Search

Every day, patients access and generate online health content through a variety of channels, creating an ever-expanding sea of digital data. At the same time, proponents of public health have recently called for timely, granular, and actionable data to address a range of public health issues, stressing the need for social listening platforms that can identify and compile this valuable data. Yet previous attempts at social listening in healthcare have yielded mixed results, largely because they have failed to incorporate sufficient context to understand the communications they seek to analyze. Guided by activity theory to design HealthSense, we propose a platform for efficiently sensing and gathering data across the web for real-time analysis to support public health outcomes. HealthSense couples theory-guided content analysis and graph propagation with graph neural networks (GNNs) to assess the relevance and credibility of information, as well as intelligently navigate the complex online channel landscape, leading to significant improvements over existing social listening tools. We demonstrate the value of our artifact in gathering information to support two exemplar public health tasks: (1) performing postmarket drug surveillance for adverse reactions and (2) addressing the opioid crisis by monitoring for potent synthetic opioids released into communities. Our results across data, user, and event experiments show that effective design artifacts can enable better outcomes across both automated and human decision-making contexts, making social listening for public health possible, practical, and valuable. Through our design process, we extend activity theory to address the complexities of modern online communication platforms, where information resides not only in the collection of individual communication activities but also in the complex network of interactions among them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential impact of emerging technologies is challenging for construction management researchers to study, as these technologies have yet to become embedded in current organisational practices. Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) offers a method called formative interventions that may assist in this challenge. However, existing formative intervention methods are not adequately tailored to the study of emerging technologies, necessitating a more immersive engagement of the researcher-interventionist. This article proposes a renewed participatory take on the role of the researcher-interventionist and outlines the actions that researchers can undertake to investigate the future impacts of emerging technology. Specifically, we describe the interventionist role through a study of utility detection activities in which we intervened with emerging Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) technology at twelve construction sites. We analysed our role through an inductive coding approach using interviews and field visit data. Our findings reveal five interventionist action types for intervention studies with emerging technology. These include shaping conditions, exposing tensions, supporting problem resolution, operating tools, and facilitating reflection. The action types prompted subjects to reevaluate elements of the activity system and helped describe three potential future activity systems that integrated GPR as a new tool. These findings demonstrate that a participatory take on formative interventions provides a potent means to unveil possible activity systems incorporating emerging technologies. We contribute five formal intervention action types to the literature that equip interventionist researchers with methodological tools to use CHAT in a practice-based study of emerging technologies on construction sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activity theory is a relatively young methodology for researching higher education teaching practices. Beyond systemic analyse of workplace activities and their development, activity theory used in its full interventionist capacity can foster practitioners' transformative agency to initiate practice change. Nevertheless, this is not an easy process. This paper shares activity theory research into the digital teaching activity of anatomy teachers within an Australian university. Using the lens of this project, the paper exposes several methodological dilemmas experienced by the researcher. Beyond the issue of the methodological level of activity theory used, these dilemmas relate to the authentic determination of both the unit of analysis and the object of the activity, the type of intervention (i.e. full Change Laboratory or modified), and the complexity in analysis using a concept-rich theory. Sharing these dilemmas invites further research to examine inherent contradictions in the human activity of conducting activity theory research focussed on university teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Modern Educational Technology is the property of Editorial Board of Modern Educational Technology, Tsinghua University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Teacher agency is considered a key driver of teacher professional growth, student improvement, and educational change. This study contributes to the sparse research on language teacher agency in blended learning (BL). Using activity theory to conceptualize teacher agency, this study explores how two English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers exerted agency while implementing BL at a Chinese university. This study also examines the factors that mediate the exercise of agency. Data were collected through classroom observations, interviews with both teachers and their students, and course documents to provide a thorough understanding of teachers’ experiences with blended teaching. The data analysis revealed that successful agentic actions to address contradictions included selecting the appropriate delivery to match learning goals, making good use of online tools for interaction, assigning students active roles, flexibly enacting rules, and building a supportive climate. However, some contradictions within the instructional activity system remain unresolved. Mediating factors such as tools (teachers’ expertise and beliefs), community (students and other professors), and rules (curriculum assessment) were found to shape teacher agency in the BL context. This study contributes to the literature on teacher agency in BL, and provides practical recommendations for teacher professional development and curriculum reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through the lens of identity, this study explored the lived