vygotskian theory and activity theory in particular, I develop a framework for service learning conceived as ‘boundary work’. This framework illuminates inherent contradictions in these trans-boundary practices, and the argument is therefore that unless we understand these practices better and in more nuanced ways, we are in no position to improve them and consequently our understandings of this form of educational practice remain unaltered. Finally, by raising a number of questions about boundary practices at the end of the paper, I provide some ways of taking this conceptualization project further.

Online Synchronous English Learning from Activity Theory Perspectives

The implementation of Online Synchronous Learning (OSL) poses many challenges to existing instruction technology theory because of the complexity of the digital age. Although many studies have been carried out for an OSL, there is little evidence of OSL for teaching language learning. This is especially so when it involves multiple cultural perspectives. This chapter describes the implementation of OSL for teaching English to foreign students from different cultures. The authors believe that the cultural historical Activity Theory is ideal for understanding OSL and its pedagogy. Through the lens of Activity Theory, this study takes close look at OSL courses and examines the socio-cultural factors affecting the success of the course as well as their complex relationships. Applying Activity Theory to analyze data collected over three years we have developed a framework to help educators who intend to implement OSL from multiple cultural perspectives.

Can the grammar of schooling be changed?

In this article we propose that the grammar of schooling [Tyack, D., & Tobin, W. (1994). The “grammar” of schooling: Why has it been so hard to change? American Educational Research Journal, 31(3), 453–479.] is responsible not only for the well-known and world-wide difficulties in integrating ICT into formal educational settings, but also for the replication of traditional models when this integration occurs. In clear contrast with this domain, in out-of-school projects ICT is integrated in innovative and truly “disruptive” [Blin, F., & Munro, M. (2008). Why hasn´t technology disrupted academics´ teaching practices. Understanding resistance to change through the lens of activity theory. Computers and Education, 50(2), 475–490.] ways. To exemplify this integration, we have selected and described two successful, although different in nature, out-of-school projects. The first one, Pincel y Ratón, seeks to develop creativity in children and to educate them to use ICT in a reflexive and useful manner. The second project, Menosca, pursues children’s understanding of their historical and social environment through the use of GPSs, digital photography and web-page design. Both experiences underscore the multiple and varied possibilities that ICT affords for meaningful learning when the constraints inherent to the school setting do not seem to apply. By contrasting the formal and the out-of-school experiences, it is possible to unveil and bring to consciousness the principles and rules of the “grammar of schooling”. We propose that becoming aware of the features of this grammar, i.e., philosophy, course design, time and place, tasks, resources, outcomes and products and assessment, is the first step toward change.

Sociocultural Factors Affecting the Success of an Online MBA Course

The complexities of the digital age pose challenges to existing instruction technology theory as it applies to a distance learning environment. Research in distance education especially lacks rich qualitative information or holistic analysis that would lead to improve the effectiveness of distance learning environment (Mclsaac & Gu-nawardena, 1996). Through the lens of activity theory, this study took a broad view of an online course and examines the socio-cultural mediators affecting the success of a distance course as well as the systematic tensions that characterize the culture of an online course. Recommendations were provided at the group and organizational levels to balance local tensions that emerged in the implementation of a distance course.

Using activity theory and its principle of contradictions to guide research in educational technology

<span>This paper describes how activity theory (AT) and its principle of contradictions may be relied on to guide research in educational technology. The paper begins with a theoretical overview of AT and of its principle of contradictions. It follows with a synthesis of studies that have used AT as a lens to study information and communication technologies (ICTs) in educational contexts. We analyse educational technology studies that have focused on contradictions in terms of their underlying assumptions, research questions, approaches to analysis, findings, and implications. The lens of AT and contradictions provides a versatile tool to inquire into various aspects of educational technology use, taking into account individual and institutional perspectives as well as evolution over time. AT and its principle of contradictions provide insights into how transformation may occur with use of ICTs in educational contexts.</span>

Social learning in MMOG: an activity theoretical perspective

PurposeRecently, researchers have begun investigating the learning process that occurs within computer games (learning to play), as opposed to studying games that support explicit learning for educational purposes (playing to learn). With the increasing popularity of massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs), some research has begun to look beyond individual play and is now focusing on social play. By conducting a 30 day virtual participant observation in an MMOG, namely World of Warcraft (WoW) this paper aims to identify and provide a theoretical explanation of the process of learning that takes place in such an open‐ended virtual world.Design/methodology/approachThrough the lens of activity theory, the paper focuses its analysis on the tool, the goal, the activity of game playing and contradictions.FindingsIt was found that social learning could occur through intrinsic and extrinsic play. Intrinsic play is play oriented toward goal completion while extrinsic play is directed toward reflection and expansion of intrinsic play. WoW is designed with tools that facilitate these types of play, and therefore learning that emerges from them. Furthermore, learning involves not only the process of acquiring knowledge and skills to accomplish certain goals, but also the process of defining the goal, thus shaping the learning process.Originality/valueThe results could be used to inform game design either for social play or for social learning.