Key Premises and Concepts of Cultural-Historical Activity Theory

1. Cultural Historical Activity Theory: premises, concepts, methods & their implications for researching professional practice Structure • outline key premises, concepts, & methods from Vygotsky; Leont’ev; & Engeström & relation to one another • outline common misconceptions about CHAT • consider implications of premises, concepts & methods for researching in clinical contexts

2. Vygotsky’s intellectual project Psychological – unified conception of mind (consciousness) & body Philosophical – unified conception of mind & world Political – psychology consistent with the ideal of human freedom Key tenet Vygotsky’s Cultural-Historical Theory of Human Development – Mediation • way in which human culture, which we produce & develop, constitutes people & their environment

4. Constitutive basis of our mediated relation with world Higher Mental Functions • ‘lower mental functions’ are biologically programmed, natural behaviours, for example, sucking and rooting reflexes, ‘higher mental functions’ – voluntary attention, voluntary memory and rational thought Law of genetic development •  ’Every function in the child’s cultural development appears twice: first on the social level, and later, on the individual level; first between people (interpsychological), and then inside the child(intrapsychological). This applies equally to all voluntary attention, to logical memory, and to the formation of concepts. All the higher mental functions originate as actual relations between human individuals.’ Signs & Tools – ‘Semiotic mediation’ • theoretical & everyday concepts process of learning concepts involves a restructuring of mind & being repositioned to act in new ways Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) • distance between current & future capacity to reason & act Purpose of activity: • genesis of consciousness - individuals enculturated into existing traditions through language, development = process of coming to understand

5. Leont’ev’s intellectual project Psychology – similar Philosophy – similar Political – less clear due to influence of Russian political context Some key tenets of Leont’ev’s Theory of Activity • Mediation – same def different focus - activity not language Focus on activity arises as result of influence of strong influence of Philosophical Anthropology on his thinking

6. Constitutive basis of our mediated relation with world Activity - Object Actions - Goal Operations - Conditions Individuals enculturated into existing traditions, development of traditions exceptional rather than normal feature of human activity  Purpose of activity: • genesis of society

7. Engeström’s intellectual project Psychological & Political - to formulate a theory of learning that assists us to create new activities Philosophical – to overcome Mind/World dualism Key tenets of Engeström’s theory of Expansive Learning Mediation - integrates V &L insights people work & learn collectively in contexts Activity System (AS) – theoretical lens to support people to analyse how people re-think the Object of their Activity. Contradictions as source of change & development in Ass ‘Thickened’ concept of Activity System by explicitly relating it to Principles of Production and their associated forms of expertise Production – craft (occupationally specific skill) to social production (heterogeneous ‘knotworking’)

8. Constitutive basis of changing our mediated relation with world Intervention – Developmental Work Research Methodology (change activity) • Boundary Crossing/Change Laboratory – ‘off-line’ space   • Cycle of Expansive Learning – expand object via ‘dual stimulation’ (problem & means to solve problem) Outcome – new ZPD representing distance between current & future organisation of activity Purpose of activity: activity as genesis of transformation

10. Misconceptions about CHAT Vygotsky • Mediation – culture ‘stands between’ humans & world rather than ‘constitutes’ human beings • HMF – not addition to natural inheritance but re-organisation of that inheritance • Semiotic Mediation – not elite or privileged ways of thinking rather than what is distinctive about humans Leont’ev • OoA – entity/my construction rather than purpose/social construction • A/A/A/ - static and deterministic rather than principles to identify & assess engagement & development Engeström • AS – descriptive rather than analytical concept • Expansion – applied metaphorically rather than in relation to its conditions (BCL), constituency (heterogeneous community) & tools (CEL) • Knotworking – description of all team work rather than specific modes & variations of team work

11. CHAT & Research 1. Formulating an Object of Inquiry Normative options • choose an aspect of work, for example, the Health Service’s response to the threat of ‘swine flu’ & use Object of Activity to analyse who contributed to the formulation of that new development, how all interested parties engage with & are shaped by that aspect (internal & external) • choose an aspect of practice, for example, a clinical ward-based teaching session & use concept of semiotic mediation to highlight how forms of expertise & identity associated with that practice are being developed Transformative option • create a new activity by creating the conditions to expand existing Object of Activity Caveat: not the same as implementing some one else’s new object

12. CHAT & Research 2. Deciding Unit of Analysis Normative option - use concept of Activity System as ‘lens’ to analyse chosen aspect(s) practice by focusing on how participation in/with: • certain actions & operations facilitate the development of expertise & identity • forms of semiotic mediation associated with actions & operations & facilitate the restructuring of expertise & development of professional/personal identity • tools (symbolic & material) facilitate forms of thinking, communicating & acting associated with different modes of expertise • experiences, relations & networks facilitate the development of expertise & identity Transformative option - use concept of Activity System as ‘lens’ to create new activity by: • replicating Engeström’s Developmental Work Research Methodology • formulating & implementing a new germ cell concept

13. CHAT & Research 3. Interpretation of data Assumptions CHAT introduces into research process • live in a culturally & historically mediated rather than personally constructed environment • mediation means human values are embedded in activity (cognitive & practical) & tools • values embedded in activity & tools means our experiences have a conceptual dimension • experience is conceptualised leaves us with a methodological challenge Challenge is: • how to interpret data by taking account of the interplay between human ‘forces’ that have created context & human personalisation of the context

14. CHAT & Research 4. How not to (one example): • use Grounded Theory Why: • GT is a representational, rather than a mediated, theory of human knowledge. It presupposes meaning established from un-conceptualised data, yet, CHAT assumes ideas beyond context have influenced context & activity (i.e. data is conceptualised) Implication - contextually modify assumptions of GT in relation to assumptions of CHAT by asking questions such as: • how is engagement/dis-engagement with OoA manifest in respondents’ comments (what converging/diverging patterns of response are there)? • to what extent has the mode of production positioned people to respond in particular ways (what common & different patterns of response are there across similar occupational groups)? • how far are respondents comments characterised by a theoretical or everyday understanding of their activity & its context?