experiences of two Chinese university English-as-a-foreign-language teachers who were doing a professional doctorate for professional development. Adopting a narrative case study design and informed by activity theory, the study drew on a rich dataset comprising narrative frames, interviews, informal communications, netnographic observations and artefacts. Thematic and activity systems analyses revealed how the two focal teachers developed different identities through interacting with the external influences in the dual activity systems of professional work and doctoral study. In particular, the analyses unravelled hidden structural tensions inherent in the dual activity systems and showcased the participants’ mediated actions and strategies for dealing with these tensions. The study suggests developing sustainable mechanisms and tailored programmes to support in-service teachers’ degree studies, while also calling for teachers to creatively retool contextual affordances for continuing professional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the identity formation of two postsecondary language teachers and course coordinators—one in German and one in French—as they created intermediate‐level, content‐based social justice curricular units for a multiyear project. Using a multiple‐case‐study methodology and cultural–historical activity theory, this qualitative investigation answers the following research question: How do experienced postsecondary language teachers (re)construct and (re)negotiate their identities while developing social justice teaching materials? Findings, based on multicycle descriptive coding, reveal that participants' past experiences, personal values, feelings of self‐doubt, and positionality as content‐based language teachers influenced their language teacher identity, as did tensions within and across three activity systems: the curriculum development project, classroom teaching, and the coordination of multisection courses. These findings have important implications for teacher professional development and community building related to social justice in language education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a human-centered approach to using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in higher education that promotes equitable access to knowledge while preserving privacy and ethics. Through the lens of third-generation Activity Theory we examine the interaction between three activity systems in higher education: AI teachers, human teachers, and students. Our multi-role design recognizes the role of different actors and AI-based tools and technologies, highlighting the importance of understanding how these different systems interact and influence one another in order to effectively design and implement ethical educational technology solutions. By constructing an interaction space between these systems, we gained a deeper understanding of the dynamics of teaching-learning in higher education. Based on this analysis, we frame and design our Ethical AI in Education (EAIED) multi-platform, integrating recent development in AI in education systems, pedagogical strategies, and complying with ethical guidelines recommendation. The EAIED emphasizes data privacy, ethics, and interoperability between learning systems. This approach offers interactive, personalized, and equitable teaching-learning experiences that lead to developing critical thinking, higher-order skills, improving engagement, communication, and expansive learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

EdTech companies can develop tools and services for educational institutions. The EdTech sector needs teachers as end-users to create services and tools that serve the users' real needs. Co-creation in the EdTech sector is essential for bridging the gap between developers' and educators' needs. By collaboratively designing learning technologies, we can ensure that tools address end-user requirements. In the EdTech industry, teachers and researchers need to work together to assess the effect of practice and services on learning and teaching and co-create solutions with a more evidence-based approach. This study emphasizes co-creation as a research setting to extract design principles and comprehend stakeholder dynamics within multi-participant systems. Implementing Activity Theory, we aim to analyze stakeholder roles and their intersections. The essence of co-creation lies in collaborative meaning-making, shared ownership, and sustainable development with scalability potential. Our co-creation program targeted the collaborative design of education technologies, engaging teachers, the EdTech sector, researchers, and policymakers. We seek to understand the core dynamics of such partnerships and how interdisciplinary co-creation elevates stakeholders' professional experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research article discusses a new paradigm in smart system development using the 4-layer framework and activity theory from the perspectives of ontology, epistemology, and axiology. The study aims to understand how this paradigm can influence the development of smart systems and provide insights into its theoretical and practical implications. The 4-layer modern system comprises instrumentation, information systems, business intelligence, and gamification, which are the core components of a smart system. Each layer plays a crucial role in data collection, information processing, business analysis, and gamification implementation at the top layer. The integration of these layers forms a solid foundation for the development of efficient and innovative smart systems. In addition, activity theory is utilized to analyze the interactions among users, technology, and the environment within the context of smart systems. From an ontology standpoint, this research views smart systems as complex socio-technical entities involving human, technological, and process aspects. In terms of epistemology, a multidisciplinary approach is employed to combine knowledge from areas such as computer science, information systems, and human-computer interaction. In the realm of axiology, this study recognizes the ethical values and social implications that must be considered in the development and implementation of smart systems. By integrating the new smart system paradigm using the 4-layer modern systems and activity theory, this research contributes to the understanding of the dynamics and development potential of smart systems. The results of this study can provide guidance for practitioners, researchers, and decision-makers in developing more effective, efficient, and user-oriented smart systems in various contexts.

