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7 - Learning in Activity

from Part I - Foundations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2022

By
Yrjö Engeström
Edited by
R. Keith Sawyer
R. Keith Sawyer
Affiliation:
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
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Summary

This chapter presents an approach to the study of learning which analyzes small groups – such as a dyad, a group, a classroom – or large groups – for example, a community or a social movement. This approach is based on a situativity or sociocultural theory of cognition and learning, where learning is “situated” within complex social and material contexts known as activity systems. Sociocultural theories are related to cultural-historical activity theory, situated learning theory, distributed cognition theory, and cultural psychology. These theories suggest that a full account of learning must extend beyond individualist psychology to analyze and explain social practices, technological artifacts, interactional patterns, and the different roles occupied by the participants.

Keywords

socioculturalsituativityactivity systemssocial practiceconcept formation

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Chapter
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The Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences , pp. 134 - 155
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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