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Engaging in theoretical debates: positioning and questioning

Engaging in theoretical debates: positioning and questioning. Monica Behrend Education 10 August 2012. Applied educational research. ‘describing what happens when cultural systems overlap as a result of some sort of deliberate, recent, or anticipated intervention’ (Chambers 2003, p. 398). .

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Engaging in theoretical debates: positioning and questioning

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  1. Engaging in theoretical debates: positioning and questioning Monica Behrend Education 10 August 2012

  2. Applied educational research ‘describing what happens when cultural systems overlap as a result of some sort of deliberate, recent, or anticipated intervention’ (Chambers 2003, p. 398).

  3. Action research (Lewin 1950’s)

  4. Action research (Lewin 1950’s)  ‘ ... action research, in its more effective forms, is phenomenological (focusing on people’s actual lived experience/reality), interpretive (focusing on their interpretation of acts and activities), and hermeneutic (incorporating the meaning people make of events in their lives)’ (Stringer 2007, p. 20). Principles of AR 1 Generating knowledge about phenomenon with stakeholders 2 Facilitating changes over time

  5. Mediating artefacts Mediating artefacts Subject Subject Community Mediating artefacts Academics Object2 Divisionof labour Community Rules Object Object Mediating artefacts Rules Division of labour Student Object1 Division of labour Community Rules Outcome Activity theory 1) Vygotsky 1920s/30s  2) Leontiev (1959)  3) Engeström (1987 ...) In sociocultural context, with others

  6. Artefacts Object Subject Outcome No change in SHIS assignment quality Object The Design activity system Community ? The Use activity system OWR Subjects students Subject: researcher Activity theory AR 1 online writing resource Principles for AT research 1 Activity systems are the unit of analysis  2 The multi-voicedness of activity  3 Historicity of activity  4 Contradictions as driving force of change in activity  5 Expansive cycles as possible form of transformation in activity 

  7. Contestations and debates Yrjo Engeström expressed the view that AR is “not a (coherent) method” and “certainly not a viable substitute for a methodology genuinely built on CHAT” (Somekh & Nissen 2011).

  8. Method, methodology, epistemologies Activity Theory • Methodology • More coherent method Action Research • Practice • More flexible/eclectic

  9. Commonalities • Knowledge emerges from practice • Agenda of political activism • Lewin & Vygotsky share innovative theoretical work • Assume research should be relevant to societal practice, benefit research participants

  10. Examples of research Orland-Barak & Becker (2011) – AT lens as tools for meta-analysis of an AR project. • AR to zoom in to explore data • AT to zoom out to systemically analyse same data

  11. Artefacts Artefacts Object modifying the OWR SubjectsALL/R & L Object Subject Outcome No change in SHIS assignment quality Object The Design activity system Community Community ? The Use activity system OWR OWR Artefacts Subjects students Subjects students Subject Object OWR Object Outcome Improved SHIS assignment quality Subject: researcher Community Object writing Assignment 2 Outcome Improved quality of Assignment 2 Subjects students Outcome: online writing resource The Design activity system The Design activity system The Use activity system The Use activity system AR 1 AR 2 AR 3

  12. Ongoing engagement in debates • AT & AR – need more examples • ‘deep skill’ • engage with debates • develop a depth of understanding for all positions • work with the confusion, ‘tolerate the not knowing’ • provide news ways of seeing/new knowledge • recognise dynamic, flexible nature of the quest • ...

  13. References Chambers, E 2003, 'Applied ethnography', in Denzin, NK & Lincoln, YS (eds), Collecting and interpreting qualitative materials, 2 edn, SAGE Publications, Thousand Oaks, California, pp. 389-418. Engeström, Y 1997, Learning by expanding: ten years after, viewed 13 April 2009, <http://lchc.ucsd.edu/MCA/Paper/Engestrom/expanding/NEW%20INTRO%20TO%20LEARNING%20BY%20EXPAND.doc>. Orland-Barak, L & Becher, A 2011, 'Cycles of action through systems of activity: examining an action research model through the lens of activity theory', Mind, Culture and Activity, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 115-128. Somekh, B & Nissen, M 2011, 'Cultural-historical activity theory and action research', Mind, Culture and Activity, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 93-97. Stringer, ET 2007, Action research, 3 edn, SAGE Publications, Inc., Thousand Oaks, Cal.

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