This study explores how teachers construct and enact agency in professional learning from an activity theory perspective. Through a qualitative case study of three language teachers' experiences within a professional development (PD) program focusing on China's Standards of English Language Ability (CSE), this research identifies agency construction as a triadic connection-building process among teachers (subjects), the CSE learning target (tool) and teachers' professional development goals (objects). The findings suggest that PD programs can be designed to assist teachers in building these connections by understanding their broader professional needs, guiding them to identify specific learning objectives relevant to their professional practices and supporting their application of the CSE to achieve these objectives. This study contributes to the literature on teacher professional learning by offering a nuanced understanding of teacher agency construction and proposing an agency-oriented approach to PD program design and implementation in facilitating teachers' engagement with new tools like the CSE to support sustainable professional growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Despite the growth of research on EAP teachers in the past decade, little research has focused on their emotions and much less on their well-being. In response to this gap of knowledge, the present study draws on the theoretical framework of activity theory and explores the well-being of 13 Iranian EAP teachers. We collected data from a questionnaire, narrative frames, and semi-structured interviews. Data analyses revealed three themes in relation to the teachers’ well-being: (1) content as a site of experiencing positive and negative emotions, (2) content and institutional contextualities as determinants of seeking purpose in EAP instruction, and (3) sociocultural parameters as shaping meaning in EAP instruction. We found that EAP teacher well-being functions as a layered construct that is influenced by various personal, institutional, and sociocultural dynamics, and substantially influences teachers’ professional practices, identities, and emotions. Across these processes, content operates as the antecedent or consequence of the influence in EAP instruction. Based on the findings, we provide implications for teachers and teacher educators in how to employ professional alternatives that could effectively contribute to EAP teachers’ well-being.

This study applies Activity Theory to describe and analyze an out-of-school project in which eight Chinese university students utilized a massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) to learn English. Based on data collected through questionnaires, gaming journals, gaming recordings and interviews, thematic analysis was performed to identify the recurrent themes, which were then mapped onto the activity system. Four contradictions were identified in the process. Temporary contradictions dominated the early phase of the project and were easily resolved. However, inherent contradictions, mainly manifesting themselves through inadequate competence and learner variation, remained unresolved. Efforts to overcome these tensions resulted in the evolvement of the activity system. In terms of the actual outcomes, there was evidence for the development and exercise of autonomy. Learners also reported enhanced confidence and gains in vocabulary, listening and oral fluency. The study contributes new knowledge to the field by revealing how non-gamers make use of digital gaming for language learning in an informal setting. Pedagogical implications for digital game-based language learning are discussed and suggestions for future research are also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The past few decades have seen a boom in English-medium instruction (EMI) in Chinese universities. Despite growing research interest in EMI policy and practices in China, little is known about how students' motivation to study in the EMI programs is influenced by EMI policy and its implementation at the meso and micro levels. This study addresses this gap by examining an EMI program at a Chinese medical college. Through a survey of 118 students and interviews with 10 students and 6 teachers, we investigated students' EMI learning motivation, how and why it changed over time, and different stakeholders' perceptions of the EMI implementation. The questionnaire and interview data were triangulated with textual analysis results of institutional EMI policy documents. It was found that students' motivation generally declined over the course of EMI study and was often influenced by implementation factors such as pedagogical practices, assessment-related policies, and incentive strategies. Interactions and contradictions between the EMI policy goals, EMI implementation at different levels and students' motivation change were also analyzed through the Activity Theory lens to shed light on how higher education institutions could better sustain students' EMI motivation and enhance the quality of EMI programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educational researchers are increasingly expected to focus on their research productivity as per their professional performance. Such a trend may have influenced their professional identities and activities, especially in the Global South, where researchers have not been immersed in the new research culture and where their assumed primary role may be to increase teaching efficacy instead. The pervasive focus on research productivity is detrimental to the equitable research-practice relationship whereby two groups of professionals—practitioners and researchers—collaboratively work to achieve the common goal of student learning. This teacher-researcher epistemological clash may exist within individual researchers when they have abundant teaching experience prior to becoming educational researchers. Through the lens of activity theory, we report on a case study of educational researchers' lived experiences and struggles of navigating teacher-researcher identities in Chile, entailing their boundary-crossing of teacher-researcher identities, internal and external identity conflicts, and beliefs and actions related to the ideal research-practice relationship. In conclusion, we call for changes at the