Looking back when moving forward – unpacking history in cultural-historical activity theory-driven change efforts
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 18949067 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Maria Spante (0000-0003-3203-7062, University West, corresponding author), Monica Egelström (University West) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 31 |
| Issue | 3-4 |
| Pages | 271-293 |
| Publication date | 2024-10-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Mind Culture and Activity (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1074-9039 • E-ISSN: 1532-7884 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/10749039.2025.2470715 |
| OpenAlex | W4408398562 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 45 |
While Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) research has a significant role in investigating change, it often overlooks historical aspects. This article addresses this gap by exploring the historical dimension and its connection to creating collective and professional models in schools requiring changes in their activity systems. The study involved two Change Laboratories (CL) with 42 participants addressing issues of equal access to educational success in two lower secondary schools in Sweden. The research revealed that despite similar characteristics in for example experienced and well-trained teacher staff, the schools’ staff developed different models to tackle similar issues. The analysis examined historical conditions and developments linked to current cultural and social contexts, suggesting that the models varied related to different collective interpretations of historical experiences. Participants’ historical understanding influenced current practices and the creation of new models during the CLs to address inequality. The study underscores the empowering role of history in studies of change, emphasizing a shift from mere participation in practice to active contribution through practice. It stresses the importance of clarifying historical contexts and demonstrates how this can be achieved
Activity Theory · Epistemology · Linguistics · Pedagogy · Sociology · Unpacking · Education Systems and Policy · History · Innovative Education and Learning Practices · Philosophy · Youth Education and Societal Dynamics
Research Methods in Education
Conducting Educational Design Research
The Change Laboratory
Communities of Practice
Discursive manifestations of contradictions in organizational change efforts
From relational ontology to transformative activist stance on development and learning
Formative Interventions for Expansive Learning and Transformative Agency
Studies of expansive learning
Expansive Learning at Work
Enacting the utopia of eradicating homelessness
Were there national school systems in the nineteenth century? The construction of a regionalised primary school system in Sweden
Unrecognized contradictions are opportunities lost
Breaking the vicious circle of categorizing students in school
The emergence of transformative agency and double stimulation
Activity theory as an activist and interventionist theory
Activity theory and individual and social transformation
On the Methodological Demands of Formative Interventions
Agency in cultural-historical activity theory
Changes in ancient Egyptian mathematical artifacts from a cultural-historical activity theory perspective
From mediated actions to heterogenous coalitions
Educational marketization the Swedish way
Cultural-historical activity theory
Critical Challenges in Cultural-Historical Activity Theory
Teachers' talk of experiencing
Testing the model of double stimulation in a Change Laboratory
Culturally Responsive School Discipline
From a Sociological Given Context to Changing Practice
Double Stimulation in the Waiting Experiment with Collectives
Living with Contradictions
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |