ISCAR-conference Sydney May Britt Postholm

Activity theory as theory and method in school based develpment The purpose of this presentation: -is to present both focuses and research questions within the cultural- historical activity theory (CHAT) -outline what methodologies that can be used to answer these questions to contribute to school based development.

Review of articles Sannino (2008) points to the importance of discourse when people are trying to develop a common object or vision Engeström and Sannino (2011) also analyze discourse when studying manifestations of contradictions. the word, “but” to identify dilemmas, the word “no” to identify conflicts, personal, emotional and moral accounts with a narrative structure to identify critical conflicts pressing rhetorical questions, as expressions of helplessness, to identify double bind.

Cole and Engeström (2007): - focus relationship between the researchers and the participants Presents three various stimuli: -Mirror data -Present a model or a vision -Sorts of tools that can be used Suggest three focuses for research - What are the usefulness of the new artefacts that are created during the process? -What is the quality of the discourse between the teachers when they collectively are learning? -What theoretical concepts are developed, and how are they implemented.

Engeström (2000) researchers to do some ethnographic groundwork to make the contradictions visible for the participants, a collective mirror (p. 153) Study of historical documents and interviews with long-time practitioners in order to identify past cycles of development and transformations in the activity system

Virkunnen (2004): studies can be carried out both from an outsider’s and an insider’s perspective Virkkunen: an intervention can be successful when it supports and amplifies the forces of development that are inherent in the system

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When studying contradictions within factors, research questions can be as follows: “How are the teachers in the teacher team for the 8.th class motivated for the development work?“ A biographical study and a study using the narrative methodology

Another focus can be directed towards the factor “division of labour” “Do the teachers want to work individually or collectively?” A micro-ethnographic study (Creswell, 2013, Fetterman, 1998, Hammersley & Atkinson, 2007) A research study can say if for instance the school leaders support the teachers and if they agree on and are motivated to act on the same object Teacher educators can be looked upon as a mediating artefact during school based development Both micro-ethnographic- and phenomenological studies (Giorgi, 1985; Moustakas, 1994) can be conducted to understand the processes and the perceptions of the processes

Micro-ethnographic and phenomenological studies relevant research to study the discursive practice that take place when a shared object is formed White papers and national curricula can be connected to the factor «rules» Discourse analysis can be a methodology to study such political documents Micro-ethnographic and phenomenological studies can give answers to research focusing on tensions between established mode of activity and remnants of the previous mode and between activity systems. Phenomenological interviews conducted with both the teachers and the pupils to get knowledge about the pupils’ learning

Can conduct several different qualitative studies within intervention research. The researchers can conduct research together with the practitioner they can conduct qualitative research in the processes taking place they can conduct qualitative research from the researcher’s plateau on the processes zooming in the researcher’s gaze on various focuses

Researchers can construct knowledge that can be used both directly and indirectly, as thinking tools, during development processes Research with the activity system as the starting point can contribute with knowledge about the situation before and after an intervention, Research with the expansive learning cycle and the R&D model as the starting point can present knowledge about the mediated goal directed actions taking place when members of a community act on the object

Thank you for your attention!