institutional level to promote an equitable and manageable research-practice relationship as well as at the individual level to reflect the ultimate purpose of educational research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transformation, learning and research come together in educational action research. Change Laboratories (CLs) are a distinctive approach to action research grounded in Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT). CLs seek to go beyond technical change, oriented instead to systemic and ideologically driven transformation. However, there have been few reviews of CL research, none focused on education. This paper reports a review of 55 studies using CLs or sibling approaches involving schools. It finds that CLs have been applied to diverse problems including pedagogical practice development, initial teacher education and collaboration across school boundaries. Wider issues of equity, inclusion and justice are present but not ubiquitous in this work. Theoretical references focus on expansive learning, activity systems and double stimulation, with growing use of wider concepts from within and beyond CHAT, including Southern and Indigenous epistemologies. Critical reflection of these findings informs seven fronts for future development in CLs to strengthen their contribution to educational action research: participation, beyond-technical change, enduring change, epistemic justice, addressing grand challenges, resistance, and reporting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the recent growth of attention to language teachers’ emotions, knowledge about how emotional tensions contribute to student teachers’ identity construction is still under-developed. In response to this gap, the present study explored the role of emotional tensions in seven Iranian English language student teachers’ identity construction over a semester-long period. Theoretically grounded in activity theory, the study was conducted through collecting data from pre-course interviews, during-course reflective journals, and post-course interviews. Data analysis revealed three major themes: (1) emotional tensions as a source of marginalisation, (2) emotional tensions as a motivator of professional investment, and (3) emotional tensions as a fund of identity. We found that beyond positive and negative contributions for student teachers’ identity construction, emotional tensions could play a mediatory role in identity development when they interact with system-related discourses and participants. Based on the findings, we provide implications for teachers and teacher educators to turn emotional tensions into a positive contributor to interpersonal and organisational development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Young children are increasingly provided with opportunities to interact with digital technologies in their homes. Despite an accumulating body of research on children's digital interactions, little is known about how these are situated within the social and cultural context in which they take place. In this exploratory study, we aim to extend existing knowledge by offering a contextualised understanding of children's digital experiences. To do this, we draw on Activity Theory as a conceptual framework to explore how various social and cultural factors influence and interact to shape children's opportunities and interactions with digital technologies. Method: This study draws upon ethnographic and 'day in the life' methodologies to gain rich insight into children's situated digital experiences. Along with other traditional ethnographic methodologies, children aged between 3 and 6 years from 5 families were provided with wearable chest-mounted video cameras to capture their usual daily play activities at home - which included, but was not limited to, digital activities. Results: Data on digital interactions is presented for the five participating families, and through the presentation of two purposively selected in-depth illustrative examples, we demonstrate how children's digital interactions are part of a larger activity system situated within the social and cultural contexts of their homes. We also elaborate on children's natural inclination to interact playfully with digital technologies. Discussion: This study extends on current knowledges about the contextual influences of children's digital experiences and has important implications for parents and families trying to navigate the complexities of their children's digital lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper argues that learning analytics as a research field can benefit from a theory‐informed shared language to describe sensemaking of learning and teaching data. To make the case for such shared language, first, I critically review prominent sensemaking theories to then demonstrate how studies in learning analytics do not use coherent descriptions of sensemaking, eclectically combining the paradigms that have underlying differences. I then propose a conceptualization of sensemaking that overcomes the differences between these theories and explains how the concepts of activity system, the definition of the situation and affordances can be used to capture individual differences in sensemaking. The paper concludes with a preliminary framework and examples demonstrating its utility in raising new theoretical questions, informing design principles and providing shared language for researchers in learning analytics.Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topicSensemaking happens when individuals try to explain unknown situations.Learning analytics uses sensemaking as a lens to understand dashboard use.Systematic analysis of sensemaking is essential for learning analytics.What this paper addsThe paper notes that noticing and perceiving are commonly examined in learning analytics on dashboard use.The paper suggests a revision of fundamental assumptions in sensemaking.A paper proposes a toy model of sensemaking that includes operationalization of the definition of the situation, activity where sensemaking happens and processes of noticing and perceiving affordances.Implications for practice and/or policyLearning analytics must examine sensemaking of data about teaching and learning in a systematic manner.Internal perceptions of the social environment and activity that are informed by the data need to be considered in evaluating dashboard use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research article discusses a new paradigm in smart system development using the 4-layer framework and activity theory from the perspectives of ontology, epistemology, and axiology. The study aims to understand how this paradigm can influence the development of smart systems and provide insights into its theoretical and practical implications. The 4-layer modern system comprises instrumentation, information systems, business intelligence, and gamification, which are the core components of a smart system. Each layer plays a crucial role in data collection, information processing, business analysis, and gamification implementation at the top layer. The integration of these layers forms a solid foundation for the development of efficient and innovative smart systems. In addition, activity theory is utilized to analyze the interactions among users, technology, and the environment within the context of smart systems. From an ontology standpoint, this research views smart systems as complex socio-technical entities involving human, technological, and process aspects. In terms of epistemology, a multidisciplinary approach is employed to combine knowledge from areas such as computer science, information systems, and human-computer interaction. In the realm of axiology, this study recognizes the ethical values and social implications that must be considered in the development and implementation of smart systems. By integrating the new smart system paradigm using the 4-layer modern systems and activity theory, this research contributes to the understanding of the dynamics and development potential of smart systems. The results of this study can provide guidance for practitioners, researchers, and decision-makers in developing more effective, efficient, and user-oriented smart systems in various contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While numerous studies of robot-assisted language learning (RALL) for English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) learners' language skill development have been done, a comprehensive and theoretically-driven meta-analysis on its effects is still in paucity. To fill the gap, drawing on Activity Theory (AT), this study reported a meta-analysis from 47 independent studies out of 29 literature samples involving 1791 EFL learners on RALL for language skill development published during 2004–2023. The results indicated that the overall effect size was g =.69, 95% CI [.49,.90], suggesting that RALL outperforms non-RALL conditions. In addition, educational levels and intervention durations were found to be significant moderators. Based on the results, implications for practice were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on Activity Theory, this study is an attempt to explore and explicate learners' emotions in a Chinese English-medium instruction (EMI) context. This paper detailed two cases of university learners to address two issues: how the relationship between EMI learners and their perceived sociocultural contexts shapes their foreign language enjoyment and anxiety and how the factors affecting the two emotions can be explained from an Activity Theory (AT) perspective. Qualitative content analysis was performed on data collected from in-depth, face-to-face interviews and journals. The findings illustrated that a diversity of sociocultural factors, ranging from the object of learning to the rules of learning, could influence learners' emotions. Contradictions between these factors also influenced EMI learners' two emotions. This study could inform educational language policy and the development of EMI curricula and pedagogy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health professions educators often use social media to share knowledge; however, it is unclear what specific dissemination and knowledge translation (KT) processes are occurring and the implications of this sharing for health professions education (HPE). This study explored how educators have used social media as a mechanism of dissemination and KT in the literature. A critical scoping review methodology, informed by Engeström's Activity Theory, was employed. Twelve databases were searched and studies that: (a) addressed health professions educators; (b) described the use of social media for dissemination or KT; (c) focused on a regulated health profession; (d) focused on undergraduate or graduate education; and (e) were published in English or French between 2011 and 2021 were included. Data were analyzed using numerical and qualitative content analyses. Of the 4859 articles screened, 37 were eligible for inclusion. Social media may facilitate knowledge sharing in HPE, but there is a lack of conceptual clarity on what is meant by 'dissemination' and 'KT'. Who is responsible for sharing knowledge, what knowledge is being shared, and the target audiences are not always clear. Multiple factors (e.g., affordances, opportunity costs) influence how social media is used as a mechanism of dissemination, and it remains unclear whether and how it is used as a mechanism of KT. Concepts like KT and dissemination, which are often borrowed from other disciplines, must be critically evaluated for their relevance and suitability if they are to be appropriately applied to HPE and in particular to social media. Educators looking to use social media to teach students about KT should consider whether this use of technology truly aligns with their stated learning outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two educational trends that have had major impacts on school policies of the last few decades are inclusive education and digitalisation. To that end, the purpose of this study is to examine how inclusive education and the digitalisation of education are related, understood, and represented in one case of Swedish special education practice. Using activity theory as a theoretical framework, the results of this study suggest that the meaning of inclusive education has shifted, and that digitalisation has entailed both congruencies and contradictions in special education activities aiming for inclusive education. Although digitalisation was described as providing alternatives for inclusive school practices, new expectations and work assignments sometimes exceeded the special educators' professional knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of School Administrators is the property of School Administration Research Association, R.O.C. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Despite the growth of research on EAP teachers in the past decade, little research has focused on their emotions and much less on their well-being. In response to this gap of knowledge, the present study draws on the theoretical framework of activity theory and explores the well-being of 13 Iranian EAP teachers. We collected data from a questionnaire, narrative frames, and semi-structured interviews. Data analyses revealed three themes in relation to the teachers' well-being: (1) content as a site of experiencing positive and negative emotions, (2) content and institutional contextualities as determinants of seeking purpose in EAP instruction, and (3) sociocultural parameters as shaping meaning in EAP instruction. We found that EAP teacher well-being functions as a layered construct that is influenced by various personal, institutional, and sociocultural dynamics, and substantially influences teachers' professional practices, identities, and emotions. Across these processes, content operates as the antecedent or consequence of the influence in EAP instruction. Based on the findings, we provide implications for teachers and teacher educators in how to employ professional alternatives that could effectively contribute to EAP teachers' well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This qualitative study aimed to demystify the utilisation of tools and the object in the activity system was realised by the teacher in attaining the object’s desired outcome. Method: A CHAT framework analysis was used to understand the more complex learning environment and underpin the dynamic problems raised in human research and practices. Following Engeström’s work, there were six components of analysis including subject, object and outcomes, tools, a community, the division of labour and rules of an activity system. The data were collected through observation, semi-structured interviews and photo-elicitation instruments. Results: The results depict the mediated tools utilisation in the activity system employed and performed by the subject in the activity system. Other results also reveal the realisation of the object in the activity system was done to achieve the desired outcomes. Conclusions: The empirical findings in this study propose a new understanding of the effective use of mediating tools in gaining the desired outcomes in an educational context and the depiction of the involved subject’s discernment of the programme implementation as the object in the activity system.Implication: These findings offer indications towards understanding individuals and their social entities in the educational context through CHAT analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exemplars are powerful in clarifying assessment criteria, and their positive impacts on criteria understanding and performance have been empirically verified. However, the implementation modes are highly varied, resulting in a complicated class context which calls for further investigation. Less is known as to how exemplar-based instruction works in an online context. This qualitative study hence explores helpful contextual factors in an online exemplar-based class. Guided by Activity Theory, we collected students' perceptions of different contextual factors through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews and analysed the data through thematic analysis. The study found that among various contextual components, exemplars showing students' common problems were considered the most helpful, indicating that they could serve as an effective warning, provide immediate help and make the class more engaging. Reflective journal writing, access to dictionaries, and components valued in conventional classes were also found to be helpful. The findings contribute to more informative exemplar-based pedagogical decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Digital Education Review is the property of University of Barcelona, Virtual Teaching & Learning Research Group and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Digital agents are considered a general-purpose technology. They spread quickly in private and organizational contexts, including education. Yet, research lacks a conceptual framing to describe interaction with such agents in a holistic manner. While focusing on the interaction with a pedagogical agent, that is, a digital agent capable of natural-language interaction with a learner, we propose a model of learning activity based on activity theory. We use this model and a review of prior research on digital agents in education to analyze how various characteristics of the activity, including features of a pedagogical agent or learner, influence learning outcomes. The analysis leads to identification of information systems research directions and guidance for developers of pedagogical agents and digital agents in general. We conclude by extending the activity theory-based model beyond the context of education and show how it helps designers and researchers ask the right questions when creating a digital agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interest in project leadership research has expanded towards shared leadership practices, and shared leadership is a noteworthy alternative for traditional project management approaches. Despite the growing interest in shared leadership, the role of events in the emergence of shared leadership remains unclear. The aim of our research was to identify what kind of events trigger or hinder the emergence of shared leadership in project teams. Our qualitative research data from interviews with 31 project team members was collected in five different organizations. Activity theory was chosen as the analytical tool to explore the events affecting the emergence of shared leadership. We found event chains that trigger and hinder the emergence of shared leadership during the different phases of a project life cycle. Our research contributes to project leadership research by shedding light on the role of events in the emergence of shared leadership.

We investigated youth participation in three Community and Citizen Science (CCS) programs led by natural history museums in out-of-school settings. Using second generation Activity Theory, we looked at repeated participation over time, collecting and then qualitatively analyzing ethnographic fieldnote observations on focal youth participation and components of the activity systems. We found each program provided multiple and unique access points for youth to participate in environmental science. Further, when facilitators emphasized the scientific goals of the programs clearly and repeatedly, youth participation in the scientific processes of the CCS programs deepened. Access to scientific tools, facilitation in using them, and repeatedly applying them in authentic research, enabled youth to participate in different aspects of CCS, from exploring to submitting biological data. Repeated participation in CCS activities provided the opportunities for youth to try the same type of participation multiple times (intensification), as well as provided the opportunity for youth to try different types of participation (diversification). Our findings suggest that repeated participation in authentic scientific research in CCS contexts fosters youth development of new roles and possible development of environmental science identities.

Despite the growth of research on language teachers’ emotion and professional identity in the past decades, little is known about the emotional life of language teacher educators (LTEs), much less about their emotional vulnerability. Accordingly, the present study drew on activity theory and explored 14 Iranian LTEs’ emotional vulnerability and professional identity construction. Drawing on data from narrative frames and semi-structured interviews, our study demonstrated how context created tensions that profoundly shaped the LTEs’ emotional vulnerability and identification processes. Specifically, we found that LTEs’ emotional vulnerability results from others’ malpractice and/or their own lack of autonomy, leading to further identity investment. Although they faced a myriad of challenges serving as sources of emotional and professional identity tensions, the LTEs adhered to ethics in maintaining their identity standards to positively contribute to teachers’ professional growth. We provide implications for institutional policymakers to better acknowledge the professional status of LTEs so that they become less emotionally vulnerable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alumni can offer authentic perceptions of how university education is relevant to career requirements with direct educational experiences and frontline work experiences. This study captures the experiences of alumni in the engineering field to illuminate the multi-faceted distinctions between the higher education and employment systems. Based on semi-structured interviews and artefact collection, the findings reveal that the university system focuses more on fragmented and theoretical knowledge in course goals, using classical textbooks as the main means of instruction, while the workplace system emphasises the whole picture and application competence, using cutting-edge instruments and project-based approaches to enhance employees' abilities. Students at universities are less incentivised to work hard and collaborate with each other than employees at companies due to different incentive rules and different community milieu. The workplace system also has a better division of labour than universities in cultivating talents. Practical implications are discussed regarding aspects of higher education reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The market size of smart senior care industry continues to expand then generates a series of valuable data resource. However, the degree of smart senior care data resource sharing in the country is low and not systematic, showing the outstanding problem of non-integration non-unification and non-uniform, which makes it difficult to give full play to the value of data resource, hinders the cooperation and efficiency improvement of various service subjects, and affects the satisfaction of the elderly. Therefore, it is urgent to establish and improve the governance systems of the smart senior care data resource sort out and analyze various service subjects and data involved in smart senior care. design reasonable governance structure, establish effective cooperation modes and governance mechanisms. to help all smart senior care service subjects better share data and achieve more value creation through data integration and business collaboration. Scholars have studied the framework and mechanisms of data resource governance in some fields, but there is still a lack of research on the data resource governance system in the field of smart senior care. especially how various elements collaborate in the governance framework and how to carry out scenario-oriented governance activities. In this paper, the framework of smart senior care data resource governance system is proposed based on the activity theory. And the six elements of governance subject, object. community rules, tools and division of labor are analyzed in detail. In the process of analysis. it is proposed to sort out and analyze the data resource owned by virous smart senior care service subjects based on the scene, and to build a data resource classification system including three levels of "metadata-master data-reference data". It is also concluded that the governance modes of the community will go through the development stage from the distributed mode to the centralized. to the distributed-centralized. finally to the network mode, from no-center to single-center to polycenter. At different stages. governance mechanisms such as supervision mechanism registration mechanism consultation mechanism. rights and responsibility mechanism incentive mechanism and regulatory mechanism can be built. Finally, based on the rehabilitation scenario. an activity flow chart of data resource governance from pre-rehabilitation to rehabilitation and then to after rehabilitation is constructed to guide the actual governance activities. This paper contributes to the existing literature in two aspects: first the introduction of activity theory framework can help comprehensively understand the key issues in smart senior care data resource governance. That is why to govern, who participates in governance, what need to govern and how to govern. At the same time, it corresponds to the various elements included in the activity, and carries out the collaborative analysis among the various elements. Second, different from the existing conceptual framework which emphasizes the macro-control role, this paper focuses on practice of smart senior care data governance. Starting from the current situation, this paper summarizes the governance modes and mechanisms at different stages that can be promoted and developed. and combs data resource by scene dimension and defines the division of governance. Above two contributions can enrich the smart senior care data governance theory and then explore the application field of data governance theory. The research in this paper can reveal the internal logic of smart senior care data resource governance system, help promote data sharing activities in different cooperation situations, and establish effective governance modes and mechanisms, achieve more data resource value creation, promote high-quality development of senior care services. and ultimately improve the satisfaction and happiness of the seniors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Electrónica de Enseñanza de las Ciencias is the property of Revista Electronica de Ensenanza de las Ciencias and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In keeping with discipline-specific genre expectations for writing in scientific and technological fields, students enrolled in English writing classes for future engineers are often required to produce collaborative reports on team projects. For freshman engineering students, such collaborative report writing, which constitutes a cornerstone in their academic literacy, is an entirely new genre. Drawing on Engeström's (Engeström, Yrjö. 1987. Learning by expanding: An activity theoretical approach to developmental research. Orienta-Konsultit Oy) activity system and Storch's (Storch, Neomy. 2002. Patterns of interaction in ESL pair work. Language and Learning 52(1). 119–158) interaction model, this paper explores two engineering freshmen's experiences of working collaboratively in separate groups in the same writing class. Our focal students were both native-English-speaking women at a U.S. midwestern university. Over the course of one semester, they provided their class notes and project report drafts, and they and the course teaching assistant participated in interviews. Our findings demonstrate that while both students had similar levels of commitment to the collaborative project, their writing experiences differed depending on their respective group members and their own attitudes and experiences. Our case study has implications for engineering freshman writing education as we illustrate how the ESP class we examined can help students prepare for academic and professional communication. We also discuss ways to help apprentice future engineers overcome discipline-specific communication difficulties as they enter a new discourse community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Medical schools have a duty of care to support student wellbeing but there is little guidance on how to translate this mandate into practice. Often schools focus on implementing and reporting individual-level interventions which typically only address one aspect of wellbeing. Conversely, less attention has been paid to holistic school-wide approaches towards student wellbeing that address multiple wellbeing dimensions. Thus, this review sought to improve our understanding of how support is mediated within such school-wide wellbeing programmes. Method: This critical narrative review was conducted in two stages. First, the authors searched several key databases for papers published up to 25th May 2021, using a systematic search strategy and TREND checklist to guide our data extraction process. We later expanded our search to include literature published from the original date to 20th May 2023. Second, the identified articles were critically analysed using activity theory as a theoretical lens to aid explanation. Results: We found school-wide wellbeing programmes emphasize social connectivity and building a sense of community. Tutors take a key role in the activity of supporting students' wellbeing. We mapped out the activity system components to describe the complexity of this tutor role. This analysis illustrated: tensions and contradictions in the system which may open up opportunities for change; the importance of context for influencing how system components interact; and that students' trust underpins the whole activity system. Conclusions: Our review shines a light into the black-box of holistic school-wide wellbeing programmes. We identified that tutors play a key role in wellbeing systems but confidentiality is a recurring tension which may jeopardise a wellbeing system. The time has come to investigate these systems in more detail, embracing and exploring the role of context at the same time as looking for common threads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To solve the quantitative problem of sleeping activity posture in space-restricted accommodation cabins, a comprehensive assessment model was constructed with ergonomics simulation technology as well as sleeping activity and behavioral posture. Sleeping behavioral types were integrated and analyzed through observational surveys by combining activity theory and hierarchical task analysis. We constructed digital human models (DHMs) assisted by JACK software and followed the methodology of design constraint extraction and construction, comfort-oriented ergonomic simulation evaluation and inference, and data-driven decision-making. We simulated five phases of sleeping experience and evaluated these crews' sleeping-related postures (including head, neck, shoulders, elbows, torso, and hips) through seven DHM simulation tools. These simulation assessment data were synthesized using multiple attribute decision-making (MADM) methods (AHP-TOPSIS method vs. GRA-VIKOR method). When exploring the assessment model application on the example of a ship's accommodation cabin, this work shows that alternative S3 is optimal, and the ranking of GRA-VIKOR method is in line with the actual. The evaluation results based on MADM methods are consistent with the analysis of variance test. In summary, DHM-driven quantitative assessment model can be used to realize preferred design decision-making and provide further guidance for manned cabin ergonomics